Tell me about fuel rods

[disneylover102]

How expensive are they, what’s the new exchange fee, how many times does one fuel rod charge your phone, and do you have to buy one every day or once you buy one, can you exchange that fuel rod the rest of the trip?

 

[dieumeye]

You’d probably be better off buying your own portable charger. Really, the only advantage to the FuelRod is that you never have to charge it.

How it works: you buy it once, the machine gives you a fully charged rod that has enough juice to charge your phone once, and from there you can drop the depleted rod intro the machine and it’ll give you a new fully charged one. You can do this over and over forever, it doesn’t stop at the end of the day.

It’s easy. It works.

But I’d avoid it for two reasons: (1) the company recently started charging money for swaps, there was a huge backlash and they went back to free swaps, but who knows how long that will last, and (2) there are better portable chargers available if you intend to buy one for long term use.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This thread has lots of information: Help me understand how fuel rods work

 

[dina444444]

If you are planning to go the fuel rod route, check if your local airport has them. They are cheaper to buy from the non Disney kiosks.

 

[bcla]

I brought my own USB power banks, but the machines dispensing the Fuel Rods indicated they were $30 day.

I've got a variety of USB power banks. I literally had four in my pack and had no issue bringing them in. My single AA flashlight got more queries than anything else.

I kind of like this one, although it might have issues if dropped too much (I was able to fix mine but most would probably just have it recycled).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Onn-Portable-Battery-Power-Bank-6700-Mah-Black/945288001

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

That sign does not say $30 a day. The kit is $30 and then free swaps.

 

[bcla]

I guess it does come with a kit that includes short cables. However, swapping out 1000 mAh power banks doesn't seem terribly convenient compared to a single 6000 mAh power bank in my pocket.

 

[laugard]

I bring a 10000 power bank to charge my and a family member's phone when I go to the parks. It lasts all day, with power to spare. It's a slim design and is easy to throw in my bag. I also have a smaller lipstick sized one, but that's more my daily backup.

 

[dina444444]

I guess it does come with a kit that includes short cables. However, swapping out 1000 mAh power banks doesn't seem terribly convenient compared to a single 6000 mAh power bank in my pocket.

It's convenient when you are bagless and want to be carrying less weight. The fuel rods weigh almost nothing compared to a larger power bank which does hold some weight. And once you buy the kit you own it, swaps are free at Disney but cost between $1-$3 elsewhere.

 

[Pamela M]

Not sure what kind of phone that you have but look at cases with battery packs built in. I have one for my iphone- no cords I just press the button to charge when the phone is getting low. I also bring an extra power bank just in case I go through that. I have an iphone 8 which is a power drain and I can usually get through the day with just using the charger from the case.

 

[bcla]

It's convenient when you are bagless and want to be carrying less weight. The fuel rods weigh almost nothing compared to a larger power bank which does hold some weight. And once you buy the kit you own it, swaps are free at Disney but cost between $1-$3 elsewhere.

I get that some might like it, but having to constantly swap them seems like a pain. I was also carrying a mini tablet (kept my kid busy) and those things would do almost nothing for a tablet.

A lot of people have cables coming out of their pockets or bags. And I found that the Disneyland app was really, really useful although it was drain on my battery. But that necessitated the use of my USB power packs to last the day.

I've also had some weird cases such as someone asking if he could use one of mine for a few minutes in a restaurant just to keep his phone from dying and maybe take a few photos. My phone was almost fully charged anyways, so I didn't see a problem with it.

I'm still wondering about fuel cells. They were supposed to be the next big thing but never caught on.

 

[wowsmom]

We've used Fuel Rods the last few years & found them to be fairly convenient. I don't think I ever got a full charge from one of them, but since we could exchange for a new one, it didn't really matter.

When they announced they were going to start charging for exchanges, I bought an Anker off amazon. It's heavier/bigger but can charge my phone 4 times before it has to be recharged. So even though Fuel Rod decided not to charge for exchanges, I've stopped using mine.

 

[mamapenguin]

I have 2 Anker battery chargers from Amazon. They work great , one is lipstick size and the other is candy bar size. They are $19.99 and $25.99 respectively. I have had them for about 2 years, and I don’t take a trip without them. I have 2 because teenager.

 

[corneroakranch]

Does anyone know if Disneyland still has the Fuel Rods with free exchanges?

 

[dina444444]

Does anyone know if Disneyland still has the Fuel Rods with free exchanges?

They should still be free at Disney, but if you have qualify for the founders club you get free exchanges at all machines.
https://touringplans.com/blog/fuelr...users-eligible-to-continue-to-get-free-swaps/

 

[corneroakranch]

Thank you!

 

[birdmom]

fyi we were there on the 30th and the machines are gone

 

[Skyegirl1999]

fyi we were there on the 30th and the machines are gone

Hmm. We used the machines at IASW and inside the fruit cart area inside DCA on the 30th, so maybe some are gone, but definitely not all of them.

We just bought ours for the first time at Touch of Disney on April 16, so I haven’t paid attention before.

 

[dina444444]

fyi we were there on the 30th and the machines are gone

They definitely still have them. It’s likely they’ve moved from the locations you saw them in previously.

 

[SeaDis]

Hmm. We used the machines at IASW and inside the fruit cart area inside DCA on the 30th, so maybe some are gone, but definitely not all of them.

We just bought ours for the first time at Touch of Disney on April 16, so I haven’t paid attention before.

Did you need the "Founders Account" (or whatever its called) to exchange for free? I remember filling out the form, but never received anything from them. We only use them at Disney, so I wasn't too worried about it at the time.

Edit: Oops, I misread your 2nd line at first. If you just bought, then it may not apply.