AutoPay is dysfunctional and misleading..
I’ve never encountered a more dysfunctional and misleading system than NCP’s AutoPay at Gatwick Airport. My wife registered for AutoPay while still in the drop-off zone, received a confirmation email stating our vehicle was “now ready to use with AutoPay,” yet we were still issued a PCN. The system failed to apply the charge for a visit that was clearly in progress — a glaring design flaw.
To make matters worse, on a subsequent visit, AutoPay did charge us, but I also paid manually, resulting in a duplicate payment. NCP’s system didn’t flag this or prevent it. When I appealed, they dismissed it outright, ignoring all evidence and using intimidating language to discourage escalation to POPLA by threatening the loss of the reduced fine.
NCP’s practices are misleading, their AutoPay systems are broken, and their customer service is dismissive at best. Avoid them if you can. If you’ve been affected, I urge you to speak up and report these issues to your MP and the Department for Transport.








