Confused about the cheapest way to pay tolls when renting a car? The trick to saving money is to avoid car rental toll charges. Rental companies charge through the nose for electronic toll billing programs such as E-ZPass or FasTrak, which is why it made our list of ways car rental companies rip you off. Be aware that when car rental companies rent you transponders, they often charge per day of the rental. So if you only go through a toll or two on a five-day trip, you’ll still be charged for five days of the service.
Moreover, you have to worry about more than just the tolls themselves, as surcharges from the rental company can add up fast. This is an issue to pay attention to, since the surcharge can vary greatly, from as little as $2.95 per day to as much as $25 per toll.
Consider the sad tale of the retired teacher from Michigan who took a family trip to Texas and got a rude surprise when he returned his rental car. “His toll bill from tolls: $9.96. His bill from [the now-bankrupt] Advantage Rent a Car: $102.37. The difference: $92.41, or the $12.99 daily pass fee for six days plus taxes and fees,” according to the Chicago Times.
Rental Car Charges for Toll Transponders
Hertz charges a $5.95 fee (plus the toll) for every day you use a toll road.
Avis and Budget charge a $5.95 fee for every rental day to a $29.75 maximum per rental—plus the tolls, of course.
Alamo, National and Enterprise give you the same choice. You can pay $3.95 to $4.95 perusageday up to a maximum charge of $19.75 for the rental period.
Payless works similarly to sister companies Avis and Budget, but it’s a little cheaper at $2.95 per day, up to a $14.75 maximum fee.
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Dollar and Thrifty offer an all-inclusive option for $10.49 per rental day (or $52.49 per week) that includes all tolls. Decline it, though, and any toll you fail to pay in cash will cost you a $15 administrative fee per toll—ouch!
Fox offers a similar product as Dollar and Thrifty in some areas, but the price varies—$8.99 per day in Florida and $11.49 per day in Northern California.
Sixt offers a toll program for $7.99 per day, with a maximum of $119 per rental. If you decline, you’ll incur a particularly egregious penalty of $5 per toll.
All-Inclusive Options
Some rental car companies offer an “all-inclusive” tolling service, but buyer beware. These programs often charge by the day regardless of whether you ever hit a toll road. We’ve seen customers get charged hundreds of dollars for these services where simply paying the tolls would have cost them less than $15. These all-inclusive services include PlatePass and e-Toll Unlimited.
4 Ways to Cheaper Rental Car Tolls
Close the transponder in the car.
If your rental car comes with an E-ZPass transponder and you don’t want to use it, try to close it. They are usually mounted in a lead-lined box that opens and closes. Closing the box hides it so the toll plaza can’t see it. Use a lane that accepts cash, and you can then pay cash for your toll. If you’d rather be extra safe, you can get a Faraday bag which blocks devices from wireless signals. Here’s one we like.
Use cash toll lanes.
Be aware that this doesn’t work everywhere, as some toll roads are electronic-only, and driving through the reader will automatically trigger a bill to the rental company.
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Use your own car’s toll transponder.
Bring it with you and then, when you pick up the rental car, either call the provider or log into your account online to add your rental car’s license plate. If you travel frequently, it might be worth ordering a second transponder on your account to keep in your travel bag.
Buy your own transponder.
Don’t already have a transponder? It’s pretty cheap and easy to get one, even if you don’t live in a state with toll roads. If you’ll be traveling in the Eastern US (Illinois to Florida to Maine) where tolls are handled by the E-ZPass consortium, we recommend ordering a transponder from Massachusetts—since there is no monthly fee and the cost of the transponder gets credited to your account and made available for tolls.
For the Southeastern US (North Carolina to Florida), E-ZPass will also work, depending on your route. Alternatively, we also recommend the E-PASS from the Central Florida Expressway Authority since it’s cheaper than the more popular SunPass. And for the central US (Kansas to Texas), a MyKTAG from Kansas is the best option. A portable hard-case transponder that works everywhere in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas costs $25, or you can get the sticker version for free (they’re not meant to be portable, but we’ve had good luck just holding the sticker firmly against the windshield), and you aren’t required to prepay as long as you sign up with a valid credit card.
