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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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Is it worth paying for

PayByPhone Parking

65
Value score / 100 Worth paying? Depends It depends

PayByPhone Parking is a highly convenient app for managing parking, but recent updates have introduced significant reliability issues and unexpected fees, making its value questionable for many users.

Free to download seen up to $1.30 4.8★ lifetime (743,740) since 2011

PayByPhone Parking offers convenience for paying for parking, saving vehicle and location information, and extending parking time remotely. However, recent updates have led to frequent app malfunctions, payment processing glitches, and unexpected fees for SMS notifications, diminishing its overall reliability and value.

Free vs paid

The app is free to download and use for basic parking payments, but users incur convenience fees for transactions R13 and additional charges for SMS reminders R62R13R298. There is no explicit 'paid tier' or subscription mentioned in the reviews; all costs are per-transaction fees.

Value complaints

  • Users are charged convenience fees, which some find unjustified given the app's unreliability.R13R315R498
  • There are additional fees for SMS notifications, which many users consider unnecessary and should be optional or free.R62R13R298
  • Some users have noticed that parking prices via the app can be higher than in-person rates.R548R264R463
  • The app displays ads and marketing, which users find annoying, especially when they are already paying for parking.R56R240R592R627

Where it delivers

  • The app offers significant convenience by saving user information, vehicle details, and frequently used parking spots, making transactions quicker.R1R86R40R50
  • Users appreciate the ability to extend parking time remotely and receive reminders, preventing tickets.R2R27R33R87
  • It saves time by eliminating the need to walk to a physical meter.R24R288
Worth paying if

It is worth paying the transaction fees if you frequently park in areas where PayByPhone is the primary or most convenient option, and if the app consistently works for you without glitches R1R2R24R27. It is also valuable for those who appreciate the ability to extend parking remotely and receive reminders R2R27R33R87.

Skip / stay free if

You should skip using this app if you are in an area like San Francisco where many users report it is completely non-functional R14R17R41R44. Also, if you experience frequent payment processing errors, login issues, or find the convenience fees and SMS charges unacceptable, it's not worth the hassle R62R13.

Evidence note: Many recent reviews highlight significant functional issues and frustrations, contrasting with the high lifetime rating. The lifetime rating likely reflects a period when the app was more stable and reliable, while current user experience is often negative due to bugs and updates.

