Terms & Conditions

1. Booking & eligibility

Age — 21 and over, for every rental. Every driver must be at least 21. There is no higher age requirement on any product, including Night Owl.

Licence. Every driver must hold a valid, current driver's licence, and upload a photo of it at booking so we can verify it. A street-legal LSV is a motor vehicle driven on public roads.

Insurance. We ask you to tell us who your auto insurer is and to confirm that you are insured. We do not ask you to upload a policy document or an insurance card — we take you at your word.

Card on file, and how payment works. We keep a card on file for every booking. The rental itself is charged at the start of the rental, and the rental is closed out at the end — that is when any additional items are settled and the hold is released.

The hold is a flat $100 on every rental. Same amount whatever you book. It is placed alongside the rental charge and it is not a charge — it shows as pending on your card and falls off at close-out.

What the $100 is actually for. Mostly, keeping the cart longer. A lot of people decide on the day that they want another day, and the hold means we can simply add it rather than chase a payment or refuse you. It also covers the other things listed in section 11.13 — a late return, a citation that arrives, damage you are responsible for.

We do not capture the hold as a matter of course. If nothing is owed, it is released in full at close-out. Where something is owed — an extra day you asked for, a late return under the ladder in section 11.14 — we settle it against the hold and release the rest, with an itemised statement. A longer extension may need an additional hold covering it.

The hold applies to every rental. There is no exemption — a JellyID does not waive it, and it is the same $100 whoever books.

Advance half-days are open to everyone. Early Bird and Night Owl can be reserved ahead of time by any customer, subject to availability — when carts are scarce, a date may simply be sold out.

Two-night rentals are priced automatically, like every other length on the card. The reservation system shows the exact figure before you pay.

2. Rates & what's included

One rate card, all year. Rates do not change with the season — the price on the card is the price on your dates. The reservation system shows your exact price before you pay — you never learn the number at the counter.

Half-day rates (Early Bird and Night Owl) are $77, year-round like everything else on the card.

Free delivery on weekly rentals (seven nights or more), anywhere on Pleasure Island including Kure Beach. Shorter stays and half-days are pick-up.

One cart, one configuration: four passengers, forward-facing, belted seats.

3. The Road Service Plan

$10 per rental day. It is charged on every rental, in every market, every day of the year — there is no season, no window and no reduced winter version. It is never discounted: a rate code reduces the rental itself, never this plan.

What it includes

• The Town of Carolina Beach LSV parking pass carried by the cart — see section 4
• Dispatched roadside response within the service area, 8:00 AM–10:00 PM, target on-scene within 45 minutes
• Charge failure — on-site recovery or swap to a charged cart
• Tire and rim service — repair where practical, cart swap where not
• Activation and lockout failure — QR unlock, portal activation, cart will not power up
• Immobilisation recovery — geofence, fault code or remote immobiliser
• Disabled-cart recovery — we transport it
• After hours: calls between 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM are logged and recovered at the next morning turn. There is no overnight dispatch.

What it does not include

• Any damage to the cart — dings, scratches, dents, scuffs, cracked panels, torn seats, broken mirrors or screens, and all collision damage
• Theft, vandalism, or any incident requiring a police report
• Third-party property damage or bodily injury
• Your personal belongings
• Parking anywhere other than town 24-hour lots — metered spaces, state park and private lots
• Parking citations, towing or impound arising from where you chose to park
• Recovery from outside the service area, from sand, off-road, or from water
• Any failure caused by misuse — exceeding passenger or weight limits, towing, beach driving, submersion
• Cart swaps requested for preference rather than fault

Why it is mandatory, and why it is a fee rather than a waiver

North Carolina law treats a collision damage waiver — a provision where, for a charge, a rental company waives its claims against you for damage to the vehicle — as something that must be offered as declinable. The Road Service Plan is deliberately not that. It is a bundle of services and a parking entitlement. You receive services; you receive no release from liability for damage. That is why it can be, and is, part of every rate it applies to.