In summary, if you’re going to be traveling on toll roads, you can avoid surcharges if you pay cash at the toll booth (where possible) or bring your own transponder.
Related:
Use a Toll Calculator to Estimate Your Road Trip Costs
Many car rental companies do not charge one-way rental fees if your final destination is a popular airport. While cars originating at an airport can be more expensive to rent, if your final stop is an airport, you may actually save some money.
If you have missed paying your toll or travelled without an interoperable pass or transponder a photo would be snapped of your license plate as you pass through toll gantries. The invoice for the toll will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.
Your credit card or debit card on file with the rental agreement will be charged for all tolls plus a TollPass™ Convenience Charge (TCC) of $3.95 - $4.95 per usage day, not to exceed $30 per rental period. There is no TollPass™ Convenience Charge on rental days that you don't use a toll road.
Alternatively, you can book using a trusted online travel agency portal such as those offered by AAA. If you really think you have found a good deal, verify it. Call the verified number of the car rental agency directly and confirm that the promotion really exists.
Prices hit their all-time highs in July 2021 due to a combination of high demand and limited supply. Presumably, travelers were itching to go on summer vacation after a rough 2020. Yet, issues like staff shortages and a tight semiconductor supply limited the number of cars available to book.
The new 2024 State Toll Relief program went into effect April 1, 2024. The 2023 State Toll Relief Program, in effect from January 1 to December 31, 2023, has ended. This program, also known as Senate Bill 6A, was signed into law by Governor DeSantis on December 15, 2022.
(1) No persons are permitted to use any toll facility without payment of tolls, except employees of the agency operating the toll project when using the toll facility on official state business, state military personnel while on official military business, handicapped persons as provided in this section, persons exempt ...
Visitor Toll Pass™ is a temporary toll hangtag that is placed on a rental vehicle's rearview mirror and is used to pay toll electronically while traveling on any toll road throughout Florida. Visitor Toll Pass can be easily picked up and returned at Orlando International Airport and is free to reserve.
The registered owner will receive a violation notice in the mail (usually within two weeks). Each violation transaction is assessed a $57.50 penalty in addition to the toll amount due. If the registered owner has no previous violations, the penalties will be waived.
Frequent visitors should consider signing up for a FasTrak Charge account to have tolls charged individually to a designated credit card at the end of each day their license plate passes through a tolling point. There are no monthly maintenance fees and your card is only charged when you drive the road.
Please have your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) handy. Make a One-Time Payment in person: Visit a Cash Payment Location. Payments can be made up to 30 days before crossing the Bridge or within 48 hours after crossing the Bridge. You can pay for up to 10 toll crossings at a time.
Car rental companies use trackers for several reasons including: Vehicle Tracking: Trackers allow the company to monitor the location of the rented vehicles and ensure they are being used within the agreed-upon terms and conditions.
"One of the best ways to avoid being on the hook for thousands of dollars in rental car repairs for damage that you may not be responsible for is by taking photos or videos of the car when you pick it up and when you return it, especially if you are returning it to a place where a rapid return means there is nobody ...
Some folks rent a car for the travel portion of the trip, then return it as soon as they arrive at the final destination.Then they rent another car for the time they are in the final destination. This 'trick' works when the rental agency you've chosen has a per-day higher fee instead of the one-way drop fee.
Check the cancellation policies — You may need to cancel in advance (sometimes as much as a week ahead) to avoid cancellation fees. And if you paid ahead of time for the rental sometimes called a “prepaid reservation” there may be fees no matter when you cancel.
Are one-way car rentals more expensive? In general, yes. This is because it costs more for the company to keep their inventory current and costs the companies more to return the car to the original location. However, if you have the ability to plan ahead, you may be able to avoid those penalties.
Airport car rental can also be more expensive than other rental locations. Because of the additional fees and taxes, rental rates at the airport can be higher than rates at off-airport locations. Additionally, some car rental companies may not have as many discounts or promotions available for airport car rental.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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