UK drivers: Plugged In Midlands (PiM), Polar and ChargeNow

[psquare]

I've just re-applied for a ChargeNow account through Chargemaster, which includes 6 months free of charge and a (rather steep) £7.85 pcm afterwards. I called the Chargemaster helpdesk (very friendly and helpful) and there are some interesting points to note:

- subscriptions to ChargeNow, Polar or PiM all give you access to the same charge points
- You can cancel your subscription at any point, i.e. use the 6 free months and then cancel
- if you cancel, then your RFID card will stop working immediately on all charge points - this includes the free chargers (such as the free EVSEs in Birmingham)
- however there is a way around using the free charge points by calling the Chargemaster Helpdesk (24/7) and asking for it to be remotely enabled (and disabled)

I therefore decided to not extend my PiM RFID card, which I can continue to use in Birmingham once I've cancelled my ChargeNow subscription again (in about 6 months time).

nb: In case you were wondering whether ChargeMaster knows that their system is complex and convoluted. They do know !

 

[Lincsat]

I have found that the Pod Point free chargers in supermarkets will activate with any RFID card, maybe the Polar/chargemaster will too - worth a try