Money/Coins/Toilets at Heathrow

The toilets at Heathrow are free. I've used them many times.

The toilets at the airport are free.

When i was in london this past Oct, i had a hard time finding coins for the toilets. I had paper bills, but i couldn't find anyone to exchange them for coins. i ran into multiple toilets that were coin only as the credit card readers were not working. I guess your best bet is to buy something with cash and hope to get coins back in change.

If you do want to get some coins, just buy a coffee or something in the arrivals hall. That said, I’ve never encountered a pay toilet in the UK.

Toilets are free but if you need cash (you won’t) ask your friend.

I live in the UK and haven’t held any coins or notes in three years.

I very rarely come across a toilet that I need to pay for either. There was one in Kensington Gardens that was card enabled but I didn’t have to pay in the end. The barrier was open. Before that it would be years since I’ve seen one. The loos in Victoria Park Bath require payment in theory but as they’re often busy everyone just holds the door for the next person.

I’ve never encountered a pay toilet in the UK.

Then you've been lucky, because they are all over the place. I was in London a few months ago and ran into many pay toilets. St. james's Park, Covent Garden, etc. I have also run into pay toilets in Scotland.

The public toilets at Regent's Park in London required 50p to enter and only accepted cc/debit cards. No cash.

Quite a few of the toilets, even in Cornwall, are now pay toilets. St Ives and Newquay are two towns where they have all either been converted to paid or closed.

In the Central Lake District you'll be hard pressed to find a free one.

Are they cash or card?

Are they cash or card?

Can be either or both. And sometimes the card readers are broken so even those might be cash only. Best to be prepared for anything.

"I was in London a few months ago and ran into many pay toilets. St. james's Park, Covent Garden"

True, but there are plenty of free options as well. I generally pop into a department store, or get a snack at Pret and use their toilets. No reason to pay...

No reason to pay...

Unfortunately, one does not always have the luxury of time. I sometimes travel with someone who has anxiety over the availability of toilets. She will often go into panic mode until we are able to find a toilet. Of course, we would prefer a free toilet if that is the nearest option, but it often isn’t. And alot of great free options, like department stores and museums, are not open early morning. We are more than happy to pay for a toilet. And to do that, one may need cash/coins

As the OP is asking about the matter, I think it’s important they have a clear picture of the toilet situation in London. Hopefully, they can find a free toilet, but if not, it’s important to know they may have to pay and then may need cash.

It’s hard for people who do not have this problem to understand. My dad thinks we’re nuts when we talk about needing to know where toilets are. But this is a fact of life for some people. And believe me, they would rather not have this be an issue.

The toilets on Trafalgar Square are cash (20p) but the toilet attendant had a little token in his belt so that people like me who tend not to carry much cash can get in for free.

Incidentally I am someone who cannot walk past a public toilet without using it, as a woman of a certain age. Knowing London well, I know which museums and shops and hotels are simple to get into to, to use the loos. Increasingly I’m finding the paid-for ones are card pay rather than coins, so was somewhat taken aback at needing a 20p on Trafalgar Square.

"It’s hard for people who do not have this problem to understand."

I'm just pointing out that there are plenty of free options, so the OP is not.left with the feeling paid toilets are the norm, as they certainly are not. And for what it's worth, I certainly do understand.

You will definitely find pay toilets in the wilds of the UK. I just saw two charges on my credit card bill from my recent trip, once in a London park (quite cheap) and once at Covent Garden (pricey and not at all private). If you've got time you can try and find a free loo (never pass a train station without looking) but sometimes nature just beckons too strongly.

Probably not a bad idea to be prepared, although I haven't seen any pay toilets there during my 4 trips to London, I did send some money and coins (with some other travel items) to a friend of mine who was going to London with her family for the first time. I kept getting messages of gratitude that I SAVED her and her sister by giving her those coins! :)
It's probably a good idea to be prepared eventually, and to get her change from somewhere else that charges less for a bottle of water or something like Heathrow would.

There is an app (of course there is) called "Flush". Type in what city you are in and map with green flags comes up showing toilets in that area . Down below there is a list of toilets in that area with dollar signs for those that are pay and handicap signs for those equipped for the handicapped. Tap on one in the list and it shows you where it is on the map.

A few years ago we were in Regents Park where we knew there would be restrooms expecting them to be free. Like others have said, nope. I was digging for coins and then saw all you had to do was tap like for everything else. We try to keep a little cash on hand just in case, hopefully this app may give some people peace of mind.

In general, if you are ever caught short you can pretty much use any pub- just walk in confidently and it's very unlikely anyone will stop you. Some are even part of community toilet schemes where they advertise the fact that non customers can use their toilets (they will have a sticker on the door to indicate this). I hope this helps!

Some are even part of community toilet schemes where they advertise the fact that non customers can use their toilets

"Community Toilet"? Who knew? Here is a link to the city website, from there you can link to their interactive map and download their app:

https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/streets/clean-streets/public-toilets

Yes we have the same scheme in Bristol but it kind of died out a bit during covid as places didn’t want any extra footfall.

I use pub toilets which is usually fine but the barmaid did once call out to me as I was leaving “Thanks love. Thanks for F**** all!’ So choose somewhere busy!

Another vote for the Flush app. Waiting at the gates for Changing of the Guard, who knew there was a public toilet behind us? Flush did!

Like my dad said, "belt and suspenders." Have a few coins, look for a free option if you have time, tap or use a coin if not. I'm all about relaxed travel, so having many bathroom options is good.