Is charging abroad more expensive with my card?

Providers must show all price components before a session and may not apply extra charges for cross-border e-roaming in the EU.

Explained in

Payments and billing · Stop 02When must the price be shown?At the charger before the session, in the provider's app before the session: who must show which price, and what drivers can compare.

The charger shows the operator's ad hoc price. The app shows the provider's price for the driver's contract. They can differ, and both must be known before charging starts. Providers must list all price components, including applicable e-roaming costs, and may not add extra charges for cross-border e-roaming.

From “Two prices, one session”, stop 02

Terms

  1. Ad hocCharging without a contract, paid directly at the charger, for example by card or QR code.
  2. Price componentsThe parts of a charging price: per kWh, per minute, per session and any other; AFIR sets the order in which they are shown.
  1. How is a charging price made up?From a price per kWh, per minute, per session and any other component. At 50 kW and above, the ad hoc price is based on kWh, with an optional fee per minute.
  2. Can I pay by bank card at a charger?At public charge points deployed since April 2024, yes: operators must accept card readers, contactless devices or, below 50 kW, internet payment such as a QR code.
  3. What must be on a charging invoice?For VAT: date, sequential number, VAT numbers, names and addresses, quantity, unit price, VAT rate and amount. Session details such as site, times and kWh make it easy to check.
  1. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Article 5(1) to (5). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.