Frequently asked questions
Free
What do I get for free?
You design your map in the map studio for free. As a file you get a screen-size PNG, up to 1600 pixels wide, with the “maps.express” note, for private use. Print resolution, SVG and the print PDF without the note are paid.
Do I need an account?
No. You start without signing in. You only need an account to save and share. You can also buy a single map without an account. Until then, your draft stays in your browser.
Is the AI included without an account?
Partly. Without signing in, the AI reads the trip text you paste and turns it into stops, up to 10 trip texts per day and internet connection. The map assistant is only available after signing in. Which data goes to the AI service is set out in the privacy policy.
Can I create an account later and take my map with me?
Yes. When you sign in, the studio offers to move the draft from your browser into your account. We remove the copy in the browser only once the map is saved in your account.
How long is my map stored?
Without an account your draft is valid for 30 days from the last change; after that the studio no longer opens it. In your account, saved maps are kept. We only delete personal workspaces automatically in which no map was saved and nothing was bought within 90 days of creation.
Are there limits without an account?
Yes, a few. Without signing in, the AI reads up to 10 trip texts per day and internet connection; once the shared daily allowance is used up, it continues the next day. To prevent misuse, other functions have usage limits too.
Can I delete my data?
Yes. You delete the draft in your browser yourself: in the map studio with “Entwurf verwerfen” (discard draft). Your account is deleted on request by email to hello@maps.express; after a 14-day withdrawal period we delete it permanently.
Packs and unlocks
Do purchased packs expire?
No. What you have bought in a pack stays yours, with no expiry date.
Can I return unused maps from a pack?
Yes. Within 14 days you can withdraw from any map you have not yet unlocked.
When does my right of withdrawal end?
As soon as provision of your file starts, and only if you expressly agreed beforehand. With an account, this applies to each map separately, when you unlock it in the export dialog. Without an account, you agree before paying, and provision starts right after payment. If the file is not finished, you receive it later or get your money back.
Does a higher tier also cover a lower one?
Yes. A map you have unlocked at a higher tier includes the lower ones: Print also includes Vector and Image. A private unlock, however, never covers commercial use.
Does a larger map cost more?
No. You pay for the function (image, vector or print PDF) and the use (private or commercial), not for the size. You can export an unlocked map in screen format and from A5 to A2, as often as you like. The tier decides which files you get: a print PDF comes only with the Print tier.
I need the print PDF after all. What now?
You can upgrade the map to a higher tier in the export dialog. You see the price there before you buy.
When is a map from my pack used up?
Only when the file is finished. If the file fails, no map is used up, and another try costs nothing.
Is there a credit balance in euros?
No. You buy packs with several maps of one tier. Your account shows how many of them are left.
What counts as “one map”?
An unlock covers one map and its revisions. If it turns into a substantially different map, a new unlock is required. Corrections and design changes to the same trip or region are covered, as often as you like. For a different trip or region you need a new unlock.
When do I need a new unlock?
After the purchase everything stays free as long as it remains the same trip – texts, design, format, more or fewer stops; you only need a new unlock once it becomes a different trip, meaning a different country or hardly any of the purchased stops left.
Buying without an account
Can I buy without an account?
Yes, a single map. You pay Polar and give your e-mail address there. Packs are only available with an account. Your own photos are not included in the files.
What do I get when I buy without an account?
The map as it is at purchase, as finished files of your tier in the map’s format. A print PDF always comes on a sheet, on A3 if the map has none. Before buying, you choose which files we create; you can add the others afterwards on the same page at no extra cost, as long as your files are available. You cannot change the map or download it in other sizes. That only works if you buy with an account.
How do I get my files?
Right after paying, on the confirmation page. Once all files are ready, we also send the download link to the e-mail address from the checkout. Please do not pass the link on: it leads to your files.
How long can I download the files?
For 90 days from payment, up to 20 downloads a day. After that we delete the map and files and cannot restore them, so please save the files yourself. Your right to use the downloaded files remains.
Can I move the map to an account later?
Not yet. If you want to change the map later, buy with an account.
