Received a credit card charge for Porsche Smart Mobility. What is that?

SWORDER

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I got hit with an $11.87 charge on my business credit card from Porsche Smart Mobility:

Porsche Taycan Received a credit card charge for Porsche Smart Mobility. What is that? Screen Shot 2021-08-07 at 2.44.02 PM


Any idea what this is? It's not Porsche Connect. I opted out of that and never used it.

Coincidentally, I did receive an invoice for Porsche Connect by email for $0.00. Since the total was zero, I just ignored it. Could this be related?

I've never knowingly downloaded anything OTA. It's definitely not a charge from my dealer. I haven't been in to see them for a while. It's not a bill for charging the battery (e.g. EVGo); Those go to a different card.

Interestingly, as you can see, it's categorized as "digital goods" and "amusement and entertainment."

I'm probably going to click the "dispute this transaction" link on this one but figured I'd check to see if it's something legitimate.
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DerekS

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I got one too for $0.15 and was initially concerned, but it's just the EA overcharges and/or Porsche Connect charges.
 
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SWORDER

SWORDER

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Overtime charge on plug and charge with EA?
I got one too for $0.15 and was initially concerned, but it's just the EA overcharges and/or Porsche Connect charges.
You're absolutely right! Thanks for suggesting this. I checked my Charging app and sure enough, some of my sessions generated an expense.

Porsche had better stop categorizing these expenses as "Amusement and Entertainment" or "Digital Apps" or people are going to start disputing the credit card charges. I almost did. Even my Porsche rep recommended that I dispute the charge after showing him the screenshot above.

For some reason, I thought all of these EA charges were free unless you're still hooked up to the charger while it's not charging (i.e. "idle fees"). Turns out they've got this odd system where they charge by the minute, rather than by the kwh, and only the first thirty minutes are free.

So if I understand correctly, in order to fully charge the battery, you have to charge for thirty minutes, manually kill the session, then start a second session until you hit 100%? Odd system, but whatever...
 

DerekS

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So if I understand correctly, in order to fully charge the battery, you have to charge for thirty minutes, manually kill the session, then start a second session until you hit 100%? Odd system, but whatever...
The free charging is not completely free, it's free up to 30 mins and you're charged after that. You can't just stop and start a second 30 minute session, as one hour must elapse between sessions.

IMO - these chargers are not for daily use, just trips - use what you need when you need it. The charges are miniscule compared to gas!
 


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The free charging is not completely free, it's free up to 30 mins and you're charged after that. You can't just stop and start a second 30 minute session, as one hour must elapse between sessions.

IMO - these chargers are not for daily use, just trips - use what you need when you need it. The charges are miniscule compared to gas!
Oh really? My rep told me that you can unplug and plug back in immediately…
 

DerekS

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Oh really? My rep told me that you can unplug and plug back in immediately…
I know I read the one-hour thing somewhere, possibly during signup for Porsche Charging Service but I can't find the terms anywhere.
 

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I found it! From the terms PDF:

For Electrify America inclusive charging only:
For DC charging session the first 30 minutes are free of charge. For AC charging, the first 60 minutes are free of charge.
Once the charge is completed, you will have a grace period of 10 minutes to relocate the vehicle. In case of a non-full battery you can choose to stop the charge or resume charging, for which, in the latter case, further charging costs will apply. If 60 minutes has not elapsed between two separate charging sessions, the two sessions will be deemed, and charged as, a single charging session.​

https://connect-store-static01.pors...BkNDJkZGRiMGI1NzkxY2FiZTU3YTcyZGIyNjVlMzJkZTk
 


vestago

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I was asking about the similar question and found this thread.

So, after 30min, it will continue charge and Porsche charge me after 30min? Which account do they charge? I don't remember I put my CC info in My Porsche.

And, is there any way to stop and start charge from Charge App?

I appreciate you for your answers. I am going to travel with Taycan.

Thanks
 
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SWORDER

SWORDER

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I was asking about the similar question and found this thread.

So, after 30min, it will continue charge and Porsche charge me after 30min? Which account do they charge? I don't remember I put my CC info in My Porsche.

And, is there any way to stop and start charge from Charge App?

I appreciate you for your answers. I am going to travel with Taycan.

Thanks
Well, here's what I've found to work and what I've learned from this forum.

[I'll preface this explanation with a reminder that these apps were designed by Porsche, and as such, reliability, ease of use, and common sense simply don't apply. I find it helpful to not try and understand the "why" of their design choices.]

Apps to Download
At last count, I saw like five different Porsche apps in the Apple app store. The ones required for charging are (1) Electrify America and (2) Porsche Charging NA, sometimes listed simply as Charging.

App Purposes
You need the EA app to get information on charger availability. I'd say it's correct maybe 65% percent of the time. This is contrast with the Charging app which is almost always wrong in some form or fashion. The EA app can be used to initiate a charge.

