Where to Charge Your Phone or Laptop in London

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Your phone is on 6%. Your laptop died halfway through an email. You are somewhere in London with a charger in your bag and nowhere obvious to plug it in.

London has far more places to charge than it looks, but almost none of them are signposted. Most are inside cafés, libraries and stations, and the trick is knowing which ones will actually let you plug in, and which sockets actually work.

This guide covers the free and paid options, what each is good for, and how to find a working plug near you right now.

The short version:

  • Laptop and phone, staying a while: a café with plug sockets. Buy something, and check the plug works before you settle in.
  • Free and quiet: a library. The British Library's reading rooms have power outlets and free Wi-Fi, and the Reader Pass is free.
  • Passing through: St Pancras has USB charging points on benches in its public areas.
  • On the move: newer London buses and Elizabeth line trains have USB sockets at some seats.
  • No time to sit down: rent a power bank from a station in a bar or café.
  • Safety: use a wall socket with your own plug, not a random public USB port.

1. Cafés with plug sockets: best for a laptop

If you need to charge a laptop, or you want to work while your phone charges, a café is the most practical option. You get a socket, a seat, Wi-Fi and a drink.

Every one of the 187 places on the Findy map has been reported with mains sockets, and 46 of them also have USB-C. Between them they are listed with around 588 sockets. That sounds like plenty, until you remember that in most cafés the sockets are only beside a few seats.

The bigger problem is whether the plug works when you get there. Of the 56 plug reports filed on Findy so far, 36 said the power was working and 20 said it was not. Most failures were not broken sockets. They were sockets switched off, staff saying they were not for customers, or the area with the plugs being closed. We wrote up why café plugs fail in detail.

Three habits save most of the frustration:

  • Check the plug before you order. Plug in and look for the charging light first. Ten seconds now beats finding out after you have unpacked.
  • Ask if you are not sure. Some cafés keep sockets for quiet times, or for staff.
  • Buy something. Charging costs the café almost nothing. Three hours of laptop charging is about 1p to 7.5p of electricity. The seat is what costs them.

How to find one near you: open the Findy map, tap the Plugs filter, and look for places marked "likely working". That label means recent reports put the chance of a working plug at 60% or more. If you need USB-C, use the Type-C filter too.

A few well-rated places with plugs on the map:

Coffee Matters: live plug status on the Findy map

Building Centre: live plug status on the Findy map

Samsung KX: live plug status on the Findy map

2. Libraries: the best free option

If you want to charge without spending anything, go to a library.

The British Library at King's Cross is the big one. All of its reading rooms have power outlets and free Wi-Fi, and anyone aged 18 or over can use them with a free Reader Pass. You do not need to be researching anything; personal study is allowed. There are also public desks with free Wi-Fi that anyone can use without a pass, though the library does not say whether those have sockets.

Other libraries on the Findy map with power include the Westminster Reference Library off Leicester Square, the BFI Reuben Library on the South Bank, the Barbican Library, the Wellcome Library on Euston Road and Swiss Cottage Library.

In Tower Hamlets, every Idea Store has study desks with power sockets for people using their own laptops, and all of them have free Wi-Fi.

Libraries are quiet, free and usually reliable for power. The catches are opening hours, which are shorter than cafés', and the fact that they are not the place for phone calls.

Westminster Reference Library: live plug status on the Findy map

3. Train stations

Big stations are better for a quick top-up than for working.

St Pancras International is the best of them. Its operator says there are USB charging points on the benches in the public areas, and several of the station's cafés let customers charge phones and other devices for free. There is also free Wi-Fi. If you are taking the Eurostar, the departure lounge has sockets too.

Most other stations do not advertise public charging, so plan on a café inside or nearby. Bench USB ports are handy for a phone, but they rarely deliver enough power for a laptop.

4. On the bus and the Elizabeth line

If you are travelling anyway, you might be able to charge on the way.

