# Charging abroad: roaming and your charging card > Does your Belgian charging card work abroad? Learn how roaming works, how to compare per-kWh and per-minute rates, and what to sort out before you leave. Published: 2026-07-07 · Language: en · Source: https://laadpaalvinden.be/en/blog/charging-abroad-roaming/ At a foreign charger, things work a little differently from home. Networks, rates and payment methods vary from country to country, and what you check beforehand decides whether your charge goes smoothly or turns into an expensive surprise. ## What is roaming? Your charging card has agreements with operators in other countries. That lets you use your Belgian card at a foreign charger. The operator of that charger passes its rate on to your provider, and your provider usually adds its own margin. You see the final amount in your app or on your invoice. Which networks your card covers depends on your provider and on the country. A card that works at almost every charger in one country may only reach some of the networks in another. For how cards and networks fit together, see [CPOs and MSPs explained](/en/blog/cpo-and-msp-explained/). ## What does it cost? Foreign rates are sometimes higher than in Belgium, sometimes lower, and they change. Look up the current prices per country in your provider's app or on its website. Also check whether there is a start fee and whether fast chargers have a separate rate. A worked example with assumed figures, so not real rates: you add 40 kWh. At 0.60 euro per kWh you pay 24 euro, at 0.80 euro per kWh 32 euro. That is an 8 euro difference for a single charge. On a trip with four or five charges it adds up quickly. ## Per kWh or per minute Some networks charge per minute instead of per kWh. Your price then depends on how fast your car charges. Say a charger costs 0.15 euro per minute and you stay 30 minutes: 4.50 euro. If your car takes 25 kWh in that time, you pay 0.18 euro per kWh. If it only adds 8 kWh, because of a cold battery or a slow charger, it is a little over 0.56 euro per kWh. Per-minute pricing therefore suits a car that charges fast and punishes a slow one. You can read more about this in [the charging curve](/en/blog/charging-curve-fast-charging-slows/). So always convert to euro per kWh before you compare two options. Outside the eurozone, watch the currency too. ## Starting a charge - With your card at the charger's reader. - With your provider's app, by scanning the charger or entering its number. - With a bank card or QR code, if the charger offers ad hoc payment. Which one works depends on the charger, so don't rely on your card alone. ## Ad hoc is a fallback Paying with a bank card and no charging card is handy when your card doesn't work, but the rate is usually higher than with a card. See [paying by card or QR at the charger](/en/blog/pay-by-card-or-qr-at-charger/). ## What to sort out before you leave 1. Check in your provider's app that your card works at your destination and in the countries on the way. 2. Look up the rates per country and convert them to euro per kWh. 3. See whether you still need to switch on foreign use in your account. 4. Get a second card or app, ideally from a provider with good coverage on your route. Compare them in [comparing EV charging cards](/en/blog/compare-ev-charging-cards/). 5. Pack your own charging cable and make sure your bank card can pay ad hoc. ## Common mistakes - Using your home rate as the yardstick. - Not converting a per-minute rate to kWh. - Working out what works only once you're at the charger, with a nearly empty battery. - Relying on the card alone, with no second way to pay. ## When does this not apply? If your provider has no agreement with a charger's operator, your card won't work there, however smoothly things went in another country. That leaves ad hoc payment or a card from another provider. If you're driving in Belgium, nothing changes about your normal rate. Plan your route and charging stops in advance with one of the [route planner apps](/en/blog/best-ev-route-planner-apps/).