Outside the plan window

We still help you. If a cart will not start in October, we come and recover it. What changes is that there is no published response time and no daily charge — assistance outside the plan window is provided on a best-effort basis rather than to a service standard.

4. The parking pass

Your rental includes the Town of Carolina Beach annual LSV parking pass carried by the cart. It is good in Carolina Beach's town 24-hour lots.

Three things to know:

• The pass belongs to the cart, not to you. We hold annual passes against our plates. We are not purchasing a permit on your behalf for your rental.
• It does not work in Kure Beach, which runs a separate parking programme.
• A handful of Carolina Beach lots charge every vehicle regardless of permit. The pass does not override those.

Parking citations, towing and impound arising from where you chose to park remain yours.

5. Where you may drive

Our carts are street-legal Low-Speed Vehicles — titled, plated, insured, and built to the federal LSV standard, which caps them at 25 mph.

North Carolina law restricts an LSV to streets and highways posted at 35 mph or less. That covers most of Pleasure Island. It does not cover every road in the region, and it does not permit crossing roads posted above that limit except where specifically allowed.

Also prohibited: exceeding four passengers, carrying more than the rated weight, towing anything, driving off-road, and operating the cart under the influence. An LSV is a motor vehicle and impaired driving law applies to it.

6. Returns & charging

Return times. Overnight and multi-night rentals return by 10:30 AM. Early Bird returns by 12:30 PM. Night Owl returns by 8:00 AM — a Night Owl still out at 9:00 AM converts to the daily rate.

Bringing the cart back charged — rentals longer than one day

Our carts carry a 200Ah lithium pack, good for 80+ miles of island driving on a full charge, so most guests never need to plug in. On rentals longer than one day you choose at booking:

• Return it charged — we deliver at or near full, you bring it back at or near full, and there is no fee.
• Prepay $25 for recharging — bring it back at any level.

You pick when you book. Nothing is decided at handback. If a cart comes back materially below the level it went out at without the prepay option selected, a recharge fee applies — it covers the electricity and the labour, and it is disclosed at booking, never at the counter.

Guests booking through one of our accommodation affiliates are exempt from the return-charged requirement and are welcome to top up free at our depot instead.

7. Cancellations, weather & storms

Hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November and barrier islands evacuate. If a named storm threatens Pleasure Island we will contact you, and bookings spanning the storm window are cancelled and refunded.

Early return during an evacuation. If you notify us and return the cart within eight hours of that notification, an additional 15% early return discount applies.

Rain alone is not a cancellation event. We rent through ordinary coastal weather.

8. The JellyID

A JellyID is a customer number, not a membership. One is issued to every customer, free and automatically, when they book — there is no fee, nothing to apply for, and nothing to renew. You can also request one before you ever rent.

What it does: it keeps your history in one place. Your bookings, your contact details and any offer you are owed travel with it, so when you come back we already know you. You never need to produce it — quote it if you have it handy, or we simply look you up by the phone number or email you booked with.

Email and text updates are opt-in. We only send marketing messages to customers who have agreed to receive them, and we ask for that agreement separately from the ID itself. You can stop them at any time — reply STOP to a text, use the unsubscribe link in an email, or tell us — and you keep your JellyID either way. Operational messages about a live rental are not marketing and continue.

A JellyID never expires. It is simply how we know you, so there is nothing to lose or lapse. If you forget the number, ask — we will read it back to you.

9. Accommodation affiliates

Airbnb hosts, hotels and property managers on Pleasure Island can request a JellyID for their business at no cost, and give the number to their guests. A guest who quotes it when booking is credited to your business, and you get first notice of specials and rate changes to pass along.

