PayByPhone Reviews 

1,055
TrustScore 1 out of 5

1.2

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 145 reviews, most reviewers were let down by their experience overall. Many customers state that the mobile application constantly crashes, fails to process payments properly, and ultimately results in unexpected parking fines. Reviewers also express great frustration regarding the parking fees and additional service charges, considering them excessively expensive. However, some people mentioned that trying to contact customer support is extremely difficult because the automated chat service provides no real assistance. Users additionally pointed out that the official website suffers from frustrating technical glitches and numerous navigation hurdles when attempting to complete transactions. Consumers feel that these ongoing technical problems make managing parking sessions unnecessarily complicated and stressful.

What people talk about most

Payment

Reviewers highlight negative aspects of payment, noting that the process is frequently disrupted by technical... See more

Application

Users describe negative interactions with app, frequently citing crashes, freezing on startup screens, and... See more

Price

People report negative experiences with price, consistently highlighting excessive charges and unexpected... See more

Website

Reviewers mention negative feedback about website performance, describing the platform as clunky, slow, and... See more

User experience

Customers consistently express deep frustration and negative experiences regarding the user experience.... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

St Peters retail park Mansfield. App not working, no Wi-Fi signal so what’s the point in having it. Several attempts at machine kept cancelling payment then after 4th try said out of order. Tried ri... See more

Company replied

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

ABSOLUTELY ABYSMAL IS THIS DAMN APP. It is slow it is useless it wants passwords even though I only use the useless thing for two areas - it is truly awful, by the time I sit trying to get the damn th... See more

Company replied

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Check out the reviews for the Android paybyphone app on Google play store. Hundreds of reports since August 2025 of people getting fines from parking companies because of an app that doesn't pr... See more

Company replied

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

1-star is too high but sadly no way to give zero stars. Utterly useless application, website and support "bot" that just goes round in circles telling you the same thing. All because I just want to do... See more


Company details

  1. Payment Service
  2. Valet Parking Service

Written by the company

Welcome to PayByPhone, the innovative leader in cashless parking solutions. With our user-friendly app, website, and telephone service, we're revolutionising the way you park. What We Offer: PayByPhone is all about simplifying your parking experience. Our services allow you to pay for parking with just a few taps on your smartphone or a quick call. Whether you're in a rush for a meeting or enjoying a day out, we've got your parking needs covered. We've designed our platform with you in mind. Easy navigation, quick payment processing, and a seamless interface make parking less of a hassle and more of a breeze. Our Commitment: We're dedicated to providing a reliable and convenient service. Our focus is to ensure your parking experience is as stress-free as possible. Please Note: While we're here to assist with your cashless parking needs, there are a few things we don't handle: - We don't own parking machines or car parks. - We don't set parking prices. - We don't deal with parking enforcement. Use the Real PayByPhone: For safe parking, download our app or visit www.paybyphone.co.uk. Be careful with fake sites – we can't help with problems from them. Thank you for choosing PayByPhone. We're excited to make your parking experience better!


Contact info

1.2

Bad

TrustScore 1 out of 5

1K reviews

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1.2

All reviews

(1,055)

171 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Awful customer service

Awful customer service. There is absolutely zero flexibility regarding payments. Just one minute after paying for my parking session, I contacted customer service to request a cancellation. It then took them an entire day to reply, only to tell me that nothing could be done. Completely unacceptable — no option to cancel immediately after payment, no assistance, and no accountability. Very disappointing experience.

August 26, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to read your review. Please respond to our private request so we can locate your query and investigate.
Update: we have located your email and understand your disappointment, a rare lapse, raised with staff.
PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

had to pay £1.50 for 10 minutes of…

had to pay £1.50 for 10 minutes of parking in Salcombe so i could legally keep the car in an active state, so at 6pm when it expired i could then buy another ticket for the evening rate of £3 6pm - 8am (no option to extend the booking in the evening). It should have let me at 5.50pm just enter 4 hours and it give me the all night rate, system is not intelligent, good for ripping of the public though.

August 25, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from PayByPhone

Please be advised that rates are set up in agreement with parking operators and start/end times and renewal behaviours will vary. Please reply to our private request in order that we can look at your entries for the location and check this is set up as intended.
Update: Thanks for providing details. We see you were charged in accordance to the set up we have agreed with the council. Tariffs are in their hands. This is not a review of PayByPhone.
PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The charge for street parking at most…

The charge for street parking at most of the area is very expansive for any one to offer .
I have paid £9.00 for one hour parking at 84571 SE15 near the Peckham Rye station ?
This is very expensive parking fee in the world ! I called that a Protected Ropery from the authority.
I can't understand what is the legal reasons for this charge ? the company and the council are conducting criminal procedures to strip the hard working people out of their basic income .
I work as property maintenance and I have to pay for the Job via online platform ,then I have to pay for barking and expenses , and that's strip me of 2/3 of my income ? I don't believe we can survive at this way .
Government Are completely careless , and the company like PayByPhone and other are putting the price without any consideration for any thing more than harvesting money from the people .

