I took this on November 1. The sign about the exchange fee was gone. I’m going to start with a brief explanation. FuelRods provide portable power. We’ve all been out somewhere and realized too late that our phones weren’t even close to being fully charged. FuelRod machines allow you to get that power instantly. You pay an initial fee, and you receive a small portable power rod. It’s complete with a charging cord. Plug it in, and you no longer need to worry about your phone not having power. There are FuelRod machines all over Walt Disney World, if you can’t find one just search on the My Disney Experience App, unless your phone is already dead. If that’s the case, ask a Cast Member where the closest machine is.
You wouldn’t think that a concept such as FuelRod would be controversial, but it has become so. The problem lies with the refills. In the beginning, when you needed more power you could exchange your drained FuelRod in a machine for a fully charged one. That has slowly been changing, and not too long ago signs were placed on the machines at Walt Disney World that claimed that a $3 fee would soon apply for each new rod. That fee was supposed to go into effect on November 1.
It is not surprising that people were upset about the possible new charge. They had already spent $30 on the FuelRod, thinking that it would be free to swap. November 1 has come and gone, and as of right now there is no charge at Walt Disney World to swap rods. The signs have been taken off of the machines. Things have returned to normal, at least for the time being.
What does this have to do with saving money? This is an extra that you can bring with you from home, you don’t have to spend $30 to keep your phone charged! I have a couple of portable power systems that I use. One of them is small enough that I can carry it in my pocket if I need to. It cost me $5. The other one is a bit larger, but it will charge two devices at once, and it holds enough power so that I can go from desperate to fully charged at least four times without recharging it. I don’t remember the exact cost, but it was less than the $30 that FuelRod costs in the parks.
I personally think that FuelRod is a brilliant idea, but as I already said, it’s an extra. Even though they are not charging for swaps at Walt Disney World at the moment, that very well could change. It clearly says on the FuelRod website: “swap fee may apply at some locations”. I would not be surprised if the fee does show up at Walt Disney World eventually.
I don’t own a FuelRod, so I can’t speak for how well they work. I just wanted to share with you what is going on, at least how I understand it. If you’re looking to save money, bring portable power from home. If you’re looking to save your phone and forgot your charger at home, this could be the solution, albeit an expensive one.