Rental car company "toll fees"

[Pluto777]

We may rent a car and drive to WDW. Budget Rent a car offers "E-Toll" as an extra charge per day in Florida. The way it was explained to me was a bit confusing, does anyone understand this?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Yes you will be charged a daily fee weather or not you drive on a toll road. Then on the days you drive on the toll road you will be charged for the tolls as well. Alamo only charges the daily toll fee on days you drive on a toll road plus the tolls. SO for Alamo if you rent a car for 9 days but only drive on the toll road 3 days you will only pay the daily fee for 3 day whereas with Budget you will pay the fee all 9 days even if you don't drive on a toll road. I believe the Alamo fee is around $3.95 a day. Are you just driving from the Orlando airport to Disney . IF so just bring some one dollar bills and stop and pay the tolls. It should cost you $5 each way.

 

[Sabrams9]

Buy yourself a Florida Sunpass at CVS when you are down there. It is the easiest and most cost effective way to go.

 

[WeLuvTink!]

I agree with Sabrams9, get the Florida Sunpass transponder if you plan to make a trip to Florida every year or two. You can buy it online too - www.sunpass.com

 

[MICKIMINI]

I order a $5 Sunpass before each trip. I have an account, so I just go online, pay for the pass and add toll money. Piece of cake. You have to remember to remove the pass when you return the car.

 

[joelkfla]

Buy yourself a Florida Sunpass at CVS when you are down there. It is the easiest and most cost effective way to go.

You can purchase SunPass at Publix & Walgreens, as well as CVS. But the easiest way is to order it thru the website.

As for most cost effective, E-PASS works the same as SunPass, and costs $5 less. That's $15 for the suction cup model (now called Uni), and FREE for the stick-on. In addition, Uni can be used in all states that participate in E-ZPass. They can be ordered at this website.

E-PASS is the local Orlando transponder, but works the same as SunPass on all roads throughout FL. The only difference is which website you use, and how you load funds into the account.

 

[OKWFan88]

Hi, I'm travelling for a Disney/Universal trip and I planned on taking a day to visit the Kennedy Space Center. I am renting a car from MCO and had planned on just paying for the tolls for the Orlando portion of the trip as that appears to be minimal... but wasn't sure how many tolls I have to go thru for the Kennedy Space portion of the trip. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[joelkfla]

Hi, I'm travelling for a Disney/Universal trip and I planned on taking a day to visit the Kennedy Space Center. I am renting a car from MCO and had planned on just paying for the tolls for the Orlando portion of the trip as that appears to be minimal... but wasn't sure how many tolls I have to go thru for the Kennedy Space portion of the trip. Any suggestions? Thanks

2 toll plazas. Cash tolls each direction are $2.75 total: $1.25 + $1.50

Both have an exact change lane, but you may want to wait for the attended lane and ask for a receipt in case the rental company claims you didn't pay.

 

[buckeyeguy1]

You can purchase SunPass at Publix & Walgreens, as well as CVS. But the easiest way is to order it thru the website.

As for most cost effective, E-PASS works the same as SunPass, and costs $5 less. That's $15 for the suction cup model (now called Uni), and FREE for the stick-on. In addition, Uni can be used in all states that participate in E-ZPass. They can be ordered at this website.

E-PASS is the local Orlando transponder, but works the same as SunPass on all roads throughout FL. The only difference is which website you use, and how you load funds into the account.

A HUGE THANK YOU for the heads up on the Uni. I spent some time in the past looking for a transponder that would work with most all of the toll roads I have been on. Problem always seemed to be that some would have monthly fees and others would have a higher price for a transponder. This one covers all the roads I will travel on and is fee free! I ordered on today. Hope it gets here in the next couple of weeks!

 

[Pluto777]

So correct me if I am wrong, but as I understand it, the E-Toll for example does not PAY for the tolls, it merely enables the car (& thus rental company) to be CHARGED for the tolls and then they automatically bill the renters credit card a few weeks later, is that correct?

 

[seashoreCM]

Correct. The electronic toll option works a little differently for each rental car company but with rare exceptions does not include the cost of the tolls themselves.

Sometimes choosing or declining the e-toll option is done by pulling the transponder out or sliding it into a pocket on the windshield. Sometimes it is done using a switch on the transponder.

Hint if you buy the "lite" Sunpass sticker at the grocery store or convenience store. and also there is a card or paper in the rental car you are supposed to take with you at the end of the rental. Early in your rental tape this to a larger sheet of paper. On the front of the larger sheet draw a rectangle in which you write "Put Sunpass sticker here." Helps prevent leaving the sticker behind in the car by mistake.

 

[buckeyeguy1]

Just got my Uni in the mail today! Purchased online July 5, received via mail July 13.

Saw that they announced that there was a joint venture with E-ZPass the day after I ordered. The Uni works better for me anyway given the no monthly or yearly fees.

 

[Wild4Walt]

Also check to see if your local pass is an option. I'm from Illinois and I can use my IPass.

 

[ParrotBill]

Be aware there was a report of one rental company, Economy, that has registered its cars to Sunpass accounts and so people are unable to do temporary registration of the rental car to their personal Sunpass account. That's unfortunate. The on-airport rentals should allow this since there was a program for temporary visitor Sunpasses in the airport that worked fine (it's suspended now.)

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Be aware there was a report of one rental company, Economy, that has registered its cars to Sunpass accounts and so people are unable to do temporary registration of the rental car to their personal Sunpass account. That's unfortunate. The on-airport rentals should allow this since there was a program for temporary visitor Sunpasses in the airport that worked fine (it's suspended now.)

No, the temporary visitor toll pass program that is currently suspended was offered by the Central Florida Expressway operation (the E-Pass and Uni operators), not by Sunpass. E-Pass and Uni work throughout Florida, as does Sunpass. The new Uni offering (previously known as E-Pass Xtra) also works throughout the EZPass states (just about everything east of the Mississippi).

 

[EACarlson]

Also check to see if your local pass is an option. I'm from Illinois and I can use my IPass.

I also have an Ipass and it appears that the Easternmost portion of the 528 by Cape Canaveral won't work with Ipass. I'm flying into MCO and then driving to Viera, it appears I'm going to have to get a Uni to make sure I'm covered anywhere. Just read one rental company is you either pay $12 day and they pay for all the tolls, or you pay for the tolls and a $50 "service fee"

 

[erionm]

I also have an Ipass and it appears that the Easternmost portion of the 528 by Cape Canaveral won't work with Ipass.

The last actual toll on Eastbound SR-528 is operated by CFX which will accept your I-PASS.

 

[JimMIA]

You can purchase SunPass at Publix & Walgreens, as well as CVS. But the easiest way is to order it thru the website.

As for most cost effective, E-PASS works the same as SunPass, and costs $5 less. That's $15 for the suction cup model (now called Uni), and FREE for the stick-on. In addition, Uni can be used in all states that participate in E-ZPass. They can be ordered at this website.

E-PASS is the local Orlando transponder, but works the same as SunPass on all roads throughout FL. The only difference is which website you use, and how you load funds into the account.

^^^^^THIS.

Order EPass or SunPass. LOTS of threads on this on this forum.

I believe Budget was one of the companies the Florida Attorney General went after for defrauding customers specifically on these toll transponders.