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Abby_OVO
Community Manager
Community Manager
September 24, 2025
PinnedF.A.Q.

Meet the new Charge Anytime!

  • September 24, 2025
  • 334 replies
  • 17381 views

Updated on 14/04/26 by Ben_OVO

 

Charge Anytime has evolved - we’ve introducing monthly plans

 

You can now choose a new, easy way of paying for your EV charging. One simple monthly payment, whether you’re smart charging at home, or out and about.*

 

With the introduction of these new Charge Anytime monthly plans will come questions, and we’ve put together this FAQ guide to cover everything you might want to ask or need to know.

 

If there’s anything you’re still unsure of after reading this, you can ask us below or get in touch with the team if you’ve got a more specific issue.

 


What are monthly plans?

 

Charge Anytime monthly plans are our charging products that offer one monthly fee for your home and public charging. Plus other perks depending on which package you choose. Here are more details of the current plans available.

 

 

How does a Charge Anytime monthly plan work?

 

Charge Anytime monthly plans offer combined home and public charging for one monthly cost. Each plan has a home mileage allowance. You’ll be billed a fixed monthly cost, and then we’ll credit you EV charging up to the maximum allowance. Included within the cost of the monthly plan you’ll also receive your public charging voucher and any other perks associated with your plan.

 

 

How does Charge Anytime pay as you go work?

 

All the electricity you use in your home and for smart charging will initially be charged at your standard home electricity rate. This is the rate you’ll see in your balance and on your bill. 

 

At the end of the month, we’ll work out how much energy you've used to smart charge your EV. We'll use this to calculate how much credit we need to add to your account. This will be applied in the following month.

 

 

How do I manage my plan?


Download OVO Charge from the App Store or Google Play to manage your monthly plan. Schedule charging sessions and track how much of your monthly plan you’ve used in the app. If you’ve gone over your monthly allowance, you’ll see this information in the OVO Charge app. You can also manage and redeem your perks in the app too. 
 

 

How does billing work?

 

There are a few different elements to how these plans are billed:

 

  • Your monthly plan fee - charged at the beginning of each month, this is based on the plan you choose and covers the cost of your plan’s home mileage allowance, public charging voucher and any other perks associated with your plan. 

 

  • Credits - we’ll credit the kWh that you use to charge your car, in line with your monthly plan home charging allowance (explained below). This is shown on your bill the month after you’ve used it.

 

  • Extra charging costs - any charging that you use over your monthly allowance will be charged at your usual home tariff rate, this will appear as normal electricity use on your bill. 

 

If you go over the mileage allowance of your plan, you’ll still be able to charge, but you’ll be charged for the kWh that you use above your monthly allowance.

 

For example:

  • You smart charge your car for an equivalent of 1,100 miles

 

  • We credit you for 1,000 miles, the premium plan monthly maximum allowance based on a vehicle efficiency of 4 miles per kWh. Which means we’ll apply a credit of 250 kWh to your bill

 

  • If your usual home tariff rate is 25p per kWh, we’ll credit you for a total of £62.50, which would appear on your bill the following month

 

  • This means for the 100 miles above your plan allowance you would not receive credit for. This will be charged at your usual home tariff rate, this will appear as normal electricity use on your bill

 

 

What will the credit look like on my bill?

 

We’ll apply either Charge Anytime pay as you go or monthly plan credit to your account at the start of every month. It’ll also appear on your monthly OVO energy bill under the heading Charge Anytime pay as you go or monthly plan credit depending what plan you’re on. The credit shown on your bill will be for the electricity you used for smart charging the previous month. So in the first week of December, you’ll see your credit for November in your OVO online account or OVO app.

 

If you’re on a monthly plan in addition to receiving charging credits up to your plan mileage cap you’ll also be billed your monthly plan fee. This will be displayed on your bill as “Charge Anytime - monthly plan” followed by the choice of plan you’re on, for example, “premium”.

 

 

How will I be billed if I sign up or cancel during the month?

 

When signing up to a monthly plan your first monthly fee will be adjusted depending on the day you sign up. For example, if you signed up to the premium plan, which is £37.50 a month, on day 16 of a 30 day month - you’d be billed £18.75. You’ll still receive your full monthly mileage allowance no matter what day of the month you sign up. 

 

If you choose to cancel your plan this will happen on the first day of the following month. This means you’ll still receive your full mileage allowance and be charged the full monthly fee for your final month. 

 

Usage of other perks included within your monthly plan won’t be affected by when you sign up and you’ll be able to use them straight away. When you cancel your plan any unused benefits including extra perks will be lost. 

 

 

What other perks do I get?

 

All our monthly plans include EV Charger Cover and a public charging voucher. Our premium, standard plus and premium plus plans include even more perks - with multi-car plus plans coming with a £240 public charging voucher. Here are more details on each plan and how to redeem your perks.

