Kensington QR Code Parking Scam Warning — How to Pay Safely in 2026
Kensington QR Code Parking Scam Warning — How to Pay Safely in 2026
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea does not use QR codes for parking. If you scan a sticker on a lamp-post or a pay-and-display sign, you are paying a scammer, not the council. That was the official line in 2024, restated in a January 2025 RBKC warning, and it is still the rule on the council's PayByPhone page (updated May 2026).
Last verified: 20 August 2026.
What the scam is
Criminals stick QR-code labels on official parking signs. The sticker looks like a council payment shortcut. It opens a fake site that takes card details, and you still get a Penalty Charge Notice because the session was never paid.
Stickers have been found around Kensington High Street, Sloane Square and the King's Road. Officers remove them when reported; new ones appear. Treat any QR code on a parking sign in this borough as fake.
Cllr Cem Kemahli, RBKC lead member for planning and place, on the 2025 warning: "If you use a QR code to pay for parking in Kensington and Chelsea, I guarantee that you are paying scammers instead of the Council. Our parking system does not use QR codes at all." Source: RBKC Newsroom · BBC News.
How to pay in 2026
Use PayByPhone only:
- App — PayByPhone (also listed for RBKC at paybyphone.co.uk/locations/royal-borough-of-kensington-and-chelsea)
- Phone —
020 7023 9078 - Text —
65565 - Web — paybyphone.co.uk
- Cash — authorised PayPoint shops, if you have no card
There are no visitor paper vouchers and no uncontrolled bays in the borough. Source: RBKC guide to parking (June 2026).
On-street tariffs (PayByPhone, March 2026 card)
Per hour, from the RBKC PayByPhone page:
| Tariff zone | Electric / zero-emission | Petrol and petrol hybrid | Diesel and diesel hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £1.90 | £2.50 | £2.90 |
| Low | £3.10 | £4.10 | £4.70 |
| Medium | £4.40 | £5.90 | £6.60 |
| High | £5.60 | £7.40 | £8.40 |
Maximum stay and zone maps change; check the location code on the sign in the app before you pay. Bank holidays: pay-by-phone bays are free — RBKC bank holiday parking (updated April 2026). Carnival Monday 31 August 2026 is a Bank Holiday.
Hotel parking
Holiday Inn Kensington Forum has on-site parking at £35 per day, reserved in advance. See the FAQ. That is usually cheaper than a full day in a High tariff on-street bay, and it avoids the QR stickers altogether.
The borough is inside the ULEZ (24/7). It sits west of the congestion charge zone. Those are separate charges from the PayByPhone session.
Spotted a fake sticker?
- Police non-emergency:
111 - Council parking: enquiries@rbkcparking.com (RBKC asks for email reports of scam codes)
Do not scan it "to check". Photograph the sign and the location if you report it.
Sources
- RBKC — Warning to drivers of QR code parking scam (January 2025)
- RBKC — PayByPhone (May 2026) and Guide to parking (June 2026)
- BBC News — Scammers target drivers with 'cruel hoax' QR codes
Last verified 20 August 2026.