Two things affiliates tend to ask about. Parking: every cart carries the Town of Carolina Beach LSV parking pass and is meant to sit in a town 24-hour lot, not in your parking spaces — note the pass has no effect in Kure Beach, which runs a separate programme (section 4). Charging: guests booking on a affiliate JellyID are exempt from the return-charged requirement and may top up free at our depot instead of using your power; with a 200Ah pack good for 80+ miles, most never need to.

The affiliate is not a party to the rental. The rental agreement is between JellyCarts and the guest who books it. The affiliate property carries no responsibility for the cart or for how it is driven.

There is no fee to the affiliate and no account to maintain.

10. Long-term & off-season rentals

Outside the beach season we offer long-term rentals on Pleasure Island and in the greater Wilmington area. Long-term rentals are governed by a separate written agreement. In particular:

• No Road Service Plan is charged, and no published response time applies. Assistance is best-effort.
• The Carolina Beach parking pass has no value off the island and is not part of a long-term rental outside Carolina Beach.
• The 35 mph road restriction still governs where the cart may be driven. Much of greater Wilmington is posted above that limit. These carts suit campus, community and neighbourhood use; they are not general-purpose transport.
• Charging is the renter's responsibility for the duration of a long-term rental.

11. Legal

11.1 Definitions

"JellyCarts," "we," "us" means JellyCarts LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company with its principal place of business at 1324 N Lake Park Blvd, Carolina Beach, NC 28428. "You," "the renter" means the person who books the rental and any authorised driver. "Cart" means the low-speed vehicle rented, together with its keys, charger, accessories and the parking pass carried on it. "Rental agreement" means the agreement executed at checkout, of which these terms form part. "Rental period" runs from the start time stated on your booking until the cart is returned and checked in by us.

11.2 The rental agreement and electronic acceptance

These terms are incorporated into the rental agreement you accept at booking. Where the rental agreement and these terms conflict, the rental agreement governs. No employee or agent has authority to vary these terms orally.

You agree that accepting the agreement electronically — by checkbox, digital signature, or by using a QR code or the JellyCarts rental portal to unlock a cart — has the same effect as a handwritten signature, and that our records of that acceptance are admissible evidence of it.

11.3 Eligibility and authorised drivers

Every driver must be 21 or over, hold a valid and current driver's licence, have supplied the licence image required at booking, and be named on the rental agreement. Only named drivers may operate the cart. Allowing an unnamed person to drive is a breach of these terms and makes you responsible for everything that follows.

You confirm that the insurance information you give us is accurate. We do not require you to produce the policy.

11.4 Your responsibility for the cart

You are responsible for the cart from the moment it is delivered or collected until it is returned and checked in by us. You are responsible for damage to, loss of, or theft of the cart however caused, except to the extent caused by our own negligence.

You agree to keep the cart secured when unattended, to keep the keys and any provided charger with you or secured, and not to leave the cart in a condition or location that invites theft or towing.

Personal automobile policies, homeowner policies and credit card benefits generally do not extend to a rented low-speed vehicle. You should not assume you are covered.

11.5 Prohibited use

The cart may not be used:

• On any beach, dune, sand, or public vehicular area
• Off-road, on unpaved trails, or in water of any depth
• To tow or push anything
• Carrying more than four passengers, or more than the rated weight
• By any driver who is impaired by alcohol, drugs or medication
• By anyone not named on the rental agreement
• In any race, contest, speed test or driver-training exercise
• To carry passengers or goods for hire, including as a taxi or shuttle service
• For any unlawful purpose, or to transport anything unlawful
• On any road posted above 35 mph, or to cross a bridge or causeway where low-speed vehicles are not permitted — including the Snow's Cut Bridge, which a low-speed vehicle may not cross under its own power
• Outside the state of North Carolina without our written consent
• While the cart is subject to a fault condition that we have told you makes it unsafe

Breach of this section voids the Road Service Plan, ends the rental at our discretion, and makes you responsible for all resulting recovery, repair and third-party costs.