The Charging app can also be used to initiate a charge.

Credit Cards
A credit card can be entered directly into the EA app.

Conversely, with the Charging app, no credit card can be entered. Instead, the credit card you added to the MyPorsche site will be used for the Charging app.

Billing Amounts
Initiating a charge with with the EA app will hit you with the full billing amount, billed to the card you entered into the app. The amount you pay can be deduced ahead of time by looking at the physical charging screen prior to charging. It tells you the rates.

In contrast, initiating a charge with the Charging app will hit you with zero dollars for the first thirty minutes and then the full amount for anything beyond that. So, if you're strategic about it, you can arrange your charging schedule in such a manner that you always pay zero. If you do pay a fee, it'll be billed to the credit card entered into the MyPorsche site.

Be very careful to use the Charging app to initiate the charge. Today I accidentally used the EA app to initiate and paid $30, whereas I would've paid $0 had I initiated the charge with the Charging app.

I've encountered some situations where the charger won't initiate with the Charging app but will with the EA app. So make sure you have the EA as a backup if necessary.
 

Mike in CA

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Well, here's what I've found to work and what I've learned from this forum.

[I'll preface this explanation with a reminder that these apps were designed by Porsche, and as such, reliability, ease of use, and common sense simply don't apply. I find it helpful to not try and understand the "why" of their design choices.]

Apps to Download
At last count, I saw like five different Porsche apps in the Apple app store. The ones required for charging are (1) Electrify America and (2) Porsche Charging NA, sometimes listed simply as Charging.

App Purposes
You need the EA app to get information on charger availability. I'd say it's correct maybe 65% percent of the time. This is contrast with the Charging app which is almost always wrong in some form or fashion. The EA app can be used to initiate a charge.

The Charging app can also be used to initiate a charge.

Credit Cards
A credit card can be entered directly into the EA app.

Conversely, with the Charging app, no credit card can be entered. Instead, the credit card you added to the MyPorsche site will be used for the Charging app.

Billing Amounts
Initiating a charge with with the EA app will hit you with the full billing amount, billed to the card you entered into the app. The amount you pay can be deduced ahead of time by looking at the physical charging screen prior to charging. It tells you the rates.

In contrast, initiating a charge with the Charging app will hit you with zero dollars for the first thirty minutes and then the full amount for anything beyond that. So, if you're strategic about it, you can arrange your charging schedule in such a manner that you always pay zero. If you do pay a fee, it'll be billed to the credit card entered into the MyPorsche site.

Be very careful to use the Charging app to initiate the charge. Today I accidentally used the EA app to initiate and paid $30, whereas I would've paid $0 had I initiated the charge with the Charging app.

I've encountered some situations where the charger won't initiate with the Charging app but will with the EA app. So make sure you have the EA as a backup if necessary.
Thanks for this. Very helpful as I didn't have the correct app installed. I've always charged at home so I'm not that familiar with public charging protocols.

Just curious. After installing the Porsche Charging NA app I went in to look around and used my Porsche login. The app showed the correct information for my car but when I clicked on "subscription" it shows that it's only valid until May 15, 2022 which is one year from when my car was delivered. I thought free charging was good for 3 years. Is this an error or does the subscription renew automatically once it expires after a year?
 
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Jhenson29

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The app showed the correct information for my car but when I clicked on "subscription" it shows that it's only valid until May 15, 2022 which is one year from when my car was delivered. I thought free charging was good for 3 years. Is this an error or does the subscription renew automatically once it expires after a year?
The subscription is just for 1 year at a time. It’s supposed to auto renew to provide the 3 years that comes with the car.
 

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My understanding is that the charging plan as listed in Connect / My Porsche is a one year term that will renew automatically for the three years. I’ll definitely be watching that when I get to my one year anniversary.

The “Payment and Orders” section of the My Porsche website can be reached by clicking on your name in the upper right corner. That’s where you can set a default credit card for payments.
 

Mike in CA

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My understanding is that the charging plan as listed in Connect / My Porsche is a one year term that will renew automatically for the three years. I’ll definitely be watching that when I get to my one year anniversary.

The “Payment and Orders” section of the My Porsche website can be reached by clicking on your name in the upper right corner. That’s where you can set a default credit card for payments.
Thanks on both counts. I found the payment info section right after I posted but you must have read my question about that before I deleted it!
 

submatrix

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Be very careful to use the Charging app to initiate the charge. Today I accidentally used the EA app to initiate and paid $30, whereas I would've paid $0 had I initiated the charge with the Charging app.

I've encountered some situations where the charger won't initiate with the Charging app but will with the EA app. So make sure you have the EA as a backup if necessary.
You can also initiate charging sessions from the Porsche Connect app, which would also take advantage of the free charging. I would use this as a backup first before using the EA app as a last resort.
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