What are the latest tips on Fl. tolls, should we buy a transponder?

[Jillpie]

So we've been renting cars from the airport for a few years now, and always paying cash for tolls. The latest time, we used the automatic payment thru Alamo, and ended up paying an extra 3.75 a day each time we used the tolls. Can someone walk me thru a better way?

 

[JimMIA]

Here's the better way, but I am not current on whether it has been made permanent:
https://visitortollpass.com/

 

[Jillpie]

Here's the better way, but I am not current on whether it has been made permanent:
https://visitortollpass.com/

Thank you. So the other option is to pay 20.00 and buy a transponder, and always keep it with our travel stuff. Can you tell me the benefit of going with the Visitor toll pass instead? I guess I don't have to pay the 20.00, but there is the inconvenience of having to go and pick this pass up and drop it off. Am I missing anything?

 

[JimMIA]

Thank you. So the other option is to pay 20.00 and buy a transponder, and always keep it with our travel stuff. Can you tell me the benefit of going with the Visitor toll pass instead? I guess I don't have to pay the 20.00, but there is the inconvenience of having to go and pick this pass up and drop it off. Am I missing anything?

No, that's correct. I have not personally used the visitor pass, so hopefully others can give you actual experiences.

With either choice there will be a little time investment to set up your account and payment method.

The only real problem with using your own transponder would be if you forgot and left it on the windshield of the rental car. Somebody could use it and you'd have the hassle of disputing the credit card charges. But the transponders are large enough that I think that's unlikely.

 

[Woodview]

Pay Cash as you did before

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Thank you. So the other option is to pay 20.00 and buy a transponder, and always keep it with our travel stuff. Can you tell me the benefit of going with the Visitor toll pass instead? I guess I don't have to pay the 20.00, but there is the inconvenience of having to go and pick this pass up and drop it off. Am I missing anything?

Sunpass transponder is $20, but the CFX Portable E-Pass transponder (not EZ-pass) is only $9.95 and appears to function throughout Florida: https://www.cfxway.com/e-pass/get-e-pass/. We have used ours for the Orlando-area toll roads, the toll roads along the Gulf coast, and the toll bridge from St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach without any problems. I ordered online and paid a total of $10.70 for the transponder, including tax, shipped to my home in about a week.

Apparently, the CFX web site is not as slick as the Sunpass site for entering rental car information, but the Portable E-Pass does the job for us at about half the initial investment. I also have EZ-passes in our personal cars, but they would only work on the CFX portion of the FL toll system and I wouldn’t want to deal with the much less convenient web site of the Illinois toll system to enter rental car information.

 

[Capt_BJ]

if picking up the car at MCO the visitor pass pickup is 'right there' and returning is simply dropping in a box when you return the car (you can mail it if you forget)

 

[joelkfla]

if picking up the car at MCO the visitor pass pickup is 'right there' and returning is simply dropping in a box when you return the car (you can mail it if you forget)

And you can fill out all the info online before your trip: https://visitortollpass.com/

 

[Jillpie]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your responses. We ended up opting to buy online the Sunpass transponder. I just figured its just one more thing to pack, but we don't have to worry about anything, it'll just always be with us.

 

[Capt_BJ]

with the sunpass portable (I HOPE you bought the portable aka $20 version) and the APP

when you add a rental car you can add an "expire" date which helps to avoid problems if you forget to delete the rental ....... cuz a car/tag in the Sunpass database of registered does not actually need the Sunpass in the car . . . .

 

[thegales]

To add a wrinkle to this...

We purchased a second SunPass transponder at the Rest Area on the way to Florida. My daughter was driving separate from me, as she was spending extra time in Florida. SunPass had folks at a table, so we were able to add my daughters tag for that new transponder on my account with them. This was back in June.

Late August, we received a bill from EZPass for my daughter's car for this trip in June. I looked at the transactions on my account, and saw the (appropriate) double charges for some of the plazas, but only a single charge for the two plazas that were on the bill. These two plazas were EZPass controlled, where as the plazas with two charges were SunPass controlled. I called the number, and was told that it can take up to 24 hours for a new transponder to get put on the account for EZPass to pick it up. SunPass had no issue picking it up at their toll plazas.

The amount I had to pay via mail was the exact same amount that I paid using the transponder in my vehicle, so there was no 'penalty' due to the transponder not picking it up.

So be careful if entering transponder information less than 24 hours before it is used if going through an EZPass controlled toll plaza. I don't think there is an issue if the transponder is already on your account, and you just need to add the license plate.

 

[JimMIA]

To add a wrinkle to this...

