Install it before you need it
The app is free on the App Store and Google Play. Download it on an ordinary day and add your payment method, so that when your battery drops you only have to scan and go.
Because the app handles everything, venue staff never hand out chargers, take payment, or hold your phone. They can point you to the station, and the app does the rest.
The map
Open the app and the map shows Juiceboxx stations near you. Check it at the start of your night rather than the end of your battery, so you know where the closest station is before you need it.
Stations sit inside host venues, and new ones are added as the network grows. The app always has the current list, so a screenshot from last month may be out of date.
Scanning the station
At the station, tap to scan and hold your phone up to the QR code. Keep your thumb clear of the edges and give the camera a second to focus, especially in dim light. When the scan works, you confirm the price and a charged power bank releases.
The price is $2 for each 30 minutes, capped at $12 in a 24-hour day. A $20 hold is placed on your card and released when the power bank is returned. The rental guide covers the full process.
Charging on the move
The power bank has built-in cables. Plug in your phone, put both in a pocket or bag, and carry on. There is no locker, and no wall to stand beside.
Two tips. A phone running a game or navigation charges more slowly, so a top-up goes faster when the screen is idle. And rest the power bank on a table or in a pocket rather than letting it hang from the cable, which protects your phone's charging port.
Returning the power bank
You can return the power bank to any Juiceboxx station. Slide it into an open slot and the app ends the rental and releases the card hold. Finish the night across town? The station there takes it back.
The only costly mistake is forgetting. A power bank left in a jacket pocket keeps the rental running, and after 48 hours the $20 hold is charged. Read the return guide before a long night, and return it at the last stop.
Where the stations are
Stations are live at Paradise Lanes Bowling Alley, 469 E Blackstock Rd, Spartanburg, and Total Fitness Family Center, 9801 Anderson Rd, Piedmont. New venues are being added across South Carolina.
The station finder shows the nearest one with directions. When no station is on your route, carry a spare cable so a wall outlet is still an option.