EV Charging Payment Solutions Built For Charging Site Hosts

There's no single number. Your cost depends on your card mix, session volume, and average session size. With Interchange-Plus pricing, the network's cost is broken out separately from Argent's pricing, and everything is disclosed in writing before you sign.

Yes. Large networks run their own proprietary payment infrastructure as part of a much bigger business. This page is built for independent site hosts — a retail center, hotel, or depot adding a handful of stalls — who need standard merchant processing, not a national network's payment stack.

Often, yes. Send us a recent statement and we'll calculate your effective rate — total fees divided by total processing volume — and compare it against the actual interchange schedule for your card mix.

No. Argent is month-to-month, with no long-term contract and no early termination fee.

Common ones include PCI non-compliance fees, monthly minimum fees, batch fees, statement or paper fees, and annual PCI assessment fees. Argent reviews statements line by line so you know exactly what you're paying for and whether it's negotiable.

Argent supports integration with a variety of charging-network platforms. Processing and your station-management software are two separate decisions — your network dashboard and session tracking don't have to change just because your payment processor does.

Often, yes — many kiosk payment terminals can be reprogrammed to run on Argent's processing instead of being replaced outright. Send us your current terminal make and model and we'll confirm compatibility before you commit to anything.

Yes, for the kiosk payment terminals your charges actually run through, leasing is available through Argent's equipment partner. Equipment lease terms are separate from Argent's month-to-month processing agreement and are disclosed before you sign.

Argent coordinates a replacement or repair through its equipment partner so a broken payment terminal doesn't take a working charging stall out of service.

The goal is zero disruption to charging itself. Most sites keep their existing station hardware and network software and either reprogram the payment terminal or swap in a compatible one, with account setup scheduled around your site's traffic pattern.

Yes — a securely stored card on file lets membership plans and subscription charging run automatically instead of a driver re-entering payment details at every visit.

Without an account updater, an expired or reissued card simply fails at the next billing date, which means a missed payment and a manual follow-up. An automatic card updater can refresh many of those cards before they fail.

Yes — contactless and mobile wallet payments are supported on modern kiosk terminals as standard, not as an add-on or upcharge.

Yes — Argent can consolidate one-off session charges and recurring fleet or membership billing under one merchant account, so you're reconciling one system instead of two.

Yes — multi-site hosts get consolidated reporting across every location under one merchant relationship, instead of managing separate accounts and statements site by site.

That's common for a side-business charging site. Argent's setup doesn't penalize volume swings the way a monthly-minimum fee structure can, and your account is built around your actual usage pattern.

Usually, yes. App and RFID payments only work for drivers who already have an account with that network. A contactless and chip card reader at the charger lets any driver pay, including visitors and rental-car drivers. Chargers funded through the federal NEVI program must accept major credit and debit cards by contactless payment and also offer a toll-free phone or text-message payment option.

Because the cost of a session isn't known when it starts. The reader places a pre-authorization hold for an estimated amount, then captures the actual charge when the session ends and releases the rest. The driver's bank controls how quickly the unused portion drops off, so the hold should be sized to a realistic maximum session, not an arbitrary high number.

In most states, yes, but whether a site host that isn't a utility can sell electricity by the kWh, and which metering-accuracy rules apply, is set state by state. Check with your state utility commission and weights-and-measures office before setting per-kWh rates.

The NEVI minimum standards (23 CFR Part 680) call for a contactless method that accepts major credit and debit cards, plus a toll-free phone number or text-message option to start and pay for a session, with no membership required and pricing displayed in dollars per kWh. Confirm current requirements with your state DOT, since program guidance has been revised.

Plug and Charge, based on ISO 15118, lets a compatible vehicle authenticate itself when plugged in and bill the session to the driver's account automatically. It depends on support from the vehicle, charger, and backend software, so it works alongside a card reader rather than replacing one.

Most sites are live within about a week of the first call, though the exact timeline depends on your current equipment, charging-network software, and underwriting. We'll give you a specific timeline once we know your setup.

Your funding timeline is set to match your business and volume, and disclosed upfront before you sign, since funding speed depends on processing history, risk category, and banking relationship.

A chargeback happens when a cardholder disputes a transaction directly with their bank rather than with you — funds are pulled back automatically during investigation. Chip and tap charges at the charger carry a one-time EMV or contactless cryptogram, and Argent encrypts card data in transit and tokenizes it after capture. AVS and CVV checks apply to card-not-present and card-on-file charges, such as membership renewals. Clear session-log documentation from your charging-network software helps you fight disputes when they come in.

PCI DSS is the security standard every business that accepts cards has to follow, covering how card data is transmitted, stored, and protected. Every Argent setup is PCI DSS compliant, with encryption and fraud monitoring built into the processing, and we walk you through the annual self-assessment questionnaire.

None. The rate review call is a statement comparison and a conversation, not a sales pitch. If we can't do meaningfully better for your business than what you're paying now, we'll say so directly.

You can still get a statement review and rate comparison now, even if you're not ready to switch immediately — that way you know exactly what a change would save once your current agreement allows it.