Just as FuelRod charger swapping fees were rolled out at Walt Disney World today, it appears the popular portable batteries will also have fees at Disneyland. We noticed something was up once kiosks began changing out their “Free Unlimited Swapping” signage for just “Swappable”, but weren’t sure if that was merely a change in phrasing. In fact, the first place we spotted the change in signage was in Disneyland:
Since then, new signage across Walt Disney World has revealed that portable battery swapping at FuelRod kiosks will cost $3 starting on November 1st, 2019.
However, the Portable Phone Charging Systems Kiosks page on the Disneyland Resort website has also since been updated to reflect the upcharge: “Starting November 1, a $3 fee per swap will apply.”
Since their arrival at Disney Parks, park guests have turned to countless trusted FuelRod kiosks for their first $30 FuelRod starter kit and enjoyed years of unlimited, free swapping once the battery ran out. In fact, the Disney Parks were one of the few remaining places where people could swap their FuelRods for free.
Many airports and other tourist destinations, including theme parks like Universal, charge a nominal fee to swap your FuelRod. However, this change in policy for free swaps at Disney Parks is sure to be a major adjustment for many guests who rely on FuelRods to keep their devices charged during their day.
Will you continue to use FuelRod kiosks now that there are swapping fees? Sound off in the comments!
I know folks who use these at Disneyland, but now that they are charging the $3 swapping fee why not just buy a portable charger for a lot less and carry it with you? Anker, an excellent brand has a similar “fuel rod” for $19 and other brands I’ve seen on Amazon are about $10. You have to carry these with you anyway (assuming you already have one to swap), so why not save your self a lot of money and just get one or two on Amazon?
The issue for me is that I recently bought a fuel rod for the parks thinking the swaps would stay free. I feel ripped off. With the fuel rods, you could carry just one small rod and use it for multiple phones, instead of buying and carrying multiple power banks. I’ll bring my own from home now. I just really feel like this was a bait n switch.
$3 per swap after a $30 fee is just not a good deal. I would’ve been fine with $1. But now I will just be investing in a Mophie or two that actually can fully charge your phone. Plus you can use these anywhere whereas FuelRods are only at tourist hotspots.
No! The only reason I bought 2 fuel rods in the first place at Disney World is because I could swap them for free when the charge runs down. I will now go to Amazon and buy a rechargeable brick that can charge my phone up to 7 times and throw the fuel rods in the trash.
Well I have had a fuel rod for many years, time to throw it away. I got a larger one off Amazon that last longer and can charge my phone 3 times and faster with one charge. I knew this would happen. Disney just keeps getting cheaper and yet more expensive. No wonder the parks were empty this past summer. Disney suits are nickle and dimeing the public out of attendance. Universal and Knotts will be getting my money now.
These are more of a novelty. They have very low charging capacity. My kids like to swap them out at the kiosk ha. Not worth $3 charge when you can pick up a decent charger for like 30 bucks that’ll provide multiple charges throughout the day.
Free swaps were literally the only reason to get these. Despite their low charge capacity they were a useful amenity to bring along and save yourself the hassle of remembering to charge your own battery before your visit. At $3 per swap you’re much better off investing in a decent battery. Thanks for ruining yet another thing that improved the guest experience, Disney. Goodbye FuelRod.
Nope i have 3 fuel rods. Ill just spend 10 on a multi port charger and charge them at night. And keep a small pack with me. That was the appeal to get the fuel rod.. not gonna pay to swap it
I feel like a fool for buying one the last time we were at the parks now. Thanks for the bait n switch!
There has never ever been a good reason to purchase this over a $20 power bank that can last you for 2 days, has fast charging and 2 ports, and doesn’t require visiting a kiosk to get half a battery charge. Now it is an utter joke of a purchase and I would rather have my phone die while in the park than succumb to purchasing Fuelrod service. I have had a $21 20000mah battery I bought on an Amazon sale for 2 years now and probably used it to charge my phone fully 100x. So I spent $21 vs a $30 fee for fuelrods, and maybe another $10 in energy costs. Except I can use my battery anywhere, and I don’t have to find a kiosk to charge up. Financially I broke even, but also got more convenience out of it.
Now under the current setup and assuming I only use my phone where Fuelrods are available, I would spend $630 in Fuelrod costs (30 initial, 200x half-battery charge swaps@3 per charge) and still only be able to charge at certain airports, malls, and Disney vs literally anywhere.
PLEASE DON’T USE FUELRODS. AND DON’T SUCCUMB TO SUNK COST FALLACY IF YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE.