Avoid car rental toll fees

  Car Rental Strategies

Over the last few years, a significant portion of car rental reservations are now saddled with significant extra fees due to electronic tolling.

Now that the technology has improved, many parts of the country have moved to electronic tolling systems. Newer highway and bridge projects have often instituted electronic-only tolling. Everyone who lives in the area is expected to have a toll pass, and there are no traditional pay-with-cash lanes for those of us in rental cars.

Jump to

• Rental car electronic tolling devices are a rip off
• How to avoid getting ripped off
• Get an E-Z Pass
• Dealing with tolls in other states

Rental car electronic tolling devices are a rip off

Car rental companies have turned this into a massive profit center. They outfit their cars with electronic toll passes. However, rather than charging you just for the tolls you use, they charge you a substantial additional fee. To add insult to injury, you’ll pay for every day of the rental, even if you just needed to pay one toll near the rental location.

Then, just to rip you off further, they charge you the full toll amount, rather than the discounted rate that you would normally get when using an electronic tolling device.

At a typical price of $3.95 per day, this can be a significant increase to the price you were quoted when you booked the car, and you aren’t even getting a discount on the tolls. The only good news is that transponder fees are mercifully capped at around $20-25 for the rental period.

	$4.95 per rental day, $24.75 maximum fee.
	$3.95 per usage day, $19.75 maximum fee.
	$3.95 per rental day. $19.75 maximum fee.
	$3.95 per rental day. $19.75 maximum fee.
	Uses an all-inclusive tolling system, which includes both the fees and your actual tolls, into a single daily rate that varies by region.
	$3.95 per usage day, $19.75 maximum fee.
	$4.95 per rental day, $24.75 maximum fee.
	$3.95 per usage day, $19.75 maximum fee.
	$2.95 per rental day, $19.75 maximum fee.
	Uses an all-inclusive tolling system, which includes both the fees and your actual tolls, into a single daily rate that varies by region.
	No extra fees :)
	$7.99 per rental day.

How to avoid getting ripped off

It is going to take a little bit of effort to avoid these charges.

• Avoid any electronic tolls. On some trips, you can avoid incurring any electronic tolls, by simply avoiding any electronic-only roadways, continuing to use the cash lanes at toll plazas, and staying out of any toll-based express lanes. Unfortunately, on other trips, it is inconvenient, or even impossible, to avoid toll-only roads; and you’ll need to fallback to one of the other options below.
• Pay each toll online, afterwards. In some states, you can go online after you’ve used a toll road or toll bridge, and pay your tolls. In other states, this just isn’t possible. You’ll need to check the state-by-state chart below.
• Travel with your existing transponder. If you already have an account with the same tolling program as your destination, you can travel with your existing transponder. For example, if you live in Pennsylvania, and you are travelling to Illinois, you can bring your E-Z Pass with you. When you pick up your car, you’ll need to register the rental car to your account, by entering the license plate number.

• Buy a transponder. If you are not normally using a transponder, you can usually order a transponder online before you go, or could purchase one at a retail location after you get there. You’ll need to pay a one-time fee for the transponder, and set it up with a minimum balance. This will cost around $20-40. For a single trip, this might not be worthwhile. However, if you are going to periodically travel to a state or region, it will pay off over time. It is particularly easy to recommend getting an E-Z Pass, if you don’t already have one. They can be used in many different states, across many different trips. Like with your own regular transponder, you’ll need to go online to add your rental car to your account, after you pick up the rental car.
• Use Paytollo. Paytollo is a smartphone app that works as an alternative to a tolling transponder. It uses your phone’s GPS to track the tolls that you owe. When you are done driving, you press a button to pay any tolls you incurred, using your credit card. Because you don’t have a transponder, the tolling agency tracks your tolls by taking pictures of your license plate. When they receive the electronic payments, they credit them against that license plate. They currently work only in Florida and Orange County, CA. For rental cars, they let you enter a return time, so that they know when to stop paying your tolls.

An E-Z Pass covers the majority of states

E-Z Pass is, by far, the largest system in the country—allowing you to use a single pass for all the electronic toll roads in the Northeastern and Midwestern states. Each state operates their own E-Z Pass program, making the rules for using roads and paying tolls different for every state. However, a single E-Z Pass transponder and account will work seamlessly across the entire region.

You can purchase an E-Z Pass from any of the participating states. Rates and rules are different on a state-by-state basis. Massachusetts’s program is a pretty good option for people who live outside the E-Z Pass region. There is no charge for the transponder, you can get started with only a $20 balance, and there are no ongoing fees. It takes only a few minutes to apply online, and they’ll mail the pass to your house (at no extra fee), so you’ll be ready for your next trip.

Dealing with tolls in other states

Alabama (Freedom Pass)	There is no need to bother with Freedom Pass electronic tolls, you can always use the cash lanes.
California (FasTrak)	You can avoid electronic tolling by not driving in tolled express lanes in a non-HOV vehicle, using cash lanes when available, and paying cashless tolls online. For the Golden Gate Bridge, you can pay online within 48 hours. For the Orange County toll roads, you can go online and register your car ahead of time. Alternatively, you can get a FasTrak device by mail before you leave, or at a local retailer before you pay any tolls. Online purchases require a $25 initial deposit. Or, for the Orange County toll roads, you can use Paytollo to track and pay your tolls, uing your smartphone.
Colorado (EXpress Toll)	Anyone can sign-up for an EXpress Toll account, and then add their rental car (at the beginning of the rental), so you can avoid the extra fees. The only problem is that you need to fund your account with a minimum of $35. If you head to Colorado with reasonable frequency, this can be worthwhile, but it probably doesn’t make sense for a one-time rental.
Florida (SunPass)	It is hard to avoid electronic-only toll roads in south Florida. If you are likely to make multiple trips, one option is to purchase a pass online before you go.  The responder costs $20, plus an initial $10 deposit. Another option is to use Paytollo to track and pay your tolls, using your smartphone.
Georgia (Peach Pass)	The only road in the Peach Pass system is the I-85 express lanes. They don’t take cash, but they are easy to avoid.
Louisiana (GeauxPass)	There is no need to bother with Geaux Pass electronic tolls, you can just use the cash lanes.
Minnesota (MnPass)	The easiest thing to do is just to avoid the tolled express lanes.
Texas	You are pretty much out of luck in Texas, as all their programs require permanently mounted tags, and you can’t pay the tolls online. Either try to avoid the many tolled roads, or pay the convenience fees.
Washington (Good to Go!)	You can go online or call (866-936-8246) within 72 hours, to pay your tolls for using the bridges or the I-405 express lanes. You’ll need to avoid the tolled express lanes on SR 167.

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