Pricing
How our pricing works
There is no price list on this page, because every lock and every car is different. What you get instead is the full price on the phone, before anyone is dispatched, and a promise that it does not move once you have it.
What you hear on the phone
Tell us what is locked, where you are and what you want done. You get one number for the job you described: the labor, any hardware or keys, and the drive, all in. That is the price we confirm at the door before starting, and the price you pay when we are done.
If the job cannot be quoted without a look (a lock that has been forced, an unusual commercial door), we say so on the phone and tell you what the look will cost, which is nothing if we then do the work. What we will not do is give you a vague "starting at" number and let the real one arrive with the technician.
We are licensed with the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services and insured, and we answer the phone with our business name.
What changes the price
What moves the number, and what does not
What kind of lock
A standard knob or deadbolt takes less time than a high-security cylinder, a mortise lock or a smart lock, and the price follows the work, not the address.
How many cylinders and keys
Rekeying five doors to one key is more work than rekeying one. Every extra cylinder and every extra key is counted in the quote, not discovered at the door.
Repair, rekey or replace
Keeping your existing hardware is usually the cheaper path. If something has to be replaced, you hear the hardware and the labor as one number before we leave.
The car, for car keys
Year, make and model decide the blank, the chip and the programming. A spare costs less than an all-keys-lost job, and a remote fob costs more than a plain chip key.
Not the time of day
You hear the full price on the phone, whatever the day. The number you are quoted is the number you pay.
Not a separate service call
Inside our service area the quote is the whole number. There is no service call fee, trip charge or "estimate fee" sitting under it.
Before you call
What to have ready for a firm quote
None of this is required, but each one turns a rough number into an exact one.
Where you are
An address, cross streets, or the name of the lot. Apartment or gate code if there is one.
What is locked, or what you need
Front door, car, storefront, mailbox. A rekey of three doors. A deadbolt that spins. The clearer the description, the firmer the quote.
A photo of the lock
Optional, but a texted photo lets us quote the exact hardware instead of a guess.
For cars: year, make, model
And whether you still have a working key. That is what decides the price of a car key.
At the door
- We confirm the price with you on arrival, before touching the lock.
- Non-destructive entry comes first. Drilling is a last resort you hear about, and agree to, before it happens.
- If the job turns out different from what was described (a second lock, a broken cylinder inside the door), you hear the new number and say yes before we continue.
- You pay at the end, for the amount you agreed to.
How you pay
We accept cash, credit card, debit card, at the end of the job, for the amount quoted. You get a receipt with the business name and phone number on it, so there is a record of who did the work and what it cost.
Good to know
How to spot a bait price
San Diego has plenty of "local" locksmith listings that are national call centers. The pricing tricks are the same everywhere. If you hear any of these, call somebody else.
- A "service call" price that sounds too good, like $15 or $19, with the real number appearing after the door is open. The tiny fee is the bait; the work is where the price explodes.
- A national number that answers "locksmith service" with no business name, then sells your job to whoever is nearest.
- A price on the phone that "depends" until someone is standing in your doorway.
- A technician who cannot show a California locksmith license number, or shows up in an unmarked car with no tools to pick the lock.
- "It all has to be drilled and replaced." Almost nothing has to be drilled.
The easy test: insist on a full price over the phone, and walk away if it changes at the door. Our licensing and safety FAQ and the page about the business explain what a legitimate local locksmith looks like.
FAQ
Pricing and payment questions
The short answers. The full FAQ covers response times, licensing, car keys and rekeying too.
How much does a locksmith cost?
It depends on the job, and you get the number on the phone before we head out. A standard lockout costs less than a car key replacement, and a single rekey costs less than a whole house. We confirm the price on arrival before starting, and it does not change once the door is open. Our how our pricing works page explains what moves the number.
What changes the price?
Three things: the type of lock, how many doors or keys are involved, and whether any hardware needs replacing. A basic residential lockout is the simplest job we do. High-security cylinders, push-to-start car keys and jobs that need new parts cost more, and the quote reflects that up front.
Is there a service call fee or hidden charges?
No surprise fees. The price you are quoted on the phone covers the trip and the work described, and it is the price you pay. You hear the full price on the phone, whatever the day, not at the door. If we find something different on site, we stop and explain before doing anything extra.
Do you charge more on evenings or weekends?
Every job is quoted before anyone is dispatched, whatever the day, and the quote is the price you pay. We are open 7 am to 9:30 pm, every day, so an 8 pm Saturday lockout is handled the same way as a Tuesday morning rekey: you get the number on the phone first.
How do I pay?
Card, cash or common payment apps, at the end of the job, for exactly the amount you were quoted. You get a receipt with the business name and license information on it.
Get your price before anyone rolls
Call or text a real Pacific Beach locksmith. You hear the full price and an ETA first, and the technician who quoted it is the one who shows up.
Have your ID and address ready and we can roll the moment you hang up.