 

 

Am I locked into a contract if I choose a monthly plan?

 

No, you can cancel your monthly plan at any time. Your home energy contract won’t be affected. Cancellation starts at the end of each month so you can continue to access your charging miles and perks until then.

 

 

Can I switch between Charge Anytime monthly plans and pay as you go?

 

Yes, you can switch between monthly plans at any time. When you choose to switch, your new monthly plan will become active on the 1st day of the following month. Your existing perks will still be available from your old plan but they won’t renew. If you choose a plan with more perks or higher mileage this will be added to your existing allowance.

 

If you’re switching from pay as you go to a monthly plan this will start at midnight the next day. The fee you pay and the mileage available will be adjusted to reflect the day your plan starts.

 

 

Can home charging miles roll over and be used in other months?

 

No, your monthly miles for your plan will reset on the first day of each month. For example, if you signed up to the premium monthly plan and used 800 miles of charging, your next month will reset at the premium monthly plan amount of 1,000 miles.

 

 

Will my Direct Debit be affected?

 

Your Charge Anytime credit won’t affect your Direct Debit. You can ask for this to be refunded, if your account is in enough credit. Any refunds will be applied in line with our refund policy where you can find more information on refund eligibility.

 

 

What app do I need to use?

 

Download OVO Charge from the App Store or Google Play to manage your charging. If you’ve been using the Charge Anytime app you’ll need to start using OVO Charge instead. 

 

 

 

Can I continue to use my EV or charger app?

 

Yes, absolutely. It’s important to know that the OVO Charge app will instruct your EV to start and stop charging throughout your smart charging schedule. This is to maximise use of the greenest and cheapest energy on the grid. This means that if you manually set a charging schedule in your EV or charger app, it’ll be overridden by the OVO Charge app. We recommend not setting schedules in your EV or charger app and managing all your charging in OVO Charge.

 

 

Why do I need to pay monthly for my energy to get Charge Anytime?

 

Paying monthly for your energy means we can automatically add Charge Anytime credit to your account in the first week of each month. This avoids any delays or the need for any manual adjustments to your credit amount.

 

Your smart meter also lets us track your energy usage in real-time to charge your EV. This ensures that you're always charging at the cheapest and greenest times.

 

 

Charge Anytime for Volvo and Volkswagen Group customers

 

Why do partnership customers continue to get a lower pay as you go rate of 7p per kWh?

 

The lower rate is part of the special partnerships we have with Volvo and Volkswagen Group UK. We’ve teamed up to be able to provide exclusive offers for our shared customers with specific EV models. It’s a perk that comes from our tight collaboration with these brands, and within the terms and conditions of their offers. 

 

For Volkswagen Group UK customers, the 7p pay as you go rate is part of the terms and conditions for the VWG Free Miles Offers, as agreed with Volkswagen Group (VWG). VWG includes Audi, Skoda, CUPRA and Volkswagen. Customers must have taken up a Free Miles offer and then remain on Charge Anytime pay as you go to take advantage of the offers.
 

For Volvo customers who smart charge in the Volvo Cars app, we’re not able to offer monthly plans right away. We’re working to make them available to customers as soon as possible. In the meantime, we’ve agreed with Volvo to offer this exclusive pay as you go rate for customers. 

 

 

How do I get the exclusive pay as you go partnership rate of 7p per kWh? 

 

To be eligible to receive the special partnership rate:

  • Volkswagen Group customers: If you’ve been confirmed as eligible for one of our VWG Retail or Company Car Offers, you’ll be able to keep your 7p/kWh rate for now if you stay on pay as you go. This will also mean you’ll still be eligible for your future Volkswagen Group free miles offers, like your anniversary miles.

 

You can still switch to a monthly plan if you’d prefer, but if you do, you'll lose your 7p rate and access to your future Volkswagen Group free miles offers.

 

Please note, our VWG Retail and Company Cars Offers are only available to eligible vehicles purchased before the 30 September 2025. 

 

For more information, see the full terms and conditions here.
 

  • Volvo customers: You must have an eligible model and be smart charging through the Volvo Cars app on pay as you go. Eligible models include: XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, C40 Recharge Pure Electric, EX40 or EC40. Find more details about the Volvo offer here. At this time, you won’t be able to access monthly plans. 

 

 

Why can’t I get monthly plans as a Volvo Cars app user? 

 

Monthly plans are currently only supported in the OVO Charge app.  We’re working hard with Volvo to bring monthly plans to you, and will let you know once there's an update.

 

In the meantime, you'll continue to pay 7p per kWh until monthly plans are available to you.

