# In the mobile app

> How a driver pays for a charge started from the Road mobile app, with a stored card, a wallet, or a linked charge card.

A driver who charges through the Road mobile app pays with a payment method held in their account, so starting a charge and paying for it are one action. Unlike [web checkout](/docs/platform/payment-methods/web-checkout) or an [on-station terminal](/docs/platform/payment-methods/on-station-terminals), this is not ad-hoc: the driver has an account, and the app remembers how they pay.

## What a driver can pay with

The app offers three ways to pay, chosen from one place before a charge:

- **A stored card**, added to the account and used for any charge.
- **A wallet**, Apple Pay or Google Pay, held the same way as a card.
- **A linked charge card**, the account's own RFID card or contract, where the charge is billed to the account rather than taken from a card.

The app never handles raw card details; they are held by the payment provider, and the app works with a reference to the stored method.

## Reserving and taking payment

For a card or wallet, the app checks a **pre-authorisation limit for the connector** before the charge and reserves that amount, so there is always enough headroom for the session. The [session cost cap](/docs/platform/charge-point-operation/tariffs-and-pricing) keeps the real cost within it. When the charge ends, the final amount is taken and the reservation released. A card may need a one-off security check (3-D Secure) the first time it is used. A charge paid with a linked charge card carries no reservation, because it settles through the account.

## No ad-hoc payment in the app

The app is for account holders, so it does not offer one-off guest payment. A driver who wants to pay without an account uses an [on-station terminal](/docs/platform/payment-methods/on-station-terminals) or [web checkout](/docs/platform/payment-methods/web-checkout) instead.