What happens if a file is not finished?
We automatically try again. If that does not help, you receive an e-mail from us, and we get back to you with the file or with your money back. You can also write to hello@maps.express with the invoice number from Polar’s receipt.
What happens with a refund?
Refunds go through Polar. The link and files then stop at once, and we delete the map in the next hourly run.
Where do I get the invoice?
From Polar by e-mail, in addition to our e-mail with the download link.
What data do you store when I buy without an account?
A copy of your map and the files for 90 days, your e-mail address only encrypted until the link is sent, for at most 7 days. The details are in the privacy policy.
Invoice and VAT
Who issues my invoice?
Polar is our reseller (Merchant of Record): you buy from Polar, Polar issues your invoice and pays the VAT. The invoice arrives by e-mail. You can also find it in the Polar customer portal, which you reach in the map studio under “Account & purchases”.
Do prices include VAT?
Yes. All prices are shown including VAT. Businesses with a valid VAT ID in the EU pay without VAT under the reverse charge procedure.
I am buying as a business with a VAT ID. Do I get an invoice without VAT?
Yes, if your VAT ID is valid in the EU. Polar then bills without VAT under the reverse charge procedure. To do so, tick “Purchase as a business” in the checkout and enter your VAT ID.
Account
Do I need a separate account for each .express product?
No. You sign in everywhere with the same .express login.
What happens to an account I never use?
We automatically delete a personal space in which, 90 days after it was created, no map has ever been saved and nothing has been bought. Accounts with maps or purchases are not affected.
How do I delete my account?
Write to hello@maps.express. After your request, you can take the deletion back for 14 days; after that, we delete for good. Deletion applies to your .express account and therefore to all .express products. Paid maps from packs that you have not used yet lapse without a refund.
What happens to my purchases if I delete my account?
Your purchases remain as bookkeeping records because we have to keep them for tax reasons. We do, however, delete the link to you as a person: unlocks and consents no longer carry any personal reference afterwards. Your invoices remain in the Polar customer portal.
Download and print
Which print files are there?
With the “Commercial Print” tier you get PNG, SVG and a print PDF in CMYK with bleed. “Commercial Vector” includes SVG and PNG. The file is created on our server; this can take a moment.
Can I download a file again later?
Yes. You can export any unlocked map again from your account. When you buy without an account, you download the finished files through your link for 90 days.
The colours look different in my PDF program.
Check the colours in the output preview of Adobe Acrobat. Apple Preview does not display CMYK files reliably.
Data sources and privacy
Where does the map data come from?
Depending on the map, among others from OpenStreetMap (licence ODbL, which is why there is a notice on the map), Natural Earth (public domain) and, for the relief, Mapzen Terrain Tiles. Every map carries its source reference, and the line on the map leads to a sources page.
What are the export ID and the fingerprint for?
With the export ID you can find a specific file again, and we can trace when it was created if questions arise. The fingerprint describes only the map, not you. It contains no personal data.
What data does Polar receive?
From us, Polar only receives a pseudonymous identifier of your account, or just the purchase number if you buy without an account. In the checkout, Polar as the merchant collects your e-mail address, name and billing address, plus payment details and, for companies, company details. Polar is a US company; the transfer is protected by EU standard contractual clauses, including for Switzerland.
Payment
How can I pay?
By card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and some local methods such as EPS or iDEAL/Wero. Purchase on invoice, SEPA direct debit, PayPal and TWINT are not available. Businesses that have to pay by invoice can write to us; this requires a contract.
Can I pay in Swiss francs?
Not at the moment. You pay in euros and your bank converts the amount. Swiss VAT is included in the price; Polar pays it as the reseller.
Polar refunded my purchase without me asking.
This can happen. Polar may refund on its own within 60 days to avoid disputes with the bank. The purchase then counts as withdrawn: unused maps from the pack lapse, maps already unlocked stay. If a map already used was refunded, new unlocks are blocked. Contact us if this was a mistake.
The terms are binding; for purchases without an account, together with the Terms for buying without an account.