 

 

If you still have any questions following these, please do drop us a question below. All compatible EVs and Smart Chargers can be found here. We’ve also got a dedicated topic hub of all things Charge Anytime, so if you’re having any issues, take a look through the guides below, and if you’ve got any other questions feel free to ask our community:

 

 

Best of luck on your EV journey! And if you need any help, we’re always here.😊🔌

 

* A fixed monthly cost for all your EV charging where the home charging element is based on signing up to a chosen monthly plan and using up to the home mileage cap associated with your plan. Any mileage up to the cap you will be credited for at your home tariff rate. Mileage over the cap you will not be credited for effectively meaning you'll be charged at your home tariff rate for mileage above your plan cap. Your home tariff rate will also apply to urgent charging. The public charging element is based on using up to the annual voucher amount for public charging associated with your monthly plan, for example £120 if you were to sign up to the premium monthly plan.

334 replies

Rank 1
September 27, 2025

@Bobbych Correct, that’s what I said about signing up the EV that would need to charge at ‘peak’ the most.

but peak times are only 5 hours or so.  I may need 10 hours to charge, so again, I would be worse off, having to charge that car at peak rate outside those hours.

that would only be car 2 also. I have a third car, which cannot charge at the overnight rate

there is no one around who offers 24/7 flexible charging like Ovo do.  Yes as said before, Ocotpus do, if I pay £30 per car, so £90 for 3 cars.  that is pretty much the same as staying with Ovo and paying 14p,

Scottish Power offer a 24/7 tariff, essentially the same as Charge Anytime, but they charge 10p p/kw. Personally, I wouldn’t touch Scottish Power with a barge pole due to previous experiences with them, but it’s an option for you. 
 

We’ve started our switch to Octopus. Got a referral code from a friend, which gives us £50 bill credit (will charge both of our cars for about 2 months) and my friend’s electricity lowered significantly despite getting an EV because they started using their washing machine, dryer, dishwasher etc overnight at the cheaper rate. I’m happy to get into the habit of doing that. I looked at eon Next drive (which was the cheapest) and BG, but they didn’t seem to be smart tariffs from what I could see on the website. 

Rank 6
September 27, 2025

@Bobbych if your mileage increases, just make sure you don't exceed the maximum allowed reimbursement. 👍 Good luck 

I do not reach a cap now on the 7p rate so just moving to the same PAYG on 14p I cannot see me hitting any cap

the cap mileage’s are on the packages which I will not be even entertaining as they are only around 12p anyway and then standard rate after the mileages cap 

nealmurphy
Newcomer
Newcomer
September 27, 2025

@Bobbych if your mileage increases, just make sure you don't exceed the maximum allowed reimbursement. 👍 Good luck 

I do not reach a cap now on the 7p rate so just moving to the same PAYG on 14p I cannot see me hitting any cap

the cap mileage’s are on the packages which I will not be even entertaining as they are only around 12p anyway and then standard rate after the mileages cap 

A cap on credit applies on PAYG as well, as you can only be paid £100 per account per month:

16.3 The maximum monthly Charge Anytime Credit you can receive is £100 per month per account. Any Smart Charging consumption that exceeds the maximum Charge Anytime Credit will be charged at your tariff’s usual rate. 

This means if you are receiving 12p per kWh back, you only have the first 833kWh at the cheaper 14p/kWh rate. (Works out on average at around 27kWh per day)

Rank 6
September 27, 2025

@Bobbych if your mileage increases, just make sure you don't exceed the maximum allowed reimbursement. 👍 Good luck 

I do not reach a cap now on the 7p rate so just moving to the same PAYG on 14p I cannot see me hitting any cap

the cap mileage’s are on the packages which I will not be even entertaining as they are only around 12p anyway and then standard rate after the mileages cap 

A cap on credit applies on PAYG as well, as you can only be paid £100 per account per month:

16.3 The maximum monthly Charge Anytime Credit you can receive is £100 per month per account. Any Smart Charging consumption that exceeds the maximum Charge Anytime Credit will be charged at your tariff’s usual rate. 

This means if you are receiving 12p per kWh back, you only have the first 833kWh at the cheaper 14p/kWh rate. (Works out on average at around 27kWh per day)

Agreed. But as I have said on many posts here , there is no alternative for me with three EVs to juggle charging through the week which will be cheaper than the new OVO rate 

Newcomer
September 27, 2025

There seems to be some misunderstanding on Intelligent Octopus Go. It does seem to work like Charge Anytime and isn't just restricted to 11:30pm-5:30am. From the Ocropus site:

"Then, just plug in your car and tell us how much charge you need. We'll automatically schedule your charge for when energy is cheapest and greenest, and you'll only pay 7p/kWh regardless of the time of day"

Also you get 7p electricity for your whole house in the 11:30pm-5:30am slot.