11.6 The vehicle, and what you are accepting

A low-speed vehicle is not a car. It is federally limited to 25 mph, is open-sided, has no airbags, and offers substantially less crash protection than an enclosed passenger vehicle. Weather, road debris and other traffic reach the occupants directly.

By renting, you acknowledge these characteristics and accept the risks that come with them, and you agree to operate the cart with them in mind — particularly in traffic, in wet conditions, and after dark.

11.7 Passengers, seat belts and children

Every occupant must be seated in a designated forward-facing seat with the seat belt fastened while the cart is moving. No one may ride standing, on a lap, on the floor, or on any part of the cart not designed as a seat.

North Carolina child passenger restraint law applies to low-speed vehicles as it does to other motor vehicles. Bringing an appropriate child restraint, and installing and using it correctly, is your responsibility. We do not supply child seats and cannot advise on their fitment.

11.8 Where the cart may be operated

North Carolina restricts low-speed vehicles to streets and highways posted at 35 mph or less. That covers most of Pleasure Island and does not cover every road in the region.

Driving on any beach is prohibited by the Town of Carolina Beach within town limits, by the Town of Kure Beach on its strand, and by state park regulation at Fort Fisher. Freeman Park is four-wheel-drive only and golf carts are separately banned there. There is no beach on Pleasure Island where this cart may lawfully be driven.

Recovery from sand, water, off-road ground or outside the service area is excluded from the Road Service Plan and is billed to you at cost.

11.9 Accidents, damage, theft and reporting

If the cart is involved in a collision, is damaged, is stolen, or causes injury or damage to anyone or anything:

• Call emergency services if anyone is hurt.
• Report it to the police where the law requires it, and always in the case of theft, vandalism or third-party injury.
• Tell us immediately on 910-999-2278, and in any event before the end of the rental period.
• Do not admit liability on our behalf or agree any settlement with a third party.
• Give us the police report number, the other party's details, and any photographs you took.

Failing to report promptly may prejudice any claim and does not reduce your responsibility.

11.10 Breakdown and mechanical failure

If the cart becomes unsafe or inoperable, stop, move it out of traffic where it is safe to do so, and contact us. Do not attempt repairs, do not have the cart repaired or towed by anyone else, and do not continue to drive a cart that is displaying a fault we have told you is serious.

Our obligation in the event of a mechanical failure not caused by you is to recover or replace the cart, or to refund the unused portion of the rental. We are not liable for wasted time, missed plans, or alternative transport.

11.11 The Road Service Plan is a service, not insurance

The Road Service Plan is a charge for services rendered and for a parking entitlement. It is not insurance, not a warranty, and not a collision damage waiver. It confers no release from liability for damage to the cart, and no coverage for third-party property damage or bodily injury. Response targets are targets, not guarantees, and are suspended during severe weather, evacuation orders and other events outside our control.

Where the plan is not charged — long-term rentals, outside the beach market, and from 1 October to 1 March — assistance is provided on a best-effort basis with no published response time.

11.12 Telematics, geofencing and remote immobilisation

Our carts carry telematics that report location, state of charge, speed, battery temperature and fault conditions. This data is used to operate the fleet, dispatch service, verify returns, and enforce these terms.

You expressly consent to the following, as a condition of the rental:

• That the cart's position and status are monitored throughout the rental period
• That the cart may be geofenced, and that leaving a permitted area may trigger an alert or an immobilisation
• That we may remotely disable or immobilise the cart where it is reported stolen, is being operated in breach of these terms, is in a location from which it must be recovered, or where continued operation presents a safety risk
• That unlock and activation may be performed by QR code or through the JellyCarts rental portal, and that those events are logged

We will not immobilise a cart in motion, or in a position where doing so would foreseeably create a hazard.

11.13 Payments, holds, fees and charges

Prices are quoted and charged in US dollars. A card is retained on file for every booking. The rental is charged at the start of the rental. A flat $100 security hold is placed on the same card at that time and released when the rental is closed out at the end; the timing of release to your available balance is determined by your card issuer, not by us. Extending a rental may require an additional hold for the extended period.

