Why Does Spin Charge $25? An Electric Scooter Enthusiast‘s Breakdown

As an avid gamer and micromobility fan, I‘ve done some digging into why leading electric scooter rental companies like Spin sometimes charge riders unexpected $25 fees. Below I break down Spin‘s main reasons for their various $25 charges, what they cover for Spin‘s business, tips to avoid them, and when you can get your money back.

Overview of Spin Scooter Company

Founded in 2017 in San Francisco, Spin has rapidly become one of the top electric scooter rental providers operating in over 100 cities and college campuses across North America and Europe.

With over 1 million rides to date, Spin boasts technologically advanced scooter models equipped with swappable batteries, rugged builds, and smart IoT components like integrated GPS trackers.

Why Does Spin Charge $25? Main Fee Reasons Explained

While a typical Spin scooter rental only runs $1 to start + per minute usage fees, you may encounter these common surprise $25 charges:

1. Extended Rental Fee ($25)

If a Spin rental exceeds 24 hours and the scooter has not been reported lost or stolen, Spin charges a flat $25 extended rental fee. According to their terms, overage fees can continue accruing until the overdue scooter is returned.

This helps cover Spin‘s operating costs from missing scooters in circulation and incentives bringing extended rentals back into rotation for other riders.

Real-life example: I once accidentally left a Spin rental open overnight after a long day at the office. Logging in the next morning – $25 extended fee + $8 hourly overage charge!

2. Lost/Damaged Scooter Fee ($25+)

If a Spin scooter sustains damage, vandalism, or gets lost/stolen during your rental, Spin charges a $25 fee plus repair or replacement costs to make it operational again.

As the renter you‘re fully liable per the TOS. This helps Spin recoup financial losses from mistreated devices no longer rentable.

Seen in the wild: Numerous scooters around my city with spray paint tags and scratches from apparent drops. Repairing that damage gets expensive quick!

3. Insufficient Funds Fee ($25 + Ride Cost)

If your linked credit card, debit card, or prepaid wallet lacks sufficient funds to fully cover a ride, Spin tacks on a $25 insufficient funds fee plus the ride charge attempted.

This helps offset their payment processing losses for chasing down deadbeat rides.

Pro tip: I keep my Spin prepaid balance topped up to dodge surprise insufficient fees when hopping on.

4. Account Verification Hold ($25)

If Spin‘s fraud algorithms flag your account for suspicious patterns, it may place a temporary $25 hold when starting a ride to verify your payment method‘s validity.

This pre-authorization check ensures your card or linked account has enough funds before letting you ride. The hold then voids off shortly after the ride ends without actually charging you.

My experience: I’ve triggered Spin’s fraud bots a couple times when using various payment backups across town. After confirming my identity, the random holds reduced.

Refunding Spin‘s $25 Fees

Wondering about getting those annoying $25 Spin fees refunded after that fact? Here are Spin‘s main refund policies around their various fees:

• The $25 extended rental fee is refunded if you return the overdue scooter to a drop zone within 24 hours.
• The lost/damaged scooter fee ($25 plus repair/replacement) is generally not refunded since the rider is liable.
• The insufficient funds fee ($25 plus ride attempt) is not refunded. You didn‘t fully pay, so Spin keeps their fee to offset losses.
• The account verification hold ($25) automatically voids off and refunds after the flagged ride ends.

So in summary – properly ending rides and keeping payment methods funded are vital tips to avoid surprise fees from Spin.

Let me know if you have any other questions about why Spin charges $25 fees! Ride on 🛴