Tolls - can i buy a sunpass at MCO or other options?

[BagOLaughs]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading that tolls in florida are becoming cashless (edit: turns out it's main Maimi and orlando area still has coin baskets and some manned tolls). Who has experience with sun pass? Whats it like? Can i buy one at the airport after I pick up my hire car. (edit: Hertz are extortion artists and charge $4.99 per day plus the toll for their transponder plate pass. However if we avoid the Sunpass toll gates and just go through the cash ones we'll be OK)

I'm hiring through Hertz and want to know all of my options for paying tolls.

Edit: I plan on using cash

Thanks everyone

 

[chmurf]

I'm hiring through Hertz and want to know all of my options for paying tolls

you already have sunpass with Hertz.

nothing to do when collecting the car.

The service will start when (and if) you choose to use a sunpass lane.
you'd then be charged $4.95 per rental day (total number of days of your rental) with a maximum of $24.75 for your whole rental period. you'll also pay the tolls on top of this at the toll by plate rate.

here's a useful link https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

 

[wilma-bride]

If you are only driving from MCO to WDW and back, you will not need Sunpass anyway. The only truly cashless tolls really are on the Florida Turnpike. There are a couple dotted around but on roads that you are less likely to use while just travelling around Orlando.

 

[BagOLaughs]

I under stand I can pay $4.99 a day with hertz but I'm not going to do that!!! Are you kidding that's extortionate.

I want to remove the sun pass thing that comes with the card and buy one of the cards to swap it with.

 

[bex7583]

you already have sunpass with Hertz.

nothing to do when collecting the car.

The service will start when (and if) you choose to use a sunpass lane.
you'd then be charged $4.95 per rental day (total number of days of your rental) with a maximum of $24.75 for your whole rental period. you'll also pay the tolls on top of this at the toll by plate rate.

here's a useful link https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

thi sis something i need to keep an eye on too , helpful link thankyou

i also didnt realise you paid the toll fee aswell i thought the daily fee the rental firm charged you was some sort of unlimited toll hopper

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

We rented with Alamo and just paid cash for our tolls on the 417 and in the way to Cocoa Beach.

 

[Woodview]

NO NEED for SUN PASS UNLESS you are driving on Turnpike to Miami OR Certain areas around Tampa

ALL other Toll roads have Manned Lanes ( Some small ones have Cash baskets )

So Pay CASH

 

[BagOLaughs]

Ahhh good to know!

Cash is what I wanted to use all along, I just got in a bit of a panic when I started reading into the whole plate pass thing that Hertz provide.

The only thing that worries me now is being accidentally charged for using it. But I'll just tell them when I pick up the car and drop it off... I don't want to use the blooming plate pass! And of course I won't drive through the sunpass gates

 

[Elise79]

I've never told any rental firm I didn't want to use the plate pass and have never been charged. Always just driven through the cash lanes.

 

[BagOLaughs]

I've never told any rental firm I didn't want to use the plate pass and have never been charged.

Its good to know you've never been charged but there's no harm in making my intentions clear is there

 

[igk]

The Hertz system isn't activated unless you pass through a cashless toll or lane. If you go through your entire rental without going through a cashless toll you don't get charged anything.
I don't think there's any way of disabling it though, but it isn't enabled until you 'opt in' by triggering it at the toll itself.

 

[BagOLaughs]

The Hertz system isn't activated unless you pass through a cashless toll or lane. If you go through your entire rental without going through a cashless toll you don't get charged anything.
I don't think there's any way of disabling it though, but it isn't enabled until you 'opt in' by triggering it at the toll itself.

Yup you are very true. The internet says the process of driving through the Sunpass dedicated toll lane is the "opt-in" for the pass.

However I've read of people getting "accidentally" charged even though they never used the Sun Pass lane. I'm going to use cash and hope that I don't "accidentally" get charged.

Hertz has done this to be before in the past. I got charged for fuel even though the tank was brimming when I gave the car back. I was not happy!

I really don't trust car hire companies

 

[chmurf]

I under stand I can pay $4.99 a day with hertz but I'm not going to do that!!! Are you kidding that's extortionate.

that's one of the reasons why I never rent with them.

I want to remove the sun pass thing that comes with the card and buy one of the cards to swap it with.

let's make it simple : you can't.

Ahhh good to know!
But I'll just tell them when I pick up the car and drop it off... I don't want to use the blooming plate pass!

They'll probably tell you they can't do that. Or tell you "okay" so that you let it go, but do nothing

worst case scenario, they opt you out of the system, and if should you be picked up by a transponder accidentally, they'd bill you the $25 AND some admin fee like other car rentals do.

You've been caught by Hertz before for over billing, don't give them any excuse to do it again
don't say anything about the tolls, and drive through cash lanes. (always have some quarters with you, as some tolls around WDW, like the one Osceola Pkway and 535 are not manned and are "throw-them-quarters-in-the-basket" type.
If you don't have quarters at such tolls, you'll be glad you have the sunpass progam. Even at $25 per rental month it will be a bargain compared to the hassle and fees if you run a toll.

 

[BagOLaughs]

that's one of the reasons why I never rent with them.

Reasons for hiring with Hertz is the company I work for has a special discount that also applies for personal trips and so I get a super competitive price.

However yes, I will be avoiding the Sunpass lanes like the plague and will have a big ol' pot of quarters and change in the car

 

[Tony Toon]

Although we haven't rented with Hertz in the past we have used Alamo on several occasions. The pass has only been activated when we've gone through the Sunpass. When we've paid by cash there has been no charge.Last year however i rented with Thrifty and they had a different system where you had to pay for the surpass up front for the whole holiday. As we were there for 28 days the charge was going in to three figures - way more than we would ever spend on cash charges or even rental and toll charges in the Alamo system - so we declined. One and only time DH forgot to go to a cash booth on the way back to MCO so we were fined! Still much less then the cost of hiring the plate pass from Thirfty!

Mrs TT

 

[Just Love Disney]

If we are traveling from MCO to Cabana Bay will we encounter any cashless tolls along the way that require Sunpass or bill to the Plate? I recall last year, almost immediately after leaving the airport, there was a toll booth (cash and manned). I believe it was 528? Is that still a CASH booth?

Also, does anyone know which highways specifically on the way to/from Clearwater (via Tampa) are CASHLESS?

I'd like to avoid those or at the very least, purchase a SunPass Transponder at Walgreens, CVS, Publix as the ultra nice employee at FDOT recommended in order to avoid the $10.95 charge per day that Dollar Rental charges.

Lastly, and this is me showing my tourist colors, what highway/highways are considered the Florida Turnpike

Thanks for your help