Swap pass or pay per use: which Volt charging option fits your festival?
Swap pass or pay per use? A swap pass gets you one fresh Volt-Charger per day at any staffed booth across the event. Pay per use covers a single rental. Here is the honest comparison.
A swap pass lets you exchange your Volt-Charger once per day for a fresh one at any staffed Volt booth across the whole event. Pay per use means you rent a Volt-Charger for as long as you need it and return it when you are done. Which option is right depends on how many days you are staying and how hard your phone works at a festival. Here is the honest comparison.
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 limit because there is no daily swap: one rental covers the period until you hand it back.
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 |
| 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 |
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.
The two-day rule
If you are staying two or more days, a swap pass typically costs less than two separate pay-per-use rentals and gives you more coverage. The swap pass is the default choice for camping festivals like Roskilde Festival or Smukfest, 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.
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 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.
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.
What is pay per use called on the booking page?
You will see it listed as pay per use in the Volt collection for your festival, alongside the swap pass option. Pick based on your number of days: one day is pay per use, two or more days is the swap pass.
