DFW Airport Parking Options Review: Save Time & Money

I live in Dallas, Texas and have done extensive traveling out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

Most of the time, I find myself using the parking options in or around the airport.

The purpose of this article is to explain all the options available when you need to park your car in or around DFW when traveling.

Lucky you if you can always arrange a drop-off and pick-up from a friend/loved one!

*Don’t forget, if your trip is long enough, it may be better to catch an Uber to and from the airport. Since the third quarter of 2015, we can all now get dropped off AND picked up from DFW Airport with a standard Uber car. 

Options For DFW Airport Parking…

Parking options direct from DFW Airport:

DFW Airport Valet [$27/Day]. As you would expect, this is the most costly option.

The good thing is, you don’t have to have a reservation. You just drop your car off at a Valet Parking stand located on the arrivals level in the one-hour parking zones at Terminals A, B, C and E or curbside on the departures level at Terminal D.

I’ve used this service out of necessity when I unluckily tried Terminal Parking and it was full! Honestly, even if money wasn’t an issue, I wouldn’t call it any more convenient. I still had to wait a long time for them to bring my car, and there’s not always an attendant available so you’ll have to call the Valet number for service after hours.

On top of that, I saw how they park cars in the valet area – bumper to bumper! I couldn’t be sure, but I saw dents/scratches at the rear of my car that I didn’t notice before. Anyway, not a fan of this.

Terminal Parking [$20/Day]. This was my no. 1 option early on in my travels at DFW Airport. You just park at the terminal of your flight and make a short walk to the terminal.

Be sure to snap a photo with your cell phone of your area so that you don’t forget upon return! Also, always check for open-space availability at the DFW Airport parking page first!

Express Parking [$11/Day Uncovered & $13/Day Covered]. This is my go-to parking option for trips less than a week. For longer trips, I’ll deal with the inconvenience of the other options below to save some money.

Express Parking is awesome because they direct you to a row with open spots, and the DFW Airport bus picks you up at your car. The wait is hardly ever more than a few minutes for the bus.

The driver will write down your spot # and hand you the tag (I always snap a picture just in case I lose the tag).

When you’re back from your trip, just head to the bottom floor following the Ground Transportation sign. Walk outside and stand next to the Express Parking sign to wait for your bus back.

I much prefer this option over Terminal Parking as you save a good deal of money and I actually don’t find it inconvenient at all because you actually do less walking. 🙂

*Also check online for availability here.

Remote Parking [$9/Day]. This is the money-saving, solo-traveling (or traveling with a non-high maintenance companion) option.

I used to choose this option for trips longer than a week to save money. With proper planning I’ll pass this option up for the one in the next section below.

First it’s called Remote Parking because it’s quite a bit away from the terminals. Likely it has to do with my sense of direction, but some of the signs are downright confusing and you may get lost your first time trying to find these designated spots.

Once you find one of the two Remote Parking lots, you drive in and you’re on your own to find an open spot.

If you’re parking during normal hours, 9/10 times you’re going to have to park pretty far from the Bus pick-up area. Yes, you have to walk from your car to the pick-up area, and back to your car upon return. If your Miss Princess has to drag around a lot of heavy luggage, she won’t be happy.

When coming back home, you follow the same process as with Express Parking, but stand next to the Remote Parking area.

The Buses don’t arrive and depart as frequently as with Express Parking, so I’d definitely put aside at least a half hour if you’re going with Remote Parking.

Check for open-availability here first.

The Very Best Option For Parking At DFW Airport!

Well, here is the best option for longer trips, because you’ll save a ton of money.

BUT, you have to plan ahead!

I myself did not realize that most of the hotels surrounding DFW Airport have parking spots available, and for a much lower fee!

This is a much better option for saving money on longer trips because the hotels will have Shuttle service to drop you off and pick you back up from the airport.

If you book with advance timing, you’ll get the more popular rates as low as $4.99/Day!

If you travel during a holiday and don’t book in advance, all the lower rate options may become unavailable.

I usually use the airportparkingreservations.com website, which lists all your hotel options, along with all the other off-airport parking companies. This is a very efficient way of narrowing down the options fast, as opposed to getting in touch with each hotel directly.

Plus, they work with a lot of other airports aside from DFW.