Idiots Guide to Tolls?

[Rose89]

Can anyone explain the toll pass to me like I'm an idiot please? I think I've overwhelmed myself with too much information about it and it just isn't sinking in.

We'll be flying in and out of Miami, have the car hire for the full duration of our stay but will only be using the toll roads to cut the journey time between Miami and Orlando and won't be using toll roads for the main duration of our trip.

I know we can get from Miami to Orlando without using tolls, as we've done this before but this time we're happy to pay to cut the journey time down.

Should I be getting something from Budget when we collect the car? Is there a fee to them and the toll roads? Or do we just pay Budget and they cover paying the actual toll themselves? Or should we be declining anything from budget and just paying the tolls ourselves?

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

[Dr.JumbaJookiba]

The Visitor Toll Pass is no use to you, it can only be activated driving out of MCO.
Budget offer E-Toll built into the vehicle, if you activate this it will charge you $5.95 per day up to a maximum of $29.75 per rental period. This allows you to drive through automatic toll lanes and the fees are added to your credit card on the rental agreement.
The other option is stick to paying cash but I believe certain routes around Miami are cashless so check this out - I have never driven from MIA.

[mick]

This web site explains it all.

sunpass/en/about/whe...eSunPass.shtml

If you open the traveller information/rental cars tabs it shows how it works. Sadly the Avis/Budget rates are over a year out of date despite Andy at DFCH and I emailing them.

This is more like it.

What I don't know is whether you have to opt out of their "attractive" offer. With Alamo for instance you just drive through a toll to enable Sunpass. Nothing to sign up to or refuse. Maybe an Avis/Budget expert can help?

You can also buy your own mini transponder from the likes of Publix and CVS. If you can find one easily. They are pre-charged with $$$. Some Avis cars have a built in transponder but in my experience they won't be pre-loaded with any $$ and on or off makes no difference - you'll still be charged the Sunpass rates

Mick

[Rose89]

Thanks both, that's really helpful! I think it'll be sunpass that I need, as you say, a lot of Miami roads don't take cash and they seem to be the roads we'll need to use.

If I understand it correctly, if we only use the toll roads on our way to and from the airport we'll be charged the $5.95 fee for those two days alone and not per day for the whole rental? Then on top of that we pay the toll price. But it will all be automatically taken by Budget at the end of our rental and I don't have to actively go and pay someone/some website?

[mick]

Originally Posted by Rose89

Thanks both, that's really helpful! I think it'll be sunpass that I need, as you say, a lot of Miami roads don't take cash and they seem to be the roads we'll need to use.

If I understand it correctly, if we only use the toll roads on our way to and from the airport we'll be charged the $5.95 fee for those two days alone and not per day for the whole rental? Then on top of that we pay the toll price. But it will all be automatically taken by Budget at the end of our rental and I don't have to actively go and pay someone/some website?

See more...

Until around 2/3 years ago Avis/Budget were a bit sneaky and charged the admin fee per RENTAL day and not per USAGE day as it seems to be now. The cap then was $19.75 and now is $29.75.

However you can easily avoid any toll stress by picking up the 27 a couple of miles from MIA and it's a toll free dual carriageway all the way to Orlando. At about 95% of tolls around WDW you can pay cash anyway. But once you've activated the Sunpass you may as well stick with it. You just sail through the toll plazas whereas in the "pay cash" lanes there's often a queue.

Even if you reach the cap $30 is not really much in a holiday you've paid a bit more for.

Mick

[mick]

PS Your CC that they swipe at the desk/barrier will be charged with all toll charges. May be two different transactions though as it depends on when the various highways bill the car hire

[babbymint]

Daft question? Where do you get Sunpass - can you get it from the car hire place or somewhere else?

[mick]

Originally Posted by babbymint

Daft question? Where do you get Sunpass - can you get it from the car hire place or somewhere else?

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All explained in my link above. It's just a camera at the plazas that takes a photo of your plate. Nothing to sign up to and nothing to decline. No gizmo in the car. The camera is disabled if you pay cash or use the VTP at MCO

[Rose89]

Thanks again, you've made it all sound so much simpler than the many different pages I read! One last question though, sorry! Do you have any idea roughly what we would expect to pay for the actual toll rates when we drive through them? I know it says it would be the non-discounted cash rate, but how much are toll roads?

[mick]

Originally Posted by Rose89

Thanks again, you've made it all sound so much simpler than the many different pages I read! One last question though, sorry! Do you have any idea roughly what we would expect to pay for the actual toll rates when we drive through them? I know it says it would be the non-discounted cash rate, but how much are toll roads?

See more...

This is me stuck now I'm afraid. Only ever done MIA once and I used the toll-free H27. I believe there may be a toll pass cost calculator I've seen posted on here. Maybe Google "Florida toll costs"?

Our journey from MCO to Davenport area is around $4 each way (plus admin fee).

Mick