Book Cab Before Arrival?

I'm tagging onto this so I can follow the responses! I have the same question. We come in Tuesday morning next week, and my husband really prefers to take a cab since this is our first trip into London. We'll likely take the Tube back but prefer a cab there. I'm looking forward to seeing the responses because I saw an old post from 2014 on TripAdvisor advising people to book minicabs early, but I don't know if that's still valid.

https://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/taxis-and-minicabs

Best and most budget friendly option if you are considering using a taxi service is to pre book a mini cab.

I love Black Cabs because the drivers have taken and passed the Knowledge test https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/3307245/the-knowledge-taxi-test-london-black-cab-drivers-exam/amp/BUT a ride from Heathrow into London isn’t cheap!!!

If traveling light you might also consider taking the Heathrow Express train ( 15 minute ride) to Paddington and then take the Hammersmith Line to Kings Cross. Book Express tickets NOW.

There are several taxi services that specialize in airports in London. I have had very good service with Blackberry Cars Blackberry Cars
They will meet you at your Heathrow terminal after you clear immigration, and they will be cheaper than the taxi queue. Excellent customer service, newish clean cars, and experienced drivers. Highly recommend. There are other companies who offer this service as well, such as Just Airports, but I’ve been very happy with Blackberry.

Thanks so much for info, Claudia I took yr advise and booked a mini cab, price was pretty good.
I'm pretty familiar with tube, but I have an early fl. from JFK have to be there by 6am. and hotel is by

Kings Cross/St. Pancras. and tubing it seemed overwhelming .LOL I'm old!!!!

You have choices. Either leave the airport whenever you'r ready and flag down a "Black Cab". These are the iconic London taxi's often driven by a chatty Cockney (or more likely bloke from Essex these days) and who know London like the back of their hand. They'll take you the most convenient route avoiding all known disruptions as possible (unless you get unluckly with an unscrupulous one). They are, however the most expensive but you're paying for the convenience, knowledge and some may say experience.

You can pre book a minicab, which is a taxi service that can't be flagged down like a Black Cab but requires advance booking. There are many firms to choose from, I can offfer no preference as I have a taxi driver friend in Portsmouht who I use for all airport runs. They will request your flight details so that they can monitor whether your flight is delayed or not and then gamble on when to drive to the airport to meet you. There is limited free parking for collection so their aim is to make it as tight as possible. I've only had one minicab driver not be present on my arrival but that's because his firm told him the wrong date. This service will be cheaper than a Black Cab (signifcantly so in most options).

The other option is Uber. Probably the cheapest of the lot unless there's a ridiculous price surge occurring at that particular time. Book one using the app, opting for the pick up point and one should be with you within five minutes I'd imagine. The only problem with Uber drivers is their lack of knowledge of London, they all rely on their smartphone maps which to my recent experience with one trying to get to Waterloo station was that he was unable to navigate his way around some roadworks, roadworks that his GPS system was not aware of. In the end I had to direct him where to go.

My choice would be to go with the pre booked minicab. Don't worry about your flight being delayed, they'll know about it and won't leave the office until they know your landing is imminent. They have a rough idea of how long immigration will take and will probably factor in the few quid that the parking will cost in the total price.

*Edit

In the time it took to write my post and cook dinner at the same time you've made your decision, and one that I agree with.

Find out in advance what you will be charged if you don't meet the taxi by a certain fixed time. There is typically a cushion but if your flight is late and passport control takes more than an hour (that has happened more often than I'd like to admit), you need to know if you will be penalized.

Since there is free wifi at Heathrow (at least at Terminal 3), you might want to go online at Heathrow to get car service. I like Just Airports and Simply Airports.

I appreciate your long response, JC! We hadn't totally decided, and I read this to my husband, and we're going with the minicab option too. Thanks for letting me tag onto this question, lanebgood!

I was just in London. I found Uber much cheaper than a cab. I had to get one due to tube shutdowns and protests. The hotel recommended Uber.

This seems like a good place to ask my cab related question. I need to get a cab at 4:30am on a Monday to get to my pickup point for my Stonehenge Tour at 5:30am. Googlemaps say at that time of morning it is a 16-30 minute drive, 5-7 miles, depending on route. I was going to ask my hotel desk to help me arrange a Black Cab the night before, but would booking a Mini Cab be a lot cheaper? If the difference is negligible, I won't worry about a couple of pounds. I've never taken an Uber before and really don't want to take the risk of an inexperienced driver getting me to my expensive tour on time. Any insight is appreciated!

Book the mini cab.