August 23, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

Please note, PayByPhone does not set rates for parking. We apply the rates we are told to apply by councils and private car park operators. This is not a review of PayByPhone.
PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Stressful, unreliable, and poor customer service

Rating: ⭐☆☆☆☆ (1 star)

I parked at Arlesey Station at 2pm and tried to pay via the PayByPhone app, it failed. The customer service number also didn’t work. Despite repeated attempts, including my husband trying from home, I couldn’t pay until hours later, when the system wrongly charged me from 7pm.
What should be a simple process turned into a stressful day worrying about fines. Customer service was no help. It took an hour to reach someone, who told me it would still count as “late payment” and that I couldn’t speak to a manager.
This app is unreliable, customer support is poor, and the whole experience was exhausting. I strongly warn others not to rely on this service.

August 22, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to see your negative review, Careta. We would be grateful if you could please provide your details in order that we can ensure your request is reviewed, problem understood.
Update: thanks for providing details, we have sent you an email.
PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Payments fail 90% of the time

Payments fail 90% of the time because request takes to long to reach the bank, it is treated as a fraudulent entity

August 16, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to read about this problem, Linda. Please respond to our private request to share your details so we can understand what you have seen, where you are using PayByPhone and more. Thanks.
PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Zero Stars would be too many

Trying to attend an appointment in Bakewell I went to car park after car park, all run by Paybyphone. After an hour trying to get the app, which I already had and was registered with, to work I was forced to give up and cancel my appointment. How is it in this day and age that a company cannot write an app that works. A five year old with an AI coding app could do better! If the machines had allowed contactless payment as a backup that would have been acceptable but that would obviously be expecting too much! Frankly, Derbyshire Dales are a disgrace for using this abysmal company and I for one will not be going back to Bakewell again or using any car park where Paybyphone manage payments.

August 16, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from PayByPhone

We are very sorry to read something would not work for you when using the PayByPhone app, Jon. The service has remained operational, collecting the expected heavy volumes of payments. For interest, mobile website and telephone call are alternatives to the app; the council would operate any payment machine on-site.
PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Frozen App

As soon as I used the app it went into processing mode and stayed there, I received an email telling me how much I payed and the time allotted, when my time was up I tried to add more money but the app was still processing, and unable to be used, the phone number I rang asked for a p.I.n number which I knew nothing about, it would have been easier just to use cash.

August 14, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to learn of the problem, Pat. We're investigating, would advise swiping rid of the app window and reopening in such a scenario (or turning off and on) and will be releasing a new app imminently. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The voice used by paybyphone is not…

The voice used by paybyphone is not easy to understand, by typing a m instead of n , now having to stop a £50 fine, will always use coins from now on,
South shields your a disgrace to honest working family.

August 13, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to read this, Brian, particularly if any fine appeal was not upheld. Telephone registration of information can always be improved upon by going online. We offer app and mobile website. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Frustratingly bad app

Adding extra parking to your session is not easy or straightforward and you run the risk of running over your time because the app doesn't work as expected. I found myself having to race back to the car park to add another session because I couldn't add it remotely on my phone.
On arrival at the car park this app requires you to manually put the number of the car park in instead of giving you a list to choose from as it doesn't seem to know your location. This can be difficult for people with limited mobility who are not able to park near to the pay centre, as you have to walk to the nearest pay centre to find out the number of the car park. Other apps don't require this.
Given the choice I would always avoid a car park that deals with this company. We never have any trouble with RingGo so there's no excuse for this company to have such a bad app.

August 10, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to read you find the app bad, Sue. One can just tap below an in-process parking session to extend. We provide all locations that parking operators give coordinates for on our map. We will be releasing a new app very soon and we hope you find this easier. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Rubbish, absolute rubbish

Shocking experience every time trying to use this. Chagford, Modbury, Totnes etc etc....nearly get to the end but keep getting "payment failed" message. App now uninstalled.

August 11, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to read this, Rob. If you believe it relates to poor data connection, please raise with the local authority; if you believe it's purely the app, we're releasing a new one very soon and hope you find this better; if you believe it's a payment related issue, please speak with your bank and, if they say it's down to PayByPhone, contact our Customer Support via our Help Centre's bot: https://paybyphone.ada.support/chat/
Ask to connect to staff, agree when offered, fill in your details, you'll receive confirmation of your email chain
PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I was scammed

The machines at Bowers Lane car park in Nantwich weren't working, neither was the phone number displayed so I downloaded the Paybyphone App from the Google Store. Had a few attempts to do this, but strange stuff kept popping up, including household income request. Not happy with it so removed the App. Checking my bank statement today, discovered a payment of £39.99 I knew nothing about. Checked with my bank and realised it was from the time I was trying to used this app.

