# Charge cards and the roaming network

> Paying for a charge with an RFID card or contract, including drivers from other networks over roaming.

The oldest and most common way to pay for a charge is not to pay at the charging station at all: a driver identifies themselves with a **charge card**, an RFID card or fob, or a contract linked to an app, and the cost is billed to their account afterwards. The station does not take a payment; it checks that the driver is allowed to charge and lets them.

## On your own network

When a driver charges with a card issued for your own stations, the platform authorises them against the [access rules](/docs/platform/charge-point-operation/access-control) on that connector and records the session. The cost is settled through [billing](/docs/platform/account-management/billing) rather than taken at the point of charge.

## Across the roaming network

The reach of this method comes from **roaming**. A driver whose card belongs to another network can still charge at your stations, and your drivers can charge on any network Road has an agreement with. When a visiting driver presents their card, the platform checks with the driver's own provider in real time before allowing the charge, then issues the charge record to that provider to settle between the two networks.

For the driver, one card or one app works across a large network of charging stations without a separate account for each operator. For the operator, a station is not limited to its own customers.

The mechanics of joining networks, real-time authorisation and settlement between operators are covered in the [Roaming](/docs/roaming) section. The tokens themselves are managed over the [Tokens API](/docs/platform/reference/platform-api/tokens).