Electrify America Ends Prepaid Balances for Ev Charging
Electrify America is changing ev charging payment over the coming weeks. The network will end app-based balances and auto-reload features, then bill each charging session directly to a credit or debit card.
The switch removes the need to preload funds before plugging in. It also means customers will be charged only for the energy they actually use, instead of managing a stored account balance.
Electrify America card holds
At the start of each session, Electrify America will place a temporary authorization hold in $20 increments. If a driver uses less than the hold amount, the remaining release time will vary by bank.
That makes the payment flow closer to a card transaction than a stored-value account. For drivers who charge only once in a while, the biggest change is that there is no longer a separate refill step to watch.
Existing balances stay active
Existing account funds will not disappear. Electrify America says those balances will be applied first to the next session, and any leftover amount will then be billed to the card on file.
Discounted digital pass subscriptions are unaffected. The company still operates DC fast chargers up to 350 kW and Level 2 chargers across the US and Canada, with more than 5,600 DC fast chargers at 1,080 locations as of early 2026.
Tesla billing comparison
The new setup brings Electrify America closer to Tesla Supercharger billing, which charges sessions directly to a payment method on file. That matters most for occasional drivers, renters, and business users who do not keep money sitting in a charging account.
For those customers, the immediate next step is simple: check the payment card linked to the account before the change reaches their app. The one open question is whether the $20 hold will feel routine or annoying for drivers whose sessions usually cost less than that amount.
