What a locksmith costs in Omaha

Published price ranges

National published figures, not Omaha averages and not our quote. Where two sources disagree, both are shown.

Prices Omaha residents report

Posts on the r/Omaha forum give a feel for local car key prices: one person who lost their only key was quoted $185 by the first locksmith they called; another faced about $300 to replace car and apartment keys together; a dealer asked more than $200 just to program a fob bought online. These are single anecdotes, not averages, but they sit inside the published ranges above.

What moves the price

• Time of day. Nights and holidays carry a surcharge, and often weekends too.
• The trip. A trip or service-call fee covers getting there. A fair quote includes it in the total.
• The lock or car. A standard knob lock is quick. A high-security deadbolt, a push-to-start fob or a European car key is not.
• Parts. A new lock, a key blank with a chip or a fob is added to the labor.
• How many locks. Rekeying five cylinders in one visit costs far less per lock than five visits.

The quote that isn't a price

A number like $15, $19 or $35 is almost never the price of a lockout. The BBB says scammers quote as low as $15 and add fees on site, and the Ohio Attorney General sued a locksmith advertising network whose callers were told a lockout would cost $19 before much larger bills. If the phone quote sounds like a trip fee, ask: "What will the total be, with labor?" How the scam works.

Ways to pay less

• Call during business hours if you can safely wait.
• Rekey instead of replacing locks that work.
• Keep a spare house key with someone you trust, and a spare car key at home.
• For a car key, compare a mobile locksmith with the dealer. How.
• Check whether roadside assistance covers a car lockout.