How to rent a phone power bank with HUBO

Your phone is at 5 % and home is still hours away. Maybe you are travelling, at a gig, or the day has simply run longer than planned. HUBO stations in bars, cafés, restaurants, shopping centres and hotels solve exactly that: you take a charged power bank, charge your phone while you are out, and return it to any HUBO station.

This guide covers everything about renting one: what you need, how each step works, what it costs and what to do if something goes wrong.

Why your phone drains so fast

Modern smartphones are powerful, but their batteries rarely survive a busy day away from home. The biggest drains are:

• navigation: GPS and a map on screen run non-stop;
• the camera and video: photos, clips and streaming load both the processor and the screen;
• weak signal: with poor coverage, the phone boosts its transmit power to stay connected;
• cold: at low temperatures lithium batteries deliver less energy, so the percentage drops faster;
• a bright screen: outdoors in the sun, brightness is often at maximum;
• background apps: social media, email and photo sync.

Then there is the age of the phone. Every lithium battery loses some of its capacity over the years, so a phone that is three or four years old lasts noticeably less than it did when it was new.

When a rented power bank helps most

The battery tends to die right when you need your phone most. That is exactly when you have to make a call, pay, show a ticket or find your way home. It usually happens:

• when travelling: navigation, tickets and bookings all live on your phone;
• at a concert, match or festival: photos, video and a weak signal in the crowd;
• on a long workday: calls, emails and meetings away from the office;
• on a night out: when you need to book a taxi or find your friends;
• as a tourist: maps, translation and photos all day long.

What you need before you start

Just two things:

• a smartphone with the HUBO app;
• a bank card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Signing up in the app takes about a minute and you only do it once. After that, every rental starts straight from the station.

Sign up in advance, for example at home while your phone still has charge. Then all you do at the station is scan and confirm.

You do not need your own cable or adapter. The cables are built into the power bank, so there is nothing to carry around.

Renting, step by step

1. Find a station

Open the HUBO app and find the nearest station on the map. The first HUBO cities are Plovdiv and Sofia. The full, current list of venues is also on the "Locations" page of the website.

2. Scan the QR code

Every station has a QR code. Scan it with the app and it recognises the station you are standing at.

3. Check the price and terms

Before you confirm, the app shows the price and the rental terms. Take your time reading them: the rental does not start until you confirm it.

4. Pay

You pay by bank card, Apple Pay or Google Pay right in the app. No need to find a till or carry cash.

5. Take the power bank

The station releases a charged power bank with three built-in cables: USB-C, Lightning and micro-USB. Pick the connector that fits your phone and plug it in.

That is it. The power bank goes with you: around the venue, on the way home or to your next meeting.

What it costs

A rental costs €2 per 24 hours, with no start fee. Every started 24-hour period is charged. Within 24 hours you pay €2 whether you used the power bank for half an hour or the whole day.

A few examples:

• you charge your phone for an hour over coffee with friends: €2;
• you carry the power bank around town all day: €2;
• you take one in the evening and return it the next morning, within 24 hours: €2.

You see the price and terms in the app before you confirm the rental, so you always know what you will pay.

Tips to make the charge go further

A few simple habits make a big difference:

• Charge while you sit. Plug your phone in at the café or restaurant while you wait for your order.
• Turn on power-saving mode. Both iPhones and Android phones have one. It limits background activity so your phone lasts longer.
• Lower the brightness. The screen is one of the biggest energy users.
• Close navigation when you do not need it. If you know the way, do not leave the map running.
• Keep your phone out of the cold. In winter, carry it in an inside pocket rather than the outer pocket of your jacket.
• Do not wait for the last percent. If your phone is under 20 % and the day is long, grab a power bank at the first station on your way.

With a power bank you are not tied to the socket by the bar, and you do not have to ask the staff to charge your phone behind the counter. You charge while you talk, shop or travel, and your phone stays with you.

How to return the power bank

Return the power bank to any HUBO station; it does not have to be the one you took it from. Unplug your phone first. Then push the power bank into a free slot until it clicks into place. The station recognises it and the rental ends automatically.

If every slot at a station is taken, pick another station on the map in the app.

The app shows how long the rental lasted and the amount. The receipt arrives in the app and by email. Before you walk away, glance at the rental screen so you know it has ended.

Stations accept power banks even when they are briefly offline. The return is recorded and the rental ends as soon as the station reconnects.

If something goes wrong

If you have returned the power bank but the rental is still running, report it in the app: the rental screen has a button for exactly that. You can also write to info@hubo.bg.

In your report, mention which station you left the power bank at and roughly when. That helps us look into it faster.

For any other questions, about renting, paying or the stations, write to the same address.