The basic Octopus rate would have cost me about £250 year more, but I have solar and a battery so would be able to charge my battery from the grid at night at 7p instead of from the solar panels and sell the excess solar that I would have used to charge the battery during the day to Octopus for 15p. In the summer I estimate I wouldn't need to buy any peak rate power, working on solar and battery at 7p and still have surplus to sell at the 15p rate. In the winter I estimate solar and battery will supply about two thirds of my requirement. Ovo doesn't have a offpeak household rate. So even if Ovo hasn't gone from 7p to 14p I would be better with Octopus because of the cheap overnight solar battery charging and higher price for solar export (15p compared to 12p). I only realised this when I started exploring other suppliers after the doubling of the Charge Anytime rate. Thank you Ovo!

Rank 6
September 27, 2025

@EVuser This is exactly the same for me. Octopus is way better than OVO in that scenario, and will ensure I have greater savings. Had OVO not got greedy, I may not have even explored those options. But as it happens we will be dropping OVO when our fixed rate ends soon.

 

I also disagree with those that bang on about 14p still being cheaper than ICE. Having an EV (on economical reasons) requires the charging rates to be very low to make sense. When you factor in the huge price for an EV, depreciation, shorter lifetimes of the car, battery fall-off, temperature sensitivity, inconvenience on long journeys and upcoming battery technology advances, unless you are trying to do your “go green” bit with an EV it costs much more overall.

 

 

stead
Rank 5
Rank 5
September 28, 2025

I thought this thread had been closed, no replies in 20 hours!

 

Still miffed about the situation tho 😔

Rank 6
September 28, 2025

There seems to be some misunderstanding on Intelligent Octopus Go. It does seem to work like Charge Anytime and isn't just restricted to 11:30pm-5:30am. From the Ocropus site:

"Then, just plug in your car and tell us how much charge you need. We'll automatically schedule your charge for when energy is cheapest and greenest, and you'll only pay 7p/kWh regardless of the time of day"

Also you get 7p electricity for your whole house in the 11:30pm-5:30am slot.

The basic Octopus rate would have cost me about £250 year more, but I have solar and a battery so would be able to charge my battery from the grid at night at 7p instead of from the solar panels and sell the excess solar that I would have used to charge the battery during the day to Octopus for 15p. In the summer I estimate I wouldn't need to buy any peak rate power, working on solar and battery at 7p and still have surplus to sell at the 15p rate. In the winter I estimate solar and battery will supply about two thirds of my requirement. Ovo doesn't have a offpeak household rate. So even if Ovo hasn't gone from 7p to 14p I would be better with Octopus because of the cheap overnight solar battery charging and higher price for solar export (15p compared to 12p). I only realised this when I started exploring other suppliers after the doubling of the Charge Anytime rate. Thank you Ovo!

The one issue I see with this which is preventing me looking to move is the intelligent part. The website alludes to the fact you have to set a ready time of between 4.30am and 11am 

 

so if I plug my car in at 1pm I have to set a time for 4.30. So it will wait and charge mainly overnight anyway

with OVO I can set a time for 9pm. So it will charge one car by 9pm. I can then plug in a second car overnight if i need to. I assume this would not be possible with octopus

 

 

Newcomer
September 29, 2025

Has anyone looked at EDF, or know anyone who uses it? 

 

They have a go electric tariff that gives you 5 hours per night at 9 pence (between 00:00 and 05:00) and in addition to this, if you add the smart charging bolt on, you get additional off peak hours throughout the day at the same rate 9 pence. Like Octopus this rate applies to the whole household.
 

The advantage I see of EDG over Octopus go is the on peak rate and the daily standing charge is set at the price cap, not way over like Octopus go. I guess my only concern is how many additional hours off peak will I get with smart charging as 5 hours per night may not be enough ( I generally have to charge my car from 20 to 85 percent ¾ time per week n due 150 round commute to work. 

stead
Rank 5
Rank 5
September 29, 2025

Has anyone looked at EDF, or know anyone who uses it? 

 

They have a go electric tariff that gives you 5 hours per night at 9 pence (between 00:00 and 05:00) and in addition to this, if you add the smart charging bolt on, you get additional off peak hours throughout the day at the same rate 9 pence. Like Octopus this rate applies to the whole household.
 

The advantage I see of EDG over Octopus go is the on peak rate and the daily standing charge is set at the price cap, not way over like Octopus go. I guess my only concern is how many additional hours off peak will I get with smart charging as 5 hours per night may not be enough ( I generally have to charge my car from 20 to 85 percent ¾ time per week n due 150 round commute to work. 

Does the smart charging only work with the pod point? Trying to figure it out looks like it would only work with one of our cars but can’t see anything about charger support apart from pod point. But it defiantly looks like a viable alternative!