EZ Pass in Florida?

[BYC]

Up here in the North East, we have EZ Pass for tolls. If I bring mine with me, will it work on the tolls in Florida? I really don't want to get the one from the rental car company.

 

[bicker]

They have something there called E-Pass. It is not on same system as the network that covers the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic down to Virginia. Sorry.

 

[Tara]

Up here in the North East, we have EZ Pass for tolls. If I bring mine with me, will it work on the tolls in Florida? I really don't want to get the one from the rental car company.

No, but I've found it well worth the $25 cost to get a SunPass portable transponder.

 

[HelenParr]

Are you using it on rental car? We're at WDW three times a year, rental cars each time.

I wanted to get the portable, but looking at the form, seems it wouldn't work for rental cars (e.g., you need the license plate listed and all that jazz). I would be happy to pay Florida for the pleasure of being able to use it, heck I'd buy the big one, but I'm stumped as to how to and stay within the rules.

 

[MattM]

You cam buy the mini-sunpass for around 5$ at Walgreens and Publix when you get to FlL.

 

[Tricia1972]

I haven't found another toll system that is compatible with the Florida toll system. When we go in January (driving), we'll use the Sun Pass mini sticker.

Getting one can be tricky, thankfully I have a friend in Florida who will pick it up for me. You can find more info about the mini sticker here. http://www.sunpass.com/MiniWebPDF_E.pdf

 

[SamSam]

Are you using it on rental car? We're at WDW three times a year, rental cars each time.

I wanted to get the portable, but looking at the form, seems it wouldn't work for rental cars (e.g., you need the license plate listed and all that jazz). I would be happy to pay Florida for the pleasure of being able to use it, heck I'd buy the big one, but I'm stumped as to how to and stay within the rules.

We're in the same position. I called Sunpass once to see if there was anyway to purchase my own for use when we're in Florida and was told no. I think I'm going to try again to see if I get a different answer. Why wouldn't it work to purchase one and then call in a new license plate each time you rent a car?

 

[Tricia1972]

We're in the same position. I called Sunpass once to see if there was anyway to purchase my own for use when we're in Florida and was told no. I think I'm going to try again to see if I get a different answer. Why wouldn't it work to purchase one and then call in a new license plate each time you rent a car?

I looked into that on their site as well, and from reading their agreement I don't think that there is an issue.

http://www.sunpass.com/agreement_E.cfm

Section 5. Choosing the right SunPass® Customer Account Type.

SunPass® provides both Personal, Commercial and Rental Car Toll Collection Service Accounts.
5.1 Personal Accounts: Primarily for personal, non-commercial Users with privately owned, leased or rented vehicles and/or trailers. While multiple Transponders may be linked to personal accounts, the number is typically less than 10. The minimum opening balance for a Personal Account is $10.00 per Transponder. When adding additional Transponders to an existing Prepaid Account, additional prepaid funds may also be required.

 

[Tara]

You cam buy the mini-sunpass for around 5$ at Walgreens and Publix when you get to FlL.

Be aware that if you get the mini sticker version that it must be applied to the inside of the windshield and will not work if removed. It sounds like you are using a rental car, so you will not be able to get another use out of the mini if you apply it to the rental car.

 

[Tara]

Are you using it on rental car? We're at WDW three times a year, rental cars each time.

I wanted to get the portable, but looking at the form, seems it wouldn't work for rental cars (e.g., you need the license plate listed and all that jazz). I would be happy to pay Florida for the pleasure of being able to use it, heck I'd buy the big one, but I'm stumped as to how to and stay within the rules.

I use my portable exclusively with rental cars. All you have to do is call and add the plate to your account, or if you have a cell with internet access, you can do it online.

 

[SamSam]

I use my portable exclusively with rental cars. All you have to do is call and add the plate to your account, or if you have a cell with internet access, you can do it online.

That's great to know!

 

[JB2K]

...while Illinois' I-Pass (as well as the toll tags for Indiana and Ohio) are compatible with the E-Z Pass system from the Northeast (and vice versa), none of these tags are compatible with any of the electronic toll collection systems in the state of Florida.

That said, the quickest way to get through the toll plazas is to purchase a "SunPass Mini" decal in advance and use that on your trip to Florida.