All mandatory charges are shown before payment. The following may be settled at close-out against the hold, or against the card on file where they exceed it, with an itemised statement:

• An extension you asked for, at the applicable rate for the additional period
• Late return charges under section 11.14
• The cancellation fee under section 11.15
• A recharge fee where the return-charged option was selected and not honoured
• Cleaning, where the cart is returned excessively soiled — ordinary sand and beach use is expected and is never charged for
• Replacement of lost or damaged keys, chargers, cables or accessories, at cost
• Citations, tolls, towing and impound costs incurred during the rental period, plus a reasonable administrative charge for processing them
• Recovery costs where recovery is excluded from the Road Service Plan
• Repair costs for damage for which you are responsible

11.13a Extending a rental

You can usually keep the cart longer — ask before your return time. Extensions are subject to the cart being free: if it is already booked to someone else we will say so and either move you to another cart or collect as planned. No extension is guaranteed.

The per-day rate for extra days is quoted to you when you book, and it is a ceiling. If we are quiet when you extend, you pay less than the quoted figure. You will never pay more than it. Extra days are charged at that rate until they reach the price of the next rental length we publish, at which point you are charged the lower published rate instead — you are never charged more for extra days than the longer rental would have cost.

The Road Service Plan applies to extension days on the same terms and in the same window as the original rental, and the NC Highway Use Tax on the extension is paid by us, not added to your bill. Both are shown before you agree to it.

11.14 Late return

Overnight and multi-night rentals are due back by 10:30 AM. Late returns are charged on a published ladder:

A Night Owl half-day still out at 9:00 AM converts to the daily rate. Keeping a cart beyond the rental period without our agreement is a breach of these terms and may result in recovery under section 11.17.

11.15 Cancellations, changes and no-shows

Cancellation is free 24 hours or more before the start of your rental. Cancel inside 24 hours and a $100 cancellation fee is charged to the card on file. Changes are subject to availability and to any difference in rate for the new dates; a change made inside 24 hours that we cannot accommodate is treated as a cancellation.

The fee reflects a real cost: inside a day we generally cannot re-let the cart, and in peak season that cart is the inventory we turned other customers away from. It is a cancellation fee, not a forfeited deposit — your security hold remains a hold and is released as normal.

Storm cancellations are free at any notice. If a named storm threatens Pleasure Island and we cancel or you cancel, you are refunded in full. See section 7.

Bookings must be made at least 2 hours before the start time and no more than 365 days ahead.

If you do not collect the cart, or are not present for a scheduled delivery, and have not contacted us, the booking may be treated as a no-show and the rental charge retained.

11.16 Our right to refuse, suspend or end a rental

We may refuse a rental, or end one already in progress and recover the cart, if:

• The driver appears impaired, or is not the named driver, or cannot produce a valid licence
• The information given at booking is materially false
• The cart is being operated in breach of section 11.5
• Payment is declined, reversed, or the card on file becomes invalid
• Severe weather, an evacuation order, or another safety condition makes continued operation unwise
• Behaviour toward our staff is abusive or threatening

Where we end a rental for one of these reasons, refunds are at our discretion and we may charge for the period used and for any recovery.

11.17 Recovery and repossession

If the cart is not returned when due, is taken outside a permitted area, or is being used in breach of these terms, you agree that we may locate, immobilise and recover it, and that we may enter any property where it is located to do so, to the extent the law permits. Recovery costs are charged to you. Where a cart is not returned and cannot be recovered, it is reported stolen.

11.18 Personal property

Do not leave belongings in the cart. We are not responsible for personal property left in, on or around a cart, whether during the rental or after it. Items found are held for 30 days and then disposed of.

