Charging at Heythrop Park Hotel, Oxfordshire

[CuriousIslander]

I cannot get any sense out of ZapMap or Podpoint, which owns the 44 chargers at Heythrop Manor Hotel (Warners) near Enstone in Oxfordshire. I am contemplating staying there for a few days later in the year. Does anyone know whether I HAVE to have the PodPoint app (which I don't particularly want to do) ow will they take credit cards?
TIA

 

[johnb80]

I cannot get any sense out of ZapMap or Podpoint, which owns the 44 chargers at Heythrop Manor Hotel (Warners) near Enstone in Oxfordshire. I am contemplating staying there for a few days later in the year. Does anyone know whether I HAVE to have the PodPoint app (which I don't particularly want to do) ow will they take credit cards?
TIA

Yes you do need the app. Brilliant place, nice setup with chargers, the app is nothing to fear and works ok (well it does for me #8o)

J

 

[CuriousIslander]

Yes you do need the app. Brilliant place, nice setup with chargers, the app is nothing to fear and works ok (well it does for me #8o)

J

Thank you. I will have to download it and presumably set up an account before I go.

 

[MG Clive]

Thank you. I will have to download it and presumably set up an account before I go.

You'll probably need the app regardless of whether you use the app or debit card for payment.

 

[GaryMG4]

Podpoint works fine so long as you have a mobile signal. You need to 'top up' the account with payment before you start charging, the app says if you top up during charging it won't register but last year I was topping up at a Forest Holidays site expecting it to stop once the money run out but it continued and I ended up with the account £3 in debit.

 

[johnb80]

Thank you. I will have to download it and presumably set up an account before I go.

I’ve just checked back, when I was there last time, 58p kWh so not too bad, they are of course destination chargers not DC rapids. There are plenty of them so plug in when you get there, leave it overnight and you’re good for the next day.
Highly recommended one of the river cruises in Oxford, afternoon tea etc, really nice and very different perspective from the river.

 

[Bam Bam]

I have the podpoint app as there are free chargers in our town centre (for now).

However, you only get 15 mins free unless you go on the app and 'claim' the charge.

 

[Iain]

Bad news Bam Bam but I think you’ll find you only get 5 mins free unless they have not updated the site.
I like podpoint as you can start charging immediately, instead of waiting until the app loads, your credit card is robbed etc.

 

[GaryMG4]

I have the podpoint app as there are free chargers in our town centre (for now).

However, you only get 15 mins free unless you go on the app and 'claim' the charge.

We had some of those at the local Sainsbury's until a couple of years ago. Only problem with them was the local Ford garage used to leave a Mach-E there a lot of the time as was a Polestar that belonged to a Sainsbury's employee! Plus if I did find one available it was very tempting to stop for coffee or worse still breakfast for my 'free' charge, ended up spending way more than the value of the charge.

 

[Bam Bam]

Bad news Bam Bam but I think you’ll find you only get 5 mins free unless they have not updated the site.
I like podpoint as you can start charging immediately, instead of waiting until the app loads, your credit card is robbed etc.

No the whole time is free. But the car park is only free for two hours and then you have to pay for parking.

Presumably they will update the car park charging provision soon and remove these free ones. I'm not expecting them to last.

There are two chargers which don't work at all (and haven't as long as I have had an EV which is now two years) and two podpoint ones which work and are free but are usually busy.

Two working chargers in the only large car park in the town centre isn't really good enough.

 

[Gomev]

I cannot get any sense out of ZapMap or Podpoint, which owns the 44 chargers at Heythrop Manor Hotel (Warners) near Enstone in Oxfordshire. I am contemplating staying there for a few days later in the year. Does anyone know whether I HAVE to have the PodPoint app (which I don't particularly want to do) ow will they take credit cards?
TIA

Perhaps you ought to read this from my recent trip to Heythrop Park.

Thread 'Podpoint public charging nonsense'

Jan 11, 2026

Perhaps a cautionary tale !

As I have mentioned elsewhere I spent a few days staying at Heythrop Park for a new year getaway. They have dozens of Podpoint 7kW chargers so very handy for topping up for pootling around and the journey home. The charge for these is 57p/kWh, not too bad.
However as you may know these aren't PAYG, you have to preload your account on the app with dosh. As I had arrived with 29% remaining I intended to top up to about 60% for the pootling about part and then do another charge to around 85% for the journey home.
So I loaded a tenner into the account, important...

• Gomev
• account balance charging app charging pricing electric vehicle charging pod point charging public charging tesla supercharger
• Replies: 0
• Forum: General Chat Forum

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[Gomev]

As an addendum to my report above Podpoint can now be paid for by your Zapmap account, no membership required, just use the app. This will be a far more practicable method of payment as far as I can tell.

Please see the following info/article

Pod partners with Zapmap to deliver seamless public EV charging payments - Zapmap

Pod, one of the UK’s leading EV charging providers, has partnered with Zapmap as a payment partner, simplifying the EV charging payment experience for...

www.zapmap.com

 

[CuriousIslander]

As an addendum to my report above Podpoint can now be paid for by your Zapmap account, no membership required, just use the app. This will be a far more practicable method of payment as far as I can tell.

Please see the following info/article

Pod partners with Zapmap to deliver seamless public EV charging payments - Zapmap

Pod, one of the UK’s leading EV charging providers, has partnered with Zapmap as a payment partner, simplifying the EV charging payment experience for...

www.zapmap.com

Thank you all for your responses. As I suspected, nothing is simple. The likelihood of me using PodPoint again on my travels is very remote, so I think I will give it a miss. I don't want to have to preload money to an account and then not use it all. I will visit Banbury and top up there with the Teslas open to all, which I have done in the past.

 

[GaryMG4]

I guess it's all about your location. For me 2 local nature reserves have Podpoints, both Tescos and recent holiday locations use them so apart from the occasional mobile reception issues they work for me.