They are commonly available for quick purchase at CVS pharmacies, Publix supermarkets, and the service areas on Florida's Turnpike.

 

[clkelley]

...while Illinois' I-Pass (as well as the toll tags for Indiana and Ohio) are compatible with the E-Z Pass system from the Northeast (and vice versa), none of these tags are compatible with any of the electronic toll collection systems in the state of Florida.

That said, the quickest way to get through the toll plazas is to purchase a "SunPass Mini" decal in advance and use that on your trip to Florida.

They are commonly available for quick purchase at CVS pharmacies, Publix supermarkets, and the service areas on Florida's Turnpike.

We purchased a mini for our personal vehicle, but it's not any good for rental cars as it HAS to be stuck to the windshield. I wouldn't want to leave it stuck on a rental car!!!

 

[dioxide45]

We bought a SunPass portable for use in rental vehicles. We don't have the ability to call in with our plate information but we always take a laptop with us. From MCO to our hotel we use the toll lanes with the SunPass, when we pull up it signals that a toll is paid and we drive off. When we get to the hotel we log on and add our rental car information on-line, haven't had any problems yet. Will be going again in September and will be doing the same thing.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

As has been stated, the $5 SunPass mini is not for use in rental cars. It would work find if you drive down in your personal car. It's a very thin, glue-on transponder and it must be permanently affixed to your windshield to operate. So unless you want to leave such a device in your rental car, this is just not an option.

The regular (portable) SunPass costs $25 plus whatever prepaid tolls you put on it. It is easy to carry with you each time you visit and you can use it in rental cars. Ideally you are supposed to affix it to your windshield too; they do sell suction cups for that purpose. It works perfectly fine if you lay it on your dashboad although officially you're supposed to mount it. Now here's the secret: Yes, you're supposed to call in the tag number of the vehicle you're using the transponder in. But in reality, you don't HAVE to. The transponder doesn't know what car you're in and it works just fine. So if you can't call in until you get to your hotel, nothing is going to stop you from using it at toll booths along the way. And in reality, even if you don't call in at all, no one is going to know. Don't flame me...that's just the reality. But do follow the rules and call it in when you can.

And as has been mentioned, transponders from the E-ZPass system of the northeast (including I-PASS from Illinois and I-Zoom from Indiana) do NOT work in Florida and the Florida systems don't work up north. They're incompatible technology.

And one final note. As you drive around Orlando you'll see some toll booths marked with the SunPass logo and some with the E-PASS (not E-ZPass) logo. Your SunPass is valid at both types of toll booths.

BobK/Orlando

 

[dioxide45]

The regular (portable) SunPass costs $25 plus whatever prepaid tolls you put on it. It is easy to carry with you each time you visit and you can use it in rental cars. Ideally you are supposed to affix it to your windshield too; they do sell suction cups for that purpose. It works perfectly fine if you lay it on your dashboard although officially you're supposed to mount it. Now here's the secret: Yes, you're supposed to call in the tag number of the vehicle you're using the transponder in. But in reality, you don't HAVE to. The transponder doesn't know what car you're in and it works just fine. So if you can't call in until you get to your hotel, nothing is going to stop you from using it at toll booths along the way. And in reality, even if you don't call in at all, no one is going to know. Don't flame me...that's just the reality. But do follow the rules and call it in when you can.

The SunPass portable that we bought included the suction cups to stick it to the windshield. It is correct that you never really have to register the car. Though if you go through an express toll lane and the transponder doesn't register, then you may get a nice surprise bill from the rental company. We went through an express lane and the transponder didn't signal that it was read, we had registered the rental car information online and didn't have any problem,

 

[SamSam]

We bought a SunPass portable for use in rental vehicles. We don't have the ability to call in with our plate information but we always take a laptop with us. From MCO to our hotel we use the toll lanes with the SunPass, when we pull up it signals that a toll is paid and we drive off. When we get to the hotel we log on and add our rental car information on-line, haven't had any problems yet. Will be going again in September and will be doing the same thing.

Great information! We will be able to call it in, so that's not a problem. It's good to see that several use the SunPass portable for use in rental vehicles. I will definitely be doing that.