July 31, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

Hello Sue, We are very sorry to see you inadvertently followed a pop-up or link to a scammer's app or website while searching for the PayByPhone app. Sadly, rogue sites purporting to be other companies are very common at this time. We do hope your bank was helpful and confirm PayByPhone is working with authorities, parking operators and more to try and raise awareness and bring scam sites down. This is not a review of the PayByPhone service.
PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Works sporadically

Works sporadically. Just signed in and won't accept 808615 Uxbridge carpark code, great thanks alot!

August 3, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from PayByPhone

Sorry to learn of the problem, Andrea. Please visit m2.paybyphone.co.uk or reinstall the app, if every encountering something strange. We are releasing a new app very soon and hope you find this better. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ideally I would give then a -5

Ideally I would give then a -5. This morning I parked at Front St Tynemouth Loc 5875 and paid £6.60 for three hours. I returned to the car to find a Parking Charge Notice for £70 for a time within the period for which the fee was paid. Turns out Loc 5875 also relates to the Great N Rd in Barnet!!! Same code two locations. When I looked carefully it did say Barnet on my phone screen, in small text, but I was more concerned with getting the location code right than anything else... which I did. So I've paid Barnet Council £6.60 and N Tyneside £35 (for paying early). What a scam!!! This app should be banned.

August 2, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

PayByPhone location 5875 only relates to London Borough of Barnet, David. We are very sorry to read you appear to have used the wrong service to buy parking for the wrong location and the name of road and parking operator are displayed when gaining a quote and should have rung alarm bells. We would have hoped the parking operator saw what happened and dealt with your appeal with sympathy. However, this is not the fault of PayByPhone. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very unreliable

I used to enjoy using this app but more recently it has become almost unusable. In certain locations, the app just hangs when you are trying to make payment, even when connected to the local shop's wifi. It also sometimes cannot find the car park you are in. Last time, I entered the code on the side of the machine only for the app to state that the location was not recognised (?!). It has deteriorated so much I now have gone back to using the pay machines in the car park or at the side of the road as it is the only way I can be certain of paying for the car parking - assuming the machine is not out of order !

July 17, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to read your negative review, Robert. We are soon releasing a new app and hope you find this better. When a location code on the side of a machine is entered but not found, this typically shows we have been asked to close the location. PayByPhone Team

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Tbf I've only had good experiences.

Tbf I've only had good experiences.

One time I got a fine, so I looked at the app on that date and realised I paid.
So I appealed only to realise I selected my old car reg like a plum.
They responded to my appeal, saying you selected the wrong car, but we will cancel the charge this time anyway.

July 25, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

Thanks for taking the time to leave a positive review, Dan. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The worst parking app I have used

The worst parking app I have used. Beware that you may end up paying inadvertently.

Using the iphone app:

1. When you click to pay, the app hangs (endless spinner). It never returns with confirmation but it takes your money anyway. You do get an SMS confirmation but I can imagine people thinking the payment has failed and paying twice.

2. If you go through the booking process but do not press the pay now (or whatever) button and then close the app, it will take payment anyway. This should be illegal.

I and others reported the first problem more than a year ago but there is no acknowledgement and the issue has not been fixed. I am left wondering if it's a deliberate design decision to take accidental payments..

July 24, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We are sorry to read your comments. Something must tap 'Pay & Park' in order for a parking session to be initiated. We are releasing a new app in around one month. We hope you find this better. Please feel free to respond to our private request here, if wanting us to look at any specific event for you. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Awlful parking app

Every time I tried to use the parking app will never process payment no matter where I am!
Ring &Go great never had any his problem
Tries re installing the app same thing
Numerous people have had same problem
They need to look at the app

July 25, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

Sorry to see this, Ellie. While we successfully collect millions of payments each week, we look at all reviews and will be releasing a new app in around one month. We hope you find this better. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Don't use PayPal By Phone App!!

It tells you everything you need to know that in nearly 1000 reviews on this site, not one person has had a single good thing to say about this company. I have used the Pay by phone app twice - once for a short stay at Cambridge Station and once at Norwich Station.
Never again!
Both times it has charged me a whole day or a whole night when I only put an hour on.
Total stays add up to about an hour and yet I have been charged £15.50 and £8.50 respectively.
It's a con. Avoid if possible.

July 23, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from PayByPhone

The parking operator has asked us to charge for a day in these cases, J S. There is no charge for just an hour and PayByPhone sets no rates - we charge as directed by those who run parking locations. Extremely harsh review. PayByPhone Team

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

This app doesn’t even deserve one star

This app doesn’t even deserve one star. After yesterday’s fiasco, I deleted and reinstalled the app in the hope that it would work … it did not.

July 21, 2025
Unprompted review
PayByPhone logo

Reply from PayByPhone

We will be releasing a new app in around one month and hope you find this better, Michael. PayByPhone Team

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