Also the average gas payment is about 10x larger than what charging an EV costs around here. So the amount of money "lost" on credit card fees and whatever the actual physical device costs to operate is relatively a lot bigger.
VS an app, where you keep almost 100% of the money AND can track your users better.
Just set a minimum limit on the charge amount for the fee overhead to be acceptble. Why an app? Just pay with a card or NFC. If I have to install an app it's a no go. Funds "lost" in multiple apps, unable to be redeemed, tracking etc.
For me (coming up on 9 years of LEAF ownership), the app is something that helps me find the station in the first place and is something that’s more likely to be with me and easily found than a rarely used card or fob.
I had a Chargepoint key fob for a while, which was also always with the car, but it eventually broke and a replacement was chargeable to me, so I chose not to buy it, as I already had the app.
I use RFID/NFC tags 99% of the time, but I still need the app if I want real-time information whether a charger is online and available anyway.
There are services that try to combine all that data into a single application (or even the car's infotainment), but every one of those sucks to a different degree.
VS an app, where you keep almost 100% of the money AND can track your users better.