As a new owner (1 month and counting) I too was a bit baffled. I'm fortunate to be able to charge at home for the majority of the time though. However, I do make the occasional longer journey. I ruled out most off the app/keycard suppliers, bar Podpoint, as there's one at my local Lidl, and it's a Rapidcharger, and it's cheaper than my other local Engenie Rapidcharger (23p vs 36p).
You can set Zapmap to only show the charging firms that accept 'contactless' payment, though bear in mind that any newly installed chargers must now be contactless, so it's qetting better by the month.
Mcdonald are rolling out Rapidchargers, which will prove to be a game changer and should make the likes of Engenie, and expensive motorway chargers lower their cost.
My favourite charging away from home option is to pop into Doncaster town centre on a Saturday and use the free 7kW fast charger. 3 hours of free parking, and around 80 miles worth of free miles on my cat. Win-win!