Cashles Tolls

[pipe36]

Just rented my car at Dollar and they flashed an alert warnng me about cashless tolls. I assume this is to push me to by the ez pass deal at 10 bucks a day, as they tried a few years back. Only leaving property a time or two, just wondering if these so called cashless tolls are anywherin the icinity of WDW. Thanks.

 

[mom2rtk]

I was annoyed by this as well on our trip in June. When we looked into it, we were told the only cashless toll booths so far were in Miami. You should be fine around Orlando. We had no issues with it.

 

[pipe36]

Thanks, kinda figud Id'a heard about it. I get good deals with Dollar, but sometimes that counter is like a time share.

 

[carlbarry]

I set my GPS for "avoid tolls" and do not pay tolls to or from MCO. The "warning" is just a rip off to get you to spend way too much on an unnecessary item.

 

[Sytrace]

There are a couple of tolls on 417 where you will need exact change to get on or off of them, but the main toll road has lanes for change and reciepts.
One of the tolls from MCO that you might use is where Gaylord Palms is. That is either a sunpass lane or exact change. It is not manned.
Also, there is one by Celebration exit which is the closest exit getting to MK and 17/92 (aka Irlo Bronson Hwy) That one is either Sunpass or exact change as well.
There are some on the 408, which you probably won't even go near unless you are planning to visit Downtown Orlando.
Definitely don't need a 10.00 a day toll pass if you have cash.

 

[POOHsie]

From my memory of 2012, I think those exact change stops asked for payment that required quarters and singles. But I got on at Sanford, a long ways north of MCO. I stopped at one manned toll booth on 417 and the guy gave me a bunch of quarters to make it to the exit at WDW. Can't remember how many quarters that was. If you bring a roll of quarters, that will be more than enough.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

There are a couple of tolls on 417 where you will need exact change to get on or off of them, but the main toll road has lanes for change and reciepts.
One of the tolls from MCO that you might use is where Gaylord Palms is. That is either a sunpass lane or exact change. It is not manned.
Also, there is one by Celebration exit which is the closest exit getting to MK and 17/92 (aka Irlo Bronson Hwy) That one is either Sunpass or exact change as well.
There are some on the 408, which you probably won't even go near unless you are planning to visit Downtown Orlando.
Definitely don't need a 10.00 a day toll pass if you have cash.

What she said! I'm not from Orlando, but in June we did the full loop from Sanford (exit 53) to the Epcot exit (6) to avoid I-4 with no problems. This is the main route from MCO. All of the main tolls are manned. Most of the side exits that have tolls are exact change. Note that exit 6 has no toll. Also, our local toll road accepts credit cards, but these do not. Cash only.

 

[bumbershoot]

For Orlando trips I get a roll of quarters and about 10 ones, and our tolls are good to go! I don't want to buy a sunpass and I refuse to pay the rental car passes unless/until I have to.

 

[SeilerBird]

I am a Florida resident living about 25 miles from the mouse. I have a Sunpass but I have my GPS set to 'avoid tolls' since I go to WDW frequently. It costs about $5 one way if I take the toll roads. Instead I take 192 and there is no tolls.

 

[disnut8]

The cashless tolls eventually will be all over Florida but for now, they are to the south.

What the cashless tolls do is to let you through the booths and if you have the EZ Pass, your toll is taken out of that. If you don't, your license plate is photographed and I believe the driver's side to identify the driver and then a bill is sent to your place of residence. Then you pay online with a service fee attached. So, no more toll booth attendants in Florida in the next few years.

 

[carlbarry]

I am a Florida resident living about 25 miles from the mouse. I have a Sunpass but I have my GPS set to 'avoid tolls' since I go to WDW frequently. It costs about $5 one way if I take the toll roads. Instead I take 192 and there is no tolls.

That's how I go from MCO to WDW via my GPS set for "avoid tolls." It is about 2 miles and a few minutes longer than taking the toll road.

 

[Lucius Best]

Like previously mentioned, the main toll roads are manned and take cash, but there are some exits between WDW and MCO that are unmanned (so either need SunPass or quarters). I usually rent Avis and always paid cash to avoid using the transponder ($4 per day, max $17) until we were forced to: we found ourselves at an exit requiring exact change 75 cents and we had no quarters, had no choice.

FYI, SunPass.com has a crappy, confusing, buggy, difficult-to-navigate web site, if you hunt around on it enough, you can find maps of toll booths and it will tell you what kinds of tolls are on the road and how much they are. I used in before a recent trip to Tampa, discovered that Tampa has lots of cashless toll booths as well as boothless toll areas where there are overhead sensors/cameras that you drive under at highway speed. Determined it was pointless to try to drive through Tampa without the transponder.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I ended up going through a couple of cashless tolls in Tampa. Beware that Dollar Rent A Car charges a $15 "administrative fee" on top of the toll if you go through one. So I got a bill for $34 from Dollar after going through two of those tolls in Tampa.

 

[ghtx]

I am not a big fan of the un-staffed toll booths that take exact change only. Luckily I've always had the right exact change. But what if you don't? Do you just blow through the gate? Back up and try to get back on the freeway? Hopefully I'll never have to find out.

I set my GPS for "avoid tolls" and do not pay tolls to or from MCO. The "warning" is just a rip off to get you to spend way too much on an unnecessary item.

But then how much extra time do you have to spend driving? Is that really worth saving a couple of bucks?

 

[OKW Lover]

Also, there is one by Celebration exit which is the closest exit getting to MK and 17/92 (aka Irlo Bronson Hwy) That one is either Sunpass or exact change as well.

Actually there is no reason to go to the Celebration exit if you are on 417 from the airport and heading to the MK, or anywhere on Disney property. Get off 417 at exit 6 (right after the second manned toll) and follow that right to Epcot Center Drive.

 

[carlbarry]

But then how much extra time do you have to spend driving? Is that really worth saving a couple of bucks?

I will gladly spend another 5 minutes driving to avoid getting ripped off.

 

[GillianP1301]

I don't recall any cashless on our last trip, but that was a year ago. I do remember that the transponder in the rental car was automatically there, but that I would only be charged if I actually turned it on. Every toll I came across was manned, so I never had to turn it on and therefore never charged. But it was nice to know it was there, just in case. I rented through Alamo.

 

[Lucius Best]

Actually there is no reason to go to the Celebration exit if you are on 417 from the airport and heading to the MK, or anywhere on Disney property. Get off 417 at exit 6 (right after the second manned toll) and follow that right to Epcot Center Drive.

The only times we've gotten stuck at unmanned/exact change toll booths were when we diverted off the main drag. Once getting off 417 near Celebration to hit a Publix before checking in. Other time was an on-ramp to 528 going to airport after day at Sea World.

 

[SeilerBird]

But then how much extra time do you have to spend driving? Is that really worth saving a couple of bucks?

I am not rich and I have more time than money. Ten minutes a day saves me ten bucks a day.

 

[wareagle57]

I am not a big fan of the un-staffed toll booths that take exact change only. Luckily I've always had the right exact change. But what if you don't? Do you just blow through the gate? Back up and try to get back on the freeway? Hopefully I'll never have to find out.

I've always wondered the same thing myself. Anyone got an answer?