11.19 The JellyID

A JellyID is a customer identifier issued by us, free, to every customer — automatically at booking, or earlier on request. It is not a membership and it is not sold. It confers no advance-booking privilege: half-days and every other product may be reserved in advance by any customer, subject to availability. It does not waive the $100 security hold, which applies to every rental.

It confers no discount. It carries no standing reduction on any rate, fee or charge. Discount codes, off-season pricing and short-notice specials are offers we may make, vary or withdraw at any time; holding a JellyID gives no entitlement to them.

We use the identifier to keep a customer’s booking history and contact details together and to attribute affiliate referrals (section 11.20). A JellyID does not expire on a fixed date and there is nothing to renew. The rental agreement is always between us and the individual who books.

Marketing messages by email or text are sent only to customers who have separately agreed to receive them. That agreement can be withdrawn at any time without affecting the JellyID. Operational messages about a live rental are not marketing.

11.20 Promotional codes and affiliate IDs

Discount codes and accommodation-affiliate JellyIDs are issued by us, may be withdrawn or expired at any time, have no cash value, and may not be combined unless we say so. Using a affiliate ID does not make the affiliate property a party to your rental, and does not give that property any right or responsibility under the rental agreement.

11.21 Insurance

The carts are titled, registered and insured by us as required by North Carolina law for a low-speed vehicle operated on public roads. That insurance is ours and is not a substitute for your own responsibility under section 11.4. Nothing in these terms is a promise that any policy — ours, yours, or a third party's — will respond to a particular loss.

11.22 Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by North Carolina law, our total liability arising out of or relating to a rental is limited to the amounts paid by you for that rental. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages, or for loss of enjoyment, lost profits, or the cost of substitute transportation. Nothing in these terms excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

11.23 Indemnity

You agree to indemnify us against claims, losses, fines and costs arising from your use of the cart, including citations, towing, third-party claims, and any breach of section 11.5, except to the extent caused by our negligence.

11.24 Force majeure and severe weather

We are not liable for failure to perform caused by events outside our reasonable control, including storms, evacuation orders, flooding, road or bridge closure, power failure, utility or network outage, or acts of government. Where a named storm threatens Pleasure Island we may cancel bookings spanning the storm window and refund them, and we may require the early return of a cart already on rent.

11.25 Governing law, venue and disputes

These terms and any rental agreement are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. The exclusive venue for any dispute is the state or federal courts located in New Hanover County, North Carolina.

Before filing anything, please contact us — most disputes are resolved in a phone call.

11.26 Privacy and data

We collect what we need to rent you a cart and operate the fleet: your contact details, the driver licence image supplied at booking, your insurer name, payment information handled by our payment processor, and the telematics described in section 11.12.

We do not sell personal information. We share it only with the processors and service providers needed to run the business, and where the law requires. A full privacy policy is published separately.

11.27 Notices and communications

We will contact you using the phone number and email you give at booking, including by SMS for operational messages about your rental — delivery, returns, faults and storm notices. You are responsible for keeping those details accurate. Notices to us should go to support@jellycarts.com or the address in section 11.30.

11.28 Assignment and third parties

You may not assign, sublet, or transfer a rental to anyone else. We may assign these terms in connection with a sale or reorganisation of the business. Except as expressly stated, these terms create no rights for anyone who is not a party to them.

11.29 Entire agreement, waiver, severability and survival

These terms and the rental agreement are the entire agreement between us and replace any prior discussion. If we do not enforce a provision on one occasion, that is not a waiver of it. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remainder continues in force and that provision is applied to the maximum extent permitted. Sections concerning your responsibility for the cart, payment, limitation of liability, indemnity, and governing law survive the end of the rental.

11.30 Changes to these terms, and contact

We may update these terms. The version in force for your rental is the version published when you booked. Material changes are reflected in the last-updated date at the top of this page.

JellyCarts LLC · 1324 N Lake Park Blvd, Carolina Beach, NC 28428 · 910-999-2278 (2278) · support@jellycarts.com