> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://resources.getvolt.dk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Swap pass or pay per use: which Volt charging option fits your festival? - URL: https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/swap-pass-or-pay-per-use-which-one-fits-your-festival-plan/ - Published: 2026-07-24T07:11:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-21T11:18:15.000Z - Description: A swap pass gets one fresh Volt-Charger swap per day for the whole event. Pay per use is one rental you keep until done. See when pay per use is cheaper. - Author: The Volt Team - Tags: article, Charging, Festival Tips Volt offers two ways to pay for charging at a festival: a swap pass that covers one fresh Volt-Charger swap per day for the whole event, and pay per use, where you rent a Volt-Charger once and keep it until you are done. Which one is right depends on how many separate charges you actually need. Here is the honest comparison, including a worked example of the exact point where pay per use stops being the cheaper choice. ## What you get with the swap pass With the swap pass, you pick up a Volt-Charger at any staffed Volt booth when you need one, and you can exchange it for a fresh, fully charged replacement once per day. You are not tied to the booth where you collected it: any Volt booth across the site takes it back or hands you a new one. The swap pass is designed for the festival goer who will be on site for two or more days, especially if camping is involved. You pay once at the start (or book online before the event at a lower price) and the daily exchange is included. A refundable deposit on the Volt-Charger is required at pickup and returned when you hand it in at the end. ## What you get with pay per use Pay per use is one rental. You pick up a Volt-Charger when your phone is running low, keep it for as long as you need it, and return it at any Volt booth when you are done. There is no daily swap built in: one rental covers the period until you hand it back, and if you need power again after that you rent again. This option suits festival goers attending for a single day, or people who arrive late into the event and only need one charge to get through the night. ## The comparison at a glance | | Swap pass | Pay per use | | ------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Best for | 2+ day events, camping festivals | Day events, one-night stays, short visits | | How many charges | One fresh Volt-Charger per day | One rental for the duration you keep it, re-rent if you need another | | Return to any Volt booth | Yes | Yes | | Book online ahead of time | Yes, usually cheaper than gate | Yes, or pick up on site | | Deposit required | Yes, refunded on return | Yes, refunded on return | ## A worked example: when pay per use actually costs less The break-even point is not about how many days you attend, it is about how many separate charges you actually need. Take the live Volt listings for [Smukfest 2026](https://getvolt.dk/en-dk/collections/smukfest-2026-dk?ref=resources.getvolt.dk) as a real example (prices change per event and per year, so check the current listing for your own festival before you book): - Volt SingleBoost Charging (pay per use, one rental): 85 kr per rental. - Volt Charging Service, Music Days pass (swap pass, shorter window): 249 kr. - Volt Charging Service, full festival pass (swap pass, whole event): 299 kr. Do the multiplication on your own number of charges, not your number of days: - One rental (85 kr) or two rentals (170 kr) both cost less than either swap pass. If you only expect to need power once or twice across the whole event, pay per use wins outright. - Three rentals (255 kr) cost more than the Music Days pass (249 kr) but still less than the full festival pass (299 kr). - Four rentals (340 kr) cost more than both passes. From this point, the swap pass is the cheaper option, and it removes the hassle of re-renting every time your Volt-Charger runs flat. In practice: if you are camping for four or more days and expect to run a Volt-Charger flat roughly once a day, the swap pass is the better deal on price alone, on top of the convenience of not having to find a booth and pay again each time. If you are only on site for a day, arriving late, or just want a single backup charge, pay per use is the cheaper pick. Run the same math against your own festival's live listing, since the exact prices for the swap pass, the shorter pass and the single rental vary by event. ## Why phones die faster at festivals than anywhere else GPS navigation around the site, constant camera use, and push notifications from the lineup app all run at the same time. Throw in spotty signal in dense crowd areas, where your phone burns through battery hunting for a connection, and a full charge at 9am can be gone by mid-afternoon. Modern smartphones carry batteries in the 3,800 to 5,000mAh range. A Volt-Charger tops that up once, fully. At a multi-day camping festival, one charge per day is rarely enough for a festival goer who is shooting video and using maps. The swap pass accounts for exactly that pattern. If you want a deeper look at what specifically drains phones at festivals, read [how to keep your phone alive for a whole festival weekend](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/keep-your-phone-alive-festival-weekend/). ## The two-day rule If you are staying two or more days, a swap pass typically costs less than repeated pay-per-use rentals and gives you more coverage. The swap pass is the default choice for camping festivals like [Roskilde Festival](https://www.roskilde-festival.dk/?ref=resources.getvolt.dk) or [Smukfest](https://www.smukfest.dk/?ref=resources.getvolt.dk), where most festival goers are on site for four to eight days and the schedule runs from early afternoon until the early hours. Pay per use starts making more sense when the event is a single day, when you have a high-capacity powerbank of your own and just want an emergency backup, or when the venue is compact enough that mains power is easy to reach. ## When pay per use wins - You are attending for one day only. - You already have a large-capacity powerbank and just need a single top-up in case it runs out. - The festival is a short city event and you expect to be near mains power at some point. - You arrive late and only need to cover one or two evening sessions. - Your own worked math (see the example above) puts your expected number of charges at two or fewer. ## How to book either option Both the swap pass and pay per use are available through the Volt collection for your specific festival. Booking online before the event is usually cheaper than picking up at the booth on the day. If booking has not opened yet for your event, check the [Volt Charging Service](https://resources.getvolt.dk/services/charging/) page for how the service works, and the official festival page for when presales go live. For a breakdown of the deposit and what happens when you return the Volt-Charger, see [how the festival powerbank deposit works](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/does-volt-refund-your-festival-powerbank-deposit/). ## Common questions ### Can I swap at any Volt booth across the festival site? Yes. The swap is not tied to the booth where you first picked up your Volt-Charger. Any staffed Volt booth on site takes the return and hands you a fresh one. ### Does the swap pass let me swap as many times as I want each day? You get one exchange per day. That covers the typical festival goer who drains a full charge over a long day on site. If you need more than one per day, talk to the team at the Volt booth: they can advise on the right option for your situation. ### What if my Volt-Charger still has power left when the next day starts? You do not have to swap unless you want to. The daily exchange is an option, not an obligation. If you are still running on yesterday's charge, hold on to it until you need a fresh one. ### Is the deposit the same for both options? A refundable deposit is required for both the swap pass and pay per use. You get it back when you return the Volt-Charger at any Volt booth before you leave the festival. [Full deposit details are here.](https://resources.getvolt.dk/articles/does-volt-refund-your-festival-powerbank-deposit/) ### Is pay per use ever cheaper than a swap pass, even at a multi-day festival? Yes, if you only need power on one or two separate occasions across the whole event. At Smukfest 2026, for example, two pay-per-use rentals came to less than either swap pass, while a third rental crossed above the shorter pass. The crossover point depends on the number of charges you actually need, not the number of days you attend, and it varies by event, so check the current listing for your festival. ### What is pay per use called on the booking page? You will see it listed under a name like SingleBoost or pay per use in the Volt collection for your festival, alongside the swap pass option. Pick based on how many separate charges you expect to need: one or two is pay per use, three or more is usually the swap pass.