Sandbanks Ferry goes cashless: how to pay in 2026
The Sandbanks Ferry stopped taking cash on 1 April 2026 and has read number plates since 1 July. Vehicle tolls are paid online, before or by midnight after.
The chain ferry across the mouth of Poole Harbour is the short cut from Bournemouth to Studland, the Purbecks and the Jurassic Coast, and the way you pay for it changed twice this year. The ferry went cashless on 1 April 2026, and on 1 July it introduced automatic number-plate recognition for vehicles, as the ferry's Wikipedia entry records. Vehicle tolls are now paid online, up to 30 days before the crossing or by midnight on the day.
What that means in practice
- Pay before or straight after. There is no booth transaction for cars. Register the plate and pay on the operator's site, either ahead of the trip or by midnight after you cross. Miss the deadline and you are into penalty territory.
- Foot passengers and cyclists still cross. Payment is card or online; no cash.
- The timetable is unchanged. The ferry leaves Sandbanks at 7am and then on the hour and at 20 and 40 minutes past until 11pm, according to Dorset Guide's summary of the timetable. The crossing itself is a few minutes. The queue at Sandbanks on a hot Saturday is the variable.
Why you would use it
Studland's beaches, Old Harry Rocks, Swanage and the road to Corfe Castle and Lulworth are all on the far side. Without the ferry the drive round the harbour through Wareham adds the best part of an hour. Our beaches guide covers Studland and Shell Bay, and Studland Bay was named one of the UK's best hidden-gem beaches this year.
If you are staying in Bournemouth without a car, the number 50 bus from the town centre runs to Sandbanks and across on the ferry to Swanage in summer, which is one of the better bus rides in England. And if you are driving, parking in Bournemouth in 2026 is worth reading first.
Frequently asked questions
Online, against your number plate. Since 1 July 2026 the ferry uses automatic number-plate recognition for vehicles, and the toll can be paid on the ferry company's site up to 30 days before you cross or by midnight after. Cash has not been accepted since 1 April 2026.
Every 20 minutes, from 7am until 11pm, leaving Sandbanks on the hour and at 20 and 40 minutes past, according to the operator's published timetable. The crossing takes a few minutes; the queue on a summer weekend can take much longer.