  • Buses: some newer electric buses have USB sockets at some seats. TfL has fitted them on routes including the 63 (King's Cross to Honor Oak), the 358 in south London, and the 507 and 521 from Waterloo. There is no full list, and older buses do not have them.
  • Elizabeth line: TfL has been fitting its trains with USB-A charging ports between facing seats, 92 per train.

These are USB-A ports, so bring a cable that fits your phone. They are fine for a phone top-up on a long journey, not for a laptop.

5. Rent a power bank

If you cannot sit down anywhere, rent a battery. ChargedUp has stations in bars, cafés and shops around London: you scan a QR code, take a power bank, and return it to any station.

Prices have changed over the years. Recent customers report paying around £2 for 30 minutes, with a temporary deposit of about £25 held on your card. Read the pricing on the screen before you rent. Keeping a battery for hours costs more than the headline rate.

You will also find charging lockers in some shopping centres, where you lock your phone in a small box to charge. They are useful while you shop, less so when you need your phone with you.

6. Hotel lobbies

Large hotel lobbies are an underrated option, especially in Shoreditch. Places like The Hoxton, citizenM and Hart Shoreditch are on the Findy map with power, and their lobbies have far more seats than a café. Buy a drink, be discreet, and avoid the breakfast rush. Our Shoreditch guide has more.

Is it safe to use a public USB port?

Probably, but use a wall socket if you can.

"Juice jacking" is the idea that a tampered USB port could install malware or read data from your phone while it charges. The FBI warned about it in 2023, advising people to avoid free public charging stations and carry their own charger and cable instead. Security researchers point out that real cases are rare, and that modern iPhones and Android phones ask before sharing data over USB.

The simple version:

  • Use your own plug in a mains socket whenever there is one.
  • Carry a small power bank, charged at home.
  • If a public USB port makes your phone ask whether to trust the device or share data, choose charge only.
  • Never use a free cable someone hands you.

What to carry so you are never stuck

  • A small USB-C wall charger. Around 30 W covers a phone and most thin laptops.
  • A one-metre cable. Sockets are often under the table, not on it.
  • A slim power bank, for days when no socket is free.
  • Low Power Mode or Battery Saver, switched on early rather than at 2%.

Find a working plug near you

The hardest part of charging in London is not finding a socket. It is finding one that works today, in a place that is happy for you to use it.

That is what Findy is for. Open the live map, filter for plugs, and you will see which places have had working sockets confirmed recently. After you visit, tell Findy whether the plugs worked. It is one tap, and it saves the next person a wasted journey.

For more places to settle in with a laptop, see our guides to cafés with plugs near you and places to work with chargers in London.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I charge my phone for free in London?

Libraries are the most reliable free option: the British Library's reading rooms have power outlets and free Wi-Fi with a free Reader Pass, and Tower Hamlets' Idea Stores have study desks with sockets. St Pancras station has USB charging points on benches in its public areas. Many cafés will let you charge if you buy something.

Can I charge my laptop in a café in London?

Usually, yes, if the café has sockets near the seats and you are a paying customer. Check the socket works before you order, ask if there is a sign or you are unsure, and avoid holding a powered table through the lunch rush. Findy shows which cafés have had working plugs confirmed recently.

Which London libraries have plug sockets?

The British Library's reading rooms all have power outlets. On the Findy map you will also find the Westminster Reference Library, the BFI Reuben Library, the Barbican Library, the Wellcome Library and Swiss Cottage Library with power. Every Idea Store in Tower Hamlets has study desks with power sockets.

Can I charge my phone on the Tube or a London bus?

Not on most Tube trains, but the Elizabeth line has been fitted with USB-A charging ports between facing seats. Some newer electric buses, including routes 63, 358, 507 and 521, have USB sockets at some seats. Bring a cable that fits your phone.

Are public USB charging points safe?

The risk is low but not zero. The FBI has advised using your own charger in a wall socket instead of public USB ports. If you do use a public port, choose "charge only" if your phone asks, and never use a free cable you are given.

How do I find a plug socket near me right now?

Open the Findy map, turn on the Plugs filter, and pick a place marked "likely working". If nothing is close, a library or a large station like St Pancras is the next best bet, or you can rent a power bank.

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