Florida Toll Roads and Rental Cars.

[billybek]

Doing a quick visit to Florida and will be flying into Orlando (direct flight from Calgary) and driving to Fort Lauderdale so that my son can have a visit with his grandad. It has been over two years since his last visit. (Fricking Covid...)
I am a bit confused as to how the rental car companies in Florida charge for the tolls. In the Boston area, the cars all have transponders and you pay a fee for that when picking up the car plus the tolls incurred, but I cannot see that option for the Florida area.
Maybe I am worrying about this too much but the small details always seem to bother me!
TIA for your input...

[stevej37]

I was there using a rental twice in Sept. Hertz and Dollar.
I asked the same question and both told me the same....All the rentals have a transponder and the tolls are sent directly to the renter with a processing fee included.

Sure enough...a couple weeks later of each trip...the fees arrived.
No late fees added...just pay online with your cc.

Would be best to ask at the counter to be sure they do the same.

[VINMAN]

You need to pick up a SunPass. Fls version of EZpass.

Had to sign up and add $ to the account.

.

[billybek]

Great. Will check out both options. Thanks!

[stomachmonkey]

I would just get a Sunpass.

It's good in much of the Eastern lower 48.

A lot of the "toll tags" work in way more places than one would think.

https://www.sunpass.com/en/about/pro.shtml#:~:text=Where%20can%20I%20use%20SunPass, %2C%20Virginia%2C%20and%20West%20Virginia.

[stevej37]

^^^ For someone that just visits Florida once in a while...like me...Sunpass is not worth it.
The only tolls that I had mailed to me were for the bridge to Sanibel. One $6 charge for every entry.

Why buy a Sunpass for that?

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by stevej37

^^^ For someone that just visits Florida once in a while...like me...Sunpass is not worth it.
The only tolls that I had mailed to me were for the bridge to Sanibel. One $6 charge for every entry.

Why buy a Sunpass for that?

Because it works in more than just FL.

It' also good in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Depending on the specific rental car company some (most) of them have turned tolls into a significant profit center.

They all have different policies which can vary by state or region even within the same company.

Dollar and Thrifty have a PlatePass all-inclusive program. For a set daily fee, all tolls are covered.

If you don’t enroll in the service and drive through a cashless toll, you will pay for both the toll plus an administrative fee of $15 for each unpaid toll, up to a limit of $90.

Either way you end up paying more than the actual toll charges.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

If you don’t enroll in the service and drive through a cashless toll, you will pay for both the toll plus an administrative fee of $15 for each unpaid toll, up to a limit of $90.

Either way you end up paying more than the actual toll charges.

Nope...the administrative fee was $15 and then the fees for the bridge cost...which were $6X5 times.

The OP is from Calgary.

[Scott R]

I was there in July in Tampa, my rental had a transponder and I haven't seen a bill. I wasn't told by Hertz that I would be getting one either.

[stevej37]

^^^ Did you use any toll roads?
Some, like the Sunshine Skyway, still have a manned booth.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by stevej37

^^^ Did you use any toll roads?
Some, like the Sunshine Skyway, still have a manned booth.

Yes, used a lot of toll roads we were there for a hockey tournament and used one each day. Also used them coming and going from the Tampa airport.

[stevej37]

I'm not familiar with any toll roads in or out of TPA.

But I have always gone west on 275...maybe from the east?

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I'm not familiar with any toll roads in or out of TPA.

But I have always gone west on 275...maybe from the east?

You might be right, I think we spent a lot of time on 275, I thought I kept seeing toll signs.

[stevej37]

^^^ No tolls on 275...until you get to the Sunshine Skyway. And then it's manned and only $3 or less. I forget.

edit: Just googled it and the bridge toll is $1.50 each way.

[Esel Mann]

There are a couple of issues with bringing your own sunpass/e-pass on a rental car here in FLA.

First it is my understanding that a sunpass/e-pass is coupled with a vehicle/license plate. IF one has the transferable one (usage permitted across multiple vehicles), one has to list all vehicles/license plates it is used on. So if it is used for example on a rental, one would need to update their account with the rental vehicle/license plate at the time they pick up the rental car. Then one has to make damn sure the system updated with the rental vehicle details before driving off the lot!

Second, the rental cars now have a transponder in the vehicle for the most part. So if one brings their transferable one they need to make damn sure the one from the rental company is disabled for the duration of use. Otherwise, one will get double charged. And correcting that, is a royal mess.

Yeah, it sux that the rental car companies peg you with a slight upcharge for the privilege of using their transponder. Question is, is the savings of going through the hassle of a transferrable transponder going to bring you out ahead versus paying the peggers their slight upcharge?

[stevej37]

^^^ exactly. That's why for me...it's easier and cheaper to let the rental car company provide the transponder and pay the bill when it arrives.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Nope...the administrative fee was $15 and then the fees for the bridge cost...which were $6X5 times.

The OP is from Calgary.

Like I said, they are not all the same.

OP is from Calgary but also mentioned knowledge of how it works in Boston, which is covered by a Sunpass, so we can assume he may do some travelling from time to time which is why I offered up the info, so he could see if it was something that worked for him and not just getting advice about what works for one individual in a limited use situation.

Unless we think OP is incapable of digesting info and coming to a conclusion for himself which then by all means we should just offer him advice that works for us and may not help him one bit.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Esel Mann

There are a couple of issues with bringing your own sunpass/e-pass on a rental car here in FLA.

First it is my understanding that a sunpass/e-pass is coupled with a vehicle/license plate. IF one has the transferable one (usage permitted across multiple vehicles), one has to list all vehicles/license plates it is used on. So if it is used for example on a rental, one would need to update their account with the rental vehicle/license plate at the time they pick up the rental car. Then one has to make damn sure the system updated with the rental vehicle details before driving off the lot!

Second, the rental cars now have a transponder in the vehicle for the most part. So if one brings their transferable one they need to make damn sure the one from the rental company is disabled for the duration of use. Otherwise, one will get double charged. And correcting that, is a royal mess.

Yeah, it sux that the rental car companies peg you with a slight upcharge for the privilege of using their transponder. Question is, is the savings of going through the hassle of a transferrable transponder going to bring you out ahead versus paying the peggers their slight upcharge?

Sunpass is transferable between cars without having to register the other cars tag.

I do this all the time when I'm in FL visiting my folks / inlaws.

I borrow and use their pass in rentals or one of my brothers extra cars all the time.

Never been an issue.

[stomachmonkey]

https://www.sunpass.com/en/tolls/rentalvehicles.shtml

Check out the different policies per rental company.

You don't want to use Dollar / Thrifty / Fox unless you know you are hitting a lot of tolls

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

You need to pick up a SunPass. Fls version of EZpass.

Had to sign up and add $ to the account.

.

Yep, Last time I was there we got Sunpass directly through the rental car company.