# Overview

> The ways a driver can pay for a charge on Road, from the roaming network to on-station card terminals, web checkout and the mobile app, and how each settles.

A driver can pay for a charge on Road in several ways, and an operator can offer as many of them as suits the site. They split into two kinds: drivers who have an account or a card, and drivers who just want to tap and pay.

- **[Charge cards and the roaming network](/docs/platform/payment-methods/charge-cards-and-roaming)** — a driver with an RFID card or a contract, including drivers from other networks, charging on the strength of who they are and settling later.
- **[On-station card terminals](/docs/platform/payment-methods/on-station-terminals)** — a payment terminal at the charging station, so anyone can tap a bank card, no app and no account.
- **[Web checkout](/docs/platform/payment-methods/web-checkout)** — scan a QR at the charging station and pay on a web page, no hardware to install.
- **[In the mobile app](/docs/platform/payment-methods/in-the-mobile-app)** — a stored card, wallet or linked charge card in the Road mobile app.

## Ad-hoc payment and the law

The card terminal and web checkout methods matter for more than convenience: they are how an operator meets the rules on **ad-hoc payment** at public charging stations. A public charging station has to let a driver pay there and then, without signing up to anything.

- In the EU, this is the **Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR)**: public stations opened after 14 April 2024 must offer a means of anonymous payment for a charge.
- In the UK, the **Public Charge Point Regulations 2023** carry a similar contactless-payment duty (alongside the [reliability reporting](/docs/platform/charge-point-operation/reliability-reporting) duty).

An [on-station terminal](/docs/platform/payment-methods/on-station-terminals) or [web checkout](/docs/platform/payment-methods/web-checkout) is the regulated ad-hoc path in both cases, so switching one on is how an operator meets the obligation.

## How each method settles

Where the money ends up differs by method:

- **Charge cards and roaming** settle through billing: the charge is collected and, for a visiting driver, reconciled between the two networks. See [Billing](/docs/platform/account-management/billing).
- **On-station terminals** settle at the terminal, outside roaming and mobility-provider billing, so they are not invoiced again.
- **Web checkout and mobile** take payment from the driver's card through a payment provider, reserving an amount up front and taking the final cost when the charge ends.