Frequently asked

Does PayByPhone Parking accept Apple Pay?
While some users report that the app indicates it accepts Apple Pay, many reviews state that the option is often grayed out or does not work R4R30R53R67.
Why does PayByPhone Parking keep logging me out?
Several users report that the app frequently logs them out, requiring re-entry of login credentials, which is inconvenient, especially when in a hurry R16R70R102R548.
Are there extra fees for using PayByPhone Parking?
Yes, users are charged a convenience fee for transactions R13R315R498 and an additional fee for SMS notifications, which some feel should be optional or free R62R13R298.
Is PayByPhone Parking reliable in San Francisco?
Many recent reviews indicate that PayByPhone Parking is not working in San Francisco, with users reporting that it doesn't recognize locations or returns error messages R14R17R41R44.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R13] 1/5 · US Awful quality app: Even though I have cell phone signal it absolutely never tells me nearby spots so I have to walk over and look at the number to park. And it charges a $.60 convenience fee! Whose convenience is it? Especially when it doesn’t even tell me the nearby parking lot number and the sign is tiny and far away. And now I also see there’s a $.20 SMS fee. What is that for? Do better pay by
  2. [R315] 3/5 · GB RIP off prices spoil otherwise good app: Been using this a while and didn’t mind paying an extra 20p for the convenience … However , recently some car parks adding 50-70p on a £4 parking fee is ridiculous
  3. [R498] 3/5 · GB App rating: Rather not be charged 35p for using the app
  4. [R62] 3/5 · US Fees: Stop charging extra fees like SMS I don’t need a text that should be optional my phone is smart enough to set a reminder 😑
  5. [R298] 3/5 · GB Notifications: Why can’t you enable notifications from the phone rather than send SMS messages and adding an additional charge. If it’s a cost thing why can’t you take money from the parking charge, very frustrating. I’m being billed by PayByPhone for the cost of the parking!
  6. [R548] 3/5 · CA App logs out after very use: Helpful app - when it works. Constantly logs me out and every day I go to pay for parking and it gets me to sign in again. Such a pain Also I have noticed several occasions where the price via the app is more than in person. Again, that would be fine if the app just stayed logged in and saved time
  7. [R264] 3/5 · GB Expensive: £6.20 to part for 3 hours in a evening g in empty carpark.
  8. [R463] 3/5 · GB Shame we have to pay for parking: Daylight robbery by App, no?
  9. [R56] 1/5 · US super annoying: i’m paying for parking stop giving me ads
  10. [R240] 3/5 · US Used to be amazing, now wants to sell me stuff: Taking up 3/4 of the screen with stuff I don’t need and prompting me for deals? Cmon, man.
  11. [R592] 3/5 · CA Ads that can’t be disabled: Used to love this app and now there’s no way to turn off the in-app marketing and ads. Please just increase the markup on parking and make it possible to permanently “unsubscribe” or disable ads.
  12. [R627] 3/5 · CA Annoying offers: App works fine. Constant pop-up offers are annoying.
  13. [R1] 5/5 · US Love it: It makes it very convenient that your information is saved, and if you’re in the area where you constantly park around the same area that spot is also saved in the app.
  14. [R86] 5/5 · US Easy to use: Simple app can save all details makes easy checkout
  15. [R40] 5/5 · US Convenient: Easy and very convenient to make payments
  16. [R50] 5/5 · US Nice app: Convenient way to pay for parking. Pull in, enter the parking area, select your vehicle if more than one, how long and ‘pay’. Done. Bit slow setting up the account on mobile. For whatever some reason my password manager doesn’t recognize it when I log in, how er, mei or points, did not lower the score.
  17. [R2] 5/5 · US Convenient: I love the timer function! Super helpful. Also, know where my car is parked.
  18. [R27] 5/5 · US No ticket: Best way to pay and not worry about running back to the meter. Pay and it will remain you to add more time too. Convince of paying by phone .
  19. [R33] 5/5 · US Bang: Im just happy you can actually pin how long you want to stay at a spot. Also super easy and reliable
  20. [R87] 4/5 · US Convenient and Easy: It takes a few minutes to set everything up, but it’s quick and easy after that. Find the sign with the location code, pick out which car you’re driving, select amount and hit pay. They warn you when your time is about to expire too.
  21. [R24] 5/5 · US Happy Customer: Makes everything do easy! Simple to use, faster than walking from car to kiosk where I pay on the sidewalk, saving me time that I often don’t have. Love it! Many thanks for inventing this:)Customer in
  22. [R288] 3/5 · GB Issues: Thank you for your reply. I didn’t actual realise there was a map function! I will use this from now on and it will hopefully solve the issues below. Thanks again. The app is great and easy to use but often it can’t find the parking meters. I have difficulty walking so being able to pay from the car and not having to walk to a meter and back again makes a huge difference, if the app can
  23. [R4] 4/5 · US No Apple Pay?: No Apple Pay?
  24. [R30] 1/5 · US Horrible App: It says it accepts Apple Pay and Amex through the app but both are grayed out, so I had to use a card I never use for a $3 charge. Seems like a poorly designed and glitchy app.
  25. [R53] 4/5 · US Good app: Good app easy to use but it says u can pay with Apple Pay and I can’t even select the option
  26. [R67] 1/5 · US Unnecessary: This is the stupidest thing ever invented, extremely unhelpful and unintuitive, apple pay not accepted, it asks for a description of the car and the plate (? Why), it also wants you to log in.. why do i need to log in to pay for parking… i stood there for legitimately 10 minutes inputting my information, i could have paid and gone in less than 30 sec if there was just a regular meter.
  27. [R16] 1/5 · US Why do I need to log in EVERY TIME I open the app?: Horrible horrible experience. The app forces me to log back in every time I open it
  28. [R70] 3/5 · US Upgrades eliminate saved favorites and stored credentials: For at least the last two upgrades, the app has made me re-enter my login credentials. This can be a minor crisis when you’re standing on the curb in a hurry and don’t have all of your credentials memorized. Also, these upgrades somehow lost all of my favorite parking locations. What’s the point of offering a feature like favorites if you
  29. [R102] 3/5 · US Keeps signing me out, recovering password very slow: This is not the first time I tried to pay and the app signed me out, and it said my password was not valid. When I try to recover my password the SMS never arrives. Almost every app I use does not do this. This is one that does and it's a real inconvenience when your sitting in a space trying to pay to park
  30. [R14] 1/5 · US Broken in SF: Completely broken in San Francisco, no locations recognized anywhere. What’s the point of this anymore?
  31. [R17] 1/5 · US No longer working in sfo: For the last few months, the app is no longer working in San Francisco error messages all around, even if I type in the exact location it doesn’t work please fix
  32. [R41] 1/5 · US Parking app: App no longer works at all? I’ve used it for years and now it’s useless, not sure why it is listed on App. Location in SF
  33. [R44] 2/5 · US Locations are shown as non existent: Several times recently in San Francisco, I've repeatedly entered the location numbers and the app tells me it doesn't exist.. This happened to my coworkers as well. They ended up using another app which renewed their parking fee flawlessly. This is a relatively new problem. It could prove costly as a parking fine in SF is well over $150.00.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store