A charge from Lime on your credit card statement is almost always a payment tied to the Lime electric scooter and e-bike service: a ride fare, a temporary authorization hold, a LimePrime subscription renewal, a Lime Cash wallet reload, or a parking or damage fee. On your statement it usually shows up with a descriptor like LIM*RIDE COST, LIM*TEMP HOLD, LIM*SUBSCRIPTION COST, LIM*ADD BALANCE, or LIM*RESTORE BALANCE.1Ramp. Lime Charge on Credit Card The descriptor is the fastest clue to what the charge actually is.
What Each Lime Descriptor Means
LIM*RIDE COST is a completed trip. Every Lime ride has two components: a fixed unlock fee and a per-minute rate that runs until the ride is ended in the app, with time rounded up to the next full minute. City permit fees, local surcharges, and rider insurance may also be added on top.2Lime. Ride Costs and Rates Rates differ by city and sometimes by time of day, so a familiar-length ride can cost more than you expect in a new market. San Francisco riders, for instance, pay a $1.00 unlock, $0.55 per minute, a $0.35 city permit fee, and $0.13 in local costs per trip.3Lime. Lime San Francisco
LIM*TEMP HOLD is a pre-authorization. Lime places a temporary hold on your card when a ride starts to confirm the account has funds. The hold is released after the ride ends, but the refund can take up to 10 days to clear, and the bank may keep showing it as pending in the meantime.4Lime. Was I Charged Incorrectly for My Ride
LIM*SUBSCRIPTION COST is LimePrime, the monthly auto-renewing plan. Pricing varies by market — $5.99 per month in Washington, D.C., and $6.00 per month in Seattle are two current examples.5Greater Greater Washington. New Flat Rate Option Aims to Make Frequent Lime Rides in DC More Predictable6Seattle Bike Blog. After Pricing Overhaul, 20-Minute Bike and Scooter Rides Now Cost the Same as Transit Fare for LimePrime Subscribers Canceling stops future renewals, but the benefits stay active through the end of the current billing period.7Lime. What Is LimePass
LIM*ADD BALANCE and LIM*RESTORE BALANCE are Lime Cash transactions. Lime Cash is a stored-value balance in the app, issued by Lime Florida LLC.8Lime. Lime Cash Terms If you turned on auto-reload, your saved payment method is charged automatically each time the balance hits zero.9Lime. Adding or Updating a Payment Method You can turn auto-reload off in the Wallet section of the app.
Why the Amount May Look Wrong
A single Lime charge often looks higher than the rider remembers because per-minute time rounds up and because city permit fees and local surcharges sit on top of the base fare.2Lime. Ride Costs and Rates
A bigger cause of unexpected totals is a ride that never fully ended. Per-minute charges keep accruing until the app confirms the ride is closed. Properly ending a Lime ride means parking in a designated spot, waiting for the audible tone, and getting an in-app confirmation. If the end-ride step hangs, Lime suggests closing and reopening the app and checking phone connectivity.10Lime. I’m Still Getting Charged After Ending My Ride
Recurring or Surprise Charges
Some charges repeat without a fresh ride. LimePrime renews monthly on the day of enrollment. Lime Cash auto-reload can generate several transactions in a short window if you ride often; one 2019 consumer complaint alleged an app update reset auto-reload to “on” without permission, producing $50 in charges over four days.11PoPville. Lime Scooters Keeps Debiting Credit Cards Unauthorized Charges Check the Wallet screen to see whether auto-reload is enabled.
Group Ride charges are another source of confusion. A single account can unlock up to five vehicles at once, and the host is billed for all of them.7Lime. What Is LimePass If you unlocked scooters for friends, expect the total to reflect every rider’s time.
Penalty, Retrieval, and Damage Fees
Lime enforces local parking rules in some markets. Ending a ride in a prohibited zone or outside the service area can trigger a penalty fee.10Lime. I’m Still Getting Charged After Ending My Ride
Larger charges usually come from the user agreement. Under the July 2025 agreement, a vehicle not returned within 48 hours is treated as lost or stolen and can be billed at up to $1,500 as a replacement charge. Asking Lime to retrieve an abandoned or stranded vehicle can cost up to $500.12Lime. User Agreement
How to Request a Refund From Lime
Lime’s stated policy is that rides are non-refundable except where required by law, but the company says it will review individual cases and may, at its discretion, issue a refund or account credit if something went wrong.13Lime. Lime’s Refund Policy
Start in the app. Tap the account icon and open “History” to pull the specific receipt showing the date, time, route, and amount.4Lime. Was I Charged Incorrectly for My Ride Then submit a request through the Lime Help Center at help.li.me and attach the details of what went wrong: a ride that wouldn’t end, a duplicate hold that never dropped, a subscription you didn’t recognize, or a vehicle that malfunctioned.
If Lime Denies the Refund
You can file a chargeback with your card issuer or bank if you believe the charge is unauthorized or incorrect. Do this promptly — issuers set their own filing windows.
Lime’s user agreement also includes a mandatory arbitration clause administered by the American Arbitration Association, along with a class-action waiver. Before starting formal arbitration, the agreement requires written notice to Lime’s legal team at pre-arb@li.me. Small claims court is still available for disputes within that court’s dollar limits.12Lime. User Agreement
If you don’t recognize any Lime activity at all and never created an account, treat the charge as potential card fraud and contact your issuer directly rather than working through Lime support.