What Heathrow Fast Track Security actually costs, how to buy it, who gets it free — and the honest answer on whether it’s worth paying for. A short, no-nonsense decision guide for 2026, plus the separate Fast Track Arrivals product.
Price indicative · confirm on heathrow.com
Heathrow Fast Track Security lets departing passengers use a dedicated lane to skip the standard security queue. It’s priced from £12.99 per person, costs the same whichever terminal you fly from, and any passenger can buy it — no business-class ticket needed. The honest catch: everyone goes through the same screening, so Fast Track only shortens the queue, and its value swings hugely depending on whether you travel at peak or quiet times. Here’s everything you need to decide.
Cost: from £12.99 per person, same at every terminal, booked in a one-hour window.
Buy it: on the official Heathrow site, in advance or on the day; runs daily ~06:00–21:00, all terminals.
Time saved: typically 5–10 min through Fast Track vs 15–20 min off-peak or 35–45 min at peak.
Worth it? Best value at peak times, for tight connections, families or a calmer start. Marginal off-peak. Free for many premium / status passengers and Heathrow Express Business First.
“Fast Track” at Heathrow actually covers two separate products for two different parts of the journey.
A dedicated lane that skips the standard security queue when you’re leaving. This is the one most people mean — from £12.99 per person, any cabin, any airline. You still go through the same screening, just in a shorter line.
A newer, pricier service for arriving passengers that gives a shorter immigration queue — roughly £25 off-peak or £35 peak per person. Often unnecessary if you can use the e-gates, which are usually quick.
One flat price, the same at every terminal. Here’s what you pay and how the booking works.
| Service | Price (indicative) | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Track Security Departures, all terminals | £12.99 per person | Pre-book or buy on the day; pick a 1-hour window starting no less than 1 hour before your flight |
| Fast Track Arrivals Passport control | £25 off-peak / £35 peak pp | Book for a 1-hour arrival window; show the confirmation at the Fast Track immigration lane |
Before you buy, check whether you already have it. Fast Track Security is included for:
If you’re weighing up the train anyway, the Heathrow Express upgrade can effectively bundle Fast Track for only a few pounds more — we compare the routes into and out of London in the Heathrow to London guide.
The answer hinges almost entirely on when you travel. Here’s the real-world picture.
Standard security at Heathrow typically runs 15–20 minutes off-peak, but at peak times — early morning (roughly 06:00–09:00) and early evening — it can stretch to 35–45 minutes. The Fast Track lane usually clears in 5–10 minutes even when busy. So you’re typically buying back 10–30 minutes, and most of the value lands at peak times. Off-peak, when the standard queue is already short, the saving can be marginal.
Heathrow can’t guarantee a queue length, and during staff shortages or incidents even Fast Track can slow down. You’re buying a likely time saving, not a certainty — so never rely on it to rescue a too-late arrival. The surest way to a relaxed departure is leaving with a buffer in the first place.
The arrivals product tackles Heathrow’s often-lengthy immigration queues. It costs roughly £25 off-peak or £35 peak per person — at least double the departures fee — and gives you a shorter passport-control lane, typically cutting a long wait by half or more.
The big asterisk: if your passport is eligible for Heathrow’s e-gates, you usually clear immigration in well under ten minutes anyway, which makes the paid arrivals lane hard to justify. It’s most useful for travellers who can’t use the e-gates and want to avoid a potentially long manual queue after a long flight. Either way, once you’re through, your RushXO driver is waiting in arrivals with a name board — no onward queue at all.
Everything else worth sorting before you fly.