Should I get my own SunPass Transponder?

[mlggator22]

We live in California, but my son was admitted to UF and will be starting there in the fall.
We are coming out in July for his orientation and then a week stay at the theme parks. I will be renting a car from MCO, driving to Gainesville for orientation and back, and then we are keeping the car while we visit Universal and Disney World.
We will be coming back to Florida again in August to drop him off and in October for a visit and a game. Both of those times we will be flying into MCO and driving to Gainesville.

I know the rental car companies offer transponders, but if I remember correctly from previous trips, they actually charge a pretty penny to use them (like $5/day and up).

What other options do I have? I know I can pay cash at the toll booths (I've done that before). Does it make sense at this point to get a transponder since we will be coming back so much?

Any thought on this or anyone really know how all this works to give the best advice for our situation?

Thanks,

 

[bitwhiskers]

I got myself one for last Christmas as a stocking stuffer. They aren't that expensive and will ship it to you. From there I just keep it topped off so when I go down to Disney it just is taken care of.

 

[herdtoDisney]

I believe the toll roads don't do cash anymore and are all toll-by-mail if you don't have a transdponder (but that costs more ).

You can get a transponder pre loaded with some money and you can reload it, if you don't want to set up an account with your credit card. I have a SunPass Pro, but I live in FL and commute daily so I do have an account.

 

[starry_solo]

You can do that, or you can get the free Visitor Toll pass if you're renting from and returning the car to MCO.

See:
https://visitortollpass.com/

 

[CarolynFH]

We bought a SunPass at a Florida rest area several years ago and are glad we did. We drive from Texas and always take the Turnpike followed by the 429 to get to WDW the back way - we hate driving on I-4. Our transponder now is portable, so if we fly into MCO and rent a car, we just bring it with us and mount it on the windshield. It’s easy to make the necessary changes on the SunPass website to register the rental car and change it back after. Then we can take 417 to WDW ( we really hate I-4).

FYI I think the Florida toll roads also use EZ-Pass (or one of the multi state systems) now, and hopefully some of the people who know those details will post here.

If you’re going to be driving in and around Orlando, I think you’d find one helpful.

ETA link to the SunPass website

 

[gharter]

We used to use the free one for rental cars. When they quit for Co-Vid, we got ours online and have not regretted it. really easy to use and can set to add money to it as needed. Have not regretted getting one.

 

[erionm]

I know I can pay cash at the toll booths (I've done that before). Does it make sense at this point to get a transponder since we will be coming back so much?

To get to Gainesville, you would most likely take the Florida Turnpike which was recently converted to All-Electronic-Tolling, so cash is no longer accepted. Getting a transponder or using the Visitor Toll Pass will save you money over what the rental agency would charge.

 

[MarcIsMe]

I have had the SunPass transponder for years due to annual trips to visit Florida for family and parks. It is also good for the toll roads here in NC and the major advantage over the NC transponder is it can be moved between vehicles. Last year I upgraded to the newer Sunpass transponder which is compatible with EZ Pass for trips to visit my son in NH.

 

[reddog21]

You can do that, or you can get the free Visitor Toll pass if you're renting from and returning the car to MCO.

See:
https://visitortollpass.com/

I usually bring my own EZ-Pass but I'm probably going to get the visitor pass this time around.

 

[Stratman50th]

I always recommend people get their own Sunpass. We bought ours several years before we moved here permanently. If you do, get the Sunpass PRO. It works all up the east coast where EZpass works. I got rid of my EZpass as soon as the Sunpass PRO came out as EZpass charged me a yearly fee.

 

[SueM in MN]

You can do that, or you can get the free Visitor Toll pass if you're renting from and returning the car to MCO.

See:
https://visitortollpass.com/

Just to clarify - the pass itself itself is free. It’s just the piece that gets scanned at the toll booth to charge the account you set up

 

[reddog21]

Just to clarify - the pass itself itself is free. It’s just the piece that gets scanned at the toll booth to charge the account you set up

Correct, it's basically the exact same as sunpass or EZ pass, you register in the app with a credit card, grab the visor tag (the pick up and return is in front of the rental garage at MCO), the tag gets activated and license plate gets scanned on the way out of the rental car garage. Then your good to go, you'll get charged at the end of your rental for the tolls only.

The way I look at it if I forgot or loose my ez pass it's will cost me $22 to get a new one (my state doesn't charge a monthly fee for EZ pass). If I forget the visitor pass in the car it will only cost me $10. It seems like a great option for those of us that live in states that don't have toll roads or don't want to buy a transponder to use when vacationing in Florida.

The other good thing about the visitor pass is you put the dates of rental in the app so if you accidentally forget the tag( you lose the security deposit of $10) but you wont be charged any tolls after the date. I once accidentally left my sun pass in a rental car and got charged for 3 day of tolls. My stupidity for not remembering that I had it in there.

 

[mlggator22]

Okay, so I just checked out the visitor's toll pass. This seems like a very good deal.
On the website, it says it works with most rental car companies. Any way to find out if there is one it doesn't work with?

 

[reddog21]

Looks like all the major companies that are located in Orlando Airport. Just speculation but I don't think is has anything to do with the actual rental company itself. I think it has more to do with the fact that the rental garage is setup to scan your visitor pass and license plate when you exit the rental garage. Anything outside of Orlando Airport isn't set up that way.

• Alamo
• Avis
• Budget
• Dollar Rent A Car
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Hertz
• National
• Payless Car Rental
• Sixt Rent A Car
• Thrifty

 

[mlggator22]

That makes sense. We are using Hertz this trip, so this should work for us.

 

[EACarlson]

The only other concern is that the Visitor Toll Pass vending machine is only one one side of the airport the A side. If you're flying in on the B side (Delta, American, United) it's a bit of a walk to go over and get it. If you're going to be making multiple trips I would invest in an EZ Pass compatible transponder, there are many states that offer them. At one point NC was the suggested one to get.

 

[erionm]

If you're going to be making multiple trips I would invest in an EZ Pass compatible transponder, there are many states that offer them. At one point NC was the suggested one to get.

Both agencies that operate toll roads in Central FL offer E-ZPass compatible transponders. The Central FL Expressway Authority (CFX) has UNI and the State of FL has SunPass PRO. While I personally have a transponder from CFX, the SunPass mobile app is easier to use with rental cars.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I got the Sunpass years ago . I believe there is a $20 fee. I add the rental car on the app when I pick it up at the airport. It's very easy. My son did leave it once in the rental car so we did have to deactivate it and purchase another one.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We have one. We pack it in our carry on and attach it when we pick up the car. No worrying about avoiding tolls or getting ripped off by the car rental companies!

 

[Drewsdad]

Yes, our son didn’t get one and didn’t tell us. We got the bills because his car was registered here..