We purchased a second SunPass transponder at the Rest Area on the way to Florida. My daughter was driving separate from me, as she was spending extra time in Florida. SunPass had folks at a table, so we were able to add my daughters tag for that new transponder on my account with them. This was back in June.

Late August, we received a bill from EZPass for my daughter's car for this trip in June. I looked at the transactions on my account, and saw the (appropriate) double charges for some of the plazas, but only a single charge for the two plazas that were on the bill. These two plazas were EZPass controlled, where as the plazas with two charges were SunPass controlled. I called the number, and was told that it can take up to 24 hours for a new transponder to get put on the account for EZPass to pick it up. SunPass had no issue picking it up at their toll plazas.

The amount I had to pay via mail was the exact same amount that I paid using the transponder in my vehicle, so there was no 'penalty' due to the transponder not picking it up.

So be careful if entering transponder information less than 24 hours before it is used if going through an EZPass controlled toll plaza. I don't think there is an issue if the transponder is already on your account, and you just need to add the license plate.

It all works out in the wash, and that is what Capt BJ was talking about above. In addition to the time lag you mentioned, every once in a while, a toll station just won't pick up the transponder. But with SunPass, they have your tag number and bill you at the correct rate (including discounts) without any penalty. It's really a pretty smooth system.

 

[hsmamato2]

can I bring/use my ezpass transponder to use in Florida? around Orlando, or farther south like Fort Lauderdale?

 

[joelkfla]

can I bring/use my ezpass transponder to use in Florida? around Orlando, or farther south like Fort Lauderdale?

It will work on some roads in Orlando, including the south exit of the airport to the I-Drive exit to WDW.

It will not work on the north exit of the airport to WDW, nor will it work on any roads outside the Orlando area.

 

[thegales]

can I bring/use my ezpass transponder to use in Florida? around Orlando, or farther south like Fort Lauderdale?

Map shows which roads are SunPass vs EZPass
https://www.cfxway.com/wp-content/u...Map-of-CFX-Roads-Accepting-E-ZPassFinal-1.pdf

 

[xuxa777]

Sunpass transponder is $20, but the CFX Portable E-Pass transponder (not EZ-pass) is only $9.95 and appears to function throughout Florida: https://www.cfxway.com/e-pass/get-e-pass/. We have used ours for the Orlando-area toll roads, the toll roads along the Gulf coast, and the toll bridge from St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach without any problems. I ordered online and paid a total of $10.70 for the transponder, including tax, shipped to my home in about a week.

Apparently, the CFX web site is not as slick as the Sunpass site for entering rental car information, but the Portable E-Pass does the job for us at about half the initial investment. I also have EZ-passes in our personal cars, but they would only work on the CFX portion of the FL toll system and I wouldn’t want to deal with the much less convenient web site of the Illinois toll system to enter rental car information.

Get the new E-pass Xtra works in Illinois Florida and 16 other states.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Get the new E-pass Xtra works in Illinois Florida and 16 other states.

As an Illinois resident, I already have the Illinois Ipass (EZ-pass), in fact one in each car, and I don’t want to move them or change license plate information for rental cars. The Ipass web site is not the best in terms of that feature. Easier to have a dedicated Epass or Sunpass to use in rental cars, which is essentially a FL vacation thing for us. If I drive my own car east from Illinois, the Ipass works just about everywhere except most of Florida (excepting the CFX toll region).

 

[hsmamato2]

Map shows which roads are SunPass vs EZPass
https://www.cfxway.com/wp-content/u...Map-of-CFX-Roads-Accepting-E-ZPassFinal-1.pdf

thank you!

 

[hsmamato2]

Get the new E-pass Xtra works in Illinois Florida and 16 other states.

this is intriguing..... of course it doesn't work in my state but in all the states surrounding me it works...... I'm considering buying this to use in FL, is it a better/worse choice than sunpass? It looks like I can use the app to change it to use on a rental,then back to our card at home?

 

[joelkfla]

this is intriguing..... of course it doesn't work in my state but in all the states surrounding me it works...... I'm considering buying this to use in FL, is it a better/worse choice than sunpass? It looks like I can use the app to change it to use on a rental,then back to our card at home?

It works in all E-ZPass states, as well as GA, NC, & FL. Is your state not part of E-ZPass?

E-Pass is functionally equivalent to SunPass. The only differences would be which website or app you use, and how you add funds. E-Pass Xtra adds E-ZPass interoperability, which SunPass does not currently offer. E-Pass Xtra costs almost as much as the SunPass portable,

E-Pass did recently upgrade their website, but it still may not be as smooth & spiffy as SunPass. I think I read that they also recently introduced an app, but I haven't tried it.