Our prepaid Minute Bundles are the best value way to use West Midlands Cycle Hire as you don't pay unlock fees and are able to use minutes flexibly whenever you want.

However, even if you have a bought a Minute Bundle, you must still have a valid payment card on file with at least £5 of funds available. We’ll run a pre-authorisation check on your card and if your card is declined for any reason, you won’t be able to unlock a bike even if you have minutes available.

This is because even if you have a Minute Bundle, you may still occur fees for out of dock and out of zone fees.

The pre-authorisation check is an anti-fraud measure that reduces the risk of people using fraudulent payment cards to hire a bike. We know that having a pre-authorisation check reduces the risk of theft and vandalism to our bikes, making the scheme work better for all our riders.