how much cash for a week?

[isabellea]

We also have a SunPass that we bought at a CVS. Really worth it imo and if one day you want to take the FL turnpike south to FLL, you absolutely need the SunPass since they have no toll booths and will send you a big fine if you get on it without one. My uncle had the bad surprise a few years ago, I think it was 50$. They will send you a fine based on your license plate but I don't believe they have a pay per plate option like the 407, even with an administration fee (might have changed but last time we took that stretch of the FL turnpike it wasn't an option).

 

[morrik5]

Except that on the SunPass section, the tolls are about 60% of the cash tolls (the 417 is run by two different tolling authorities, but they have pass interchangeability) so the SunPass discount only applies on their two sections at the North and South end, the middle section is run by E-Pass (Central Florida Toll Authority) and does not discount. Total cost for 2 axles is around $6 for the entire length of the route. A $1.00 cash toll on the SunPass stretch is only $0.54 for transponder. So you make up the cost of the transponder very quickly. Not sure what you mean by an administration fee? There is no admin fee for the transponder, aside from the cost of transponder itself. There are admin fees if you are doing toll by plate without a transponder, but that is a very different kettle of fish.

ETA: Have been using SunPass for about 4 years now and have never paid any admin fees. I recovered the cost of the transponder on my first trip through the toll savings (not to mention the time savings of sailing through the toll plazas at 65MPH).

Thanks for the explanation, in administration fee I was referring to the TOLL-BY-PLATE which charges an $2.50 administrative charge on top of the monthly bill. We wouldn't be using a transponder or SunPass on this trip.

 

[Lexx1214]

DH and I will bring about $200 cash for the trip. We will mostly use this for tolls, small purchase like drinks and snacks and road trip food. Spending money will come out of our US account with our debit cards. Granted we have one shopping day planned to hit up the outlets and a few stores we don’t have up here so we are planning a bigger spending budget.

 

[bankr63]

Just back from a week. My wallet is US$12 lighter than when I left.

Tolls were about US$13 for riding 417 from end to end two times.

 

[DavidL]

We went to Universal and Disney this month. The first day we arrived at Universal Studios, the credit card system was completely down. I was happy to have a couple hundred dollars in my wallet to do the purchases that day. I was surprised that Universal didn't have a "floor limit" where cards would automatically approve while the system was down.

 

[Mumketeer]

Use an RFID protector for your cards. 2 months after we got home there were charges on my card for places I was never at in Florida. MC took care of it so we weren't out, so we try to be really careful and keep all receipts.

 

[starvenger]

Use an RFID protector for your cards. 2 months after we got home there were charges on my card for places I was never at in Florida. MC took care of it so we weren't out, so we try to be really careful and keep all receipts.

RFID skimming is a bit of an urban myth. It's much more likely that your card numbers were acquired through other means, like bad old-fashioned mag stripe skimming or db hacking.

With that said, RFID protectors are great for commuting, as I can keep my credit cards from interfering with my PRESTO card.

Also, I have to say that MC has been very good at spotting card fraud, as they often lock down my card before I even know it's been compromised.

 

[Mumketeer]

We have no idea where it happened. She never used her card and we used our magic bands. It all ended well though it was clear it wasn't her charges as we weren't even in the U.S when the purchases were made. 2 for a gas station and one for a Drugstore. We didn't have a rental. Can't change anything about while you are there just make sure to keep track of all your statements after. She is young so she was very upset and I guess this message is more for the young travellers out there. Older people usually can handle this stuff but she was very worried that she would have to pay it.

 

[starvenger]

Agreed. Harder on folks who are younger and/or have never had this happen before.

It could be a coincidence that it was in Florida, you never know. When my card was compromised earlier this year it showed charges from a store in Ottawa, where I haven't been to for around 9 years. And I'm still not sure when they managed to get the number.