Luggage storage: what to do with your bag between checkout and your flight

Heathrow and Amtrak both charge per item, and the price depends on how long you leave it. Radical Storage adds a catch its prices don't show: its terms cap a claim at €3,000 and rule one out entirely if a phone or laptop was in the bag. Prices and terms below come from each operator's own pages, read in November 2026 unless another date is given.

Heathrow: the price steps up with the clock

Heathrow's luggage storage page says Excess Baggage Company runs the service and prices it per item. Up to 3 hours costs £10, 3 to 24 hours £15, 24 to 48 hours £27.50 and 48 to 72 hours £40. After 72 hours it's £12.50 for each extra day, and £10 a day after seven days. Four bags for a day come to £60.

The company's own airport page lists Heathrow stores in Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 and says every item is x-ray screened and barcoded. Its storage page lets you book online or drop a bag without booking and pay when you collect. That page also says unused time periods are non-refundable. If your pickup time is uncertain, paying on collection avoids paying for time you don't use.

London stations list different hours

Excess Baggage also runs left luggage at Euston, King's Cross, Paddington, Victoria and Waterloo. Its rail-stations page says most of its rail stores open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Network Rail's Paddington page lists left luggage there as Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The two listings don't match, so confirm the hours for your station and day before you plan a pickup around them.

Amtrak: priced per item per day

Amtrak's baggage services page says it offers temporary bag storage at many of its staffed stations, not all of them, and sends you to the station's own page to check. The rate is per item for each 24-hour period: $20 with a valid ticket, $30 for the general public, who show a photo ID. A new 24-hour period is charged in full at its start. Two bags held for 25 hours cost a non-passenger $120 and a ticket holder $80.

Storing luggage at the airport

Phoenix Sky Harbor doesn't store bags. Its help-center answer, dated June 2018 and still posted in the Internet Archive's September 2025 copy, blames federal security restrictions from the TSA. It suggests asking your airline how early it takes bags, and says some airlines work with a local storage company. The airport's services list had no storage entry in November 2026 either.

The closest thing is Early Bag Check, which is free. Counters at the Rental Car Center and at East Economy Parking, open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily including holidays, take bags for domestic flights on Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest and United, up to two per person depending on the airline. Airline bag fees still apply. Bags must go in no more than four hours and no less than 90 minutes before departure. For a 9 p.m. flight the window opens at 5 p.m., the hour the counters close, so it doesn't bridge an 11 a.m. checkout. Our airport parking guide covers East Economy Parking, where one of the counters sits.

Storage points you book online

Radical Storage books space at partner businesses. Its blog names cafes, shops and hotels, and its homepage counted 16,049 locations in November 2026. Its "from" prices don't match: the homepage says "from €0.90/day" and the blog "from $4.90/bag per day", while a sample cafe listing on the homepage shows "from €3.90/day". Treat a "from" price as a floor and compare the total at checkout with the Heathrow and Amtrak figures above.

The homepage advertises a €10,000 guarantee. Radical's general terms put a different number on it: up to €3,000 per claim, and the guarantee "does not constitute a contract of insurance". A claim has to be emailed within 2 days of the loss with a copy of your ID or passport, after any insurer you hold has refused it. The terms are the contract, so the lower figure is the safer one to plan around.

The same terms ban certain items, and a banned item in the bag rules out any claim on that booking:

• Money, coins, credit cards and traveler's cheques.
• Documents.
• iPhones, iPads, tablets, PCs and other smartphones.
• Works of art, antiques, and gold or silver in any form.

So the passport, wallet, phone and laptop go in your day bag, not the suitcase.

On cancellation, the homepage says "Free cancellation". The terms say a cancelled booking followed by a refund request turns the storage partner's share into a voucher valid for 6 months, and Radical keeps its own fee.

When the bag is already checked through

A bag your airline is transferring to your next flight stays transferred if you leave the airport, Heathrow's connecting-flights page says. Leaving does mean UK immigration, so you need the right to enter the UK. Two separate tickets are different: Heathrow says you'll most likely collect your checked bags and check them in again, which makes a storage counter the place for them. Our layovers guide covers connection times, the UK transit visa and missed connections.

Frequently asked questions

How much does luggage storage cost?

In November 2026 Heathrow's left luggage charged 10 pounds per item for up to 3 hours and 15 pounds for 3 to 24 hours. Amtrak charged $20 per item for each 24 hours with a ticket and $30 without one. Radical Storage's homepage advertised storage points from 0.90 euros a day.

Can I leave a bag at Phoenix Sky Harbor?

The airport's help center says it offers no storage because of federal security restrictions. Its free Early Bag Check takes bags for domestic flights on six airlines, between four hours and 90 minutes before departure.

What can't I leave at a Radical Storage point?

Its terms ban money, credit cards, documents, and phones, tablets and computers, among other items. A banned item in the bag also rules out any claim on that booking.

What do I need to show to leave a bag?

At an Amtrak station, a valid ticket, or a valid photo ID if you pay the general-public rate. At a Radical Storage point, the booking confirmation with its QR code, which you show again to collect.

What happens if the storage company loses a bag?

Radical Storage's terms pay up to 3,000 euros per claim, require a written claim within 2 days and say the guarantee is not insurance. Check your travel insurance policy for what it adds.