GetTransfer works differently from every other transfer service. Instead of fixed prices, drivers bid on your ride — and the result can be 20-40% cheaper than competitors. But the bidding system has quirks, and knowing how to play it makes the difference between a great deal and a frustrating experience.
You enter your route (airport to destination), date, time, and passenger count. GetTransfer posts your request, and local drivers submit bids with their price, vehicle type, and driver rating. You see all bids and choose which one to accept. The process typically takes 1-12 hours to receive your first bids, though popular routes get bids within minutes.
This is fundamentally different from Kiwitaxi or Welcome Pickups, where prices are fixed. The advantage: competition among drivers pushes prices down. The disadvantage: you do not know your final price at booking time, and you need to actively evaluate bids.
Timing matters. Post your request 5-7 days before your trip for the best combination of bid volume and competitive pricing. Too early (2+ weeks) and drivers may not bother bidding on a far-off ride. Too late (day before) and you will get fewer bids at higher prices because drivers know you are in a hurry.
For popular routes (Heathrow to London, CDG to Paris, JFK to Manhattan), you can post 3 days before and still get 5-10 bids. For remote destinations or unusual routes, give yourself a full week.
Do not just pick the cheapest. Look at three factors: price, vehicle type, and driver rating. A bid that is 5 EUR cheaper but from a driver with a 3.8 rating and an unspecified vehicle is worse than a slightly pricier bid from a 4.7-rated driver with a specified Mercedes E-Class.
Check the vehicle details carefully. Some bids say "sedan" without specifying the model — these are more likely to be older vehicles. Bids that name a specific car model (Toyota Camry, VW Passat, Mercedes V-Class) suggest a more professional operator.
To know if a bid is good, you need a reference point. As a general rule, GetTransfer bids should be 15-30% below Kiwitaxi fixed prices for the same route. If a bid is only 5% cheaper than the fixed-price alternative, it is not worth the uncertainty. Some benchmarks for sedan transfers: CDG to Paris center 30-45 EUR (good bid), Heathrow to Central London 40-55 GBP, JFK to Manhattan 50-70 USD, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to city center 18-25 USD.
The bidding model has real downsides. If you are landing late at night (after 11 PM), you may get very few bids — and the ones you get will be expensive. For family travel with child seats, Welcome Pickups is more reliable because GetTransfer child seat availability depends entirely on which driver bids. For last-minute bookings (same day), use a fixed-price service instead — you will not have time to wait for competitive bids.
Post separate requests for the same route at different times to compare pricing. Do not accept the first bid — wait at least 4 hours for competition to build. If you are booking a round trip, mention it in the notes as some drivers offer a discount for guaranteed return business. And always save your driver phone number before landing, in case the in-app communication has issues at the airport.
Read our full GetTransfer review for coverage, cancellation policies, and how it stacks up against all four services.
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