SunPass/E-Pass question

[leebee]

Can both of these passes be used interchangeably throughout Florida? Our travel route takes us from MCO to WDW to Ft. Meyer's Beach to Cocoa Beach and back to WDW. I'm hoping to buy ONE toll pass to cover it all!

 

[jerseygal]

You will need SunPass from MCO to WDW and around Orlando and east to Cocoa Beach. I don't believe EZ Pass works on those roads. Going west to Ft Meyers, I-4 to I-75 South, these are non toll roads, so you won't need any pass. Have Fun!

 

[Lewisc]

You will need SunPass from MCO to WDW and around Orlando and east to Cocoa Beach. I don't believe EZ Pass works on those roads. Going west to Ft Meyers, I-4 to I-75 South, these are non toll roads, so you won't need any pass. Have Fun!

OP Asked about E Pass which works anywhere Sunpass works. OP didn't ask about EZ Pass, unless post was edited after you replied.

E Pass transponder, NOT the sticker, is dual and also works at EZ Pass toll facilities.

 

[joelkfla]

OP Asked about E Pass which works anywhere Sunpass works. OP didn't ask about EZ Pass, unless post was edited after you replied.

E Pass transponder, NOT the sticker, is dual and also works at EZ Pass toll facilities.

To clarify terminology:

The portable E-PASS Xtra transponder has been renamed "Uni", and includes full E-ZPass interoperability.

The Florida-only portable E-PASS transponder is no longer offered; only the stickers are.

 

[Woodview]

A Simple Solution is PAY by Cash ... Just take Cash Lane Exit .......And Pay

An Extra couple of minutes to do this is not much time out of your vacation & saves All this fuss

 

[EACarlson]

A Simple Solution is PAY by Cash ... Just take Cash Lane Exit .......And Pay

An Extra couple of minutes to do this is not much time out of your vacation & saves All this fuss

If FL is like just about every other state I've used it in, there is a significant discount if you have one of the transponders vs paying cash. How much depends on the jurisdiction, in IL tolls are half price. If it was just one or two tolls I'd pay the cash, like I did last month, but if it's going to be a significant number I'd get one of the transponders.

 

[gatour]

A Simple Solution is PAY by Cash ... Just take Cash Lane Exit .......And Pay

An Extra couple of minutes to do this is not much time out of your vacation & saves All this fuss

What fuss? If the OP is planning on making multiple trips over the next few years, it makes things easier. Years ago I bought a Sun Pass even though at the time there was no where to use it in Jacksonville. I bought it because of going to WDW multiple times each year and sometime taking the beltway around Orlando. Also used it when going on cruises out of Ft Lauderdale. And sometimes did pre or post cruise WDW visit when we sailed out of Port Canaveral.

Plus the discount is a nice

 

[carol48b]

We drove our cars from Mass. to FL. and used our EZ-Pass transponder - and Fl. sent us a written bill for the tolls they did not accept on our EZ-Pass. We have since gotten a "Uni-Pass" and that is supposed to replace both E-Pass and Sun-Pass. We are keeping the EZ Pass transponder in the glove compartment - just in case.

 

[malialaine]

We live in Louisiana and sbe had SunPass for years, even bought extras for family members who come down with us. It is sooo much easier than having to look for change. Have had no problems at all.

 

[Lewisc]

A Simple Solution is PAY by Cash ... Just take Cash Lane Exit .......And Pay

An Extra couple of minutes to do this is not much time out of your vacation & saves All this fuss

The trend is cashless toll collection. The simple solution is to use whatever is offered by the rental agency and pay the extra service fee.
The least expensive solution is to get an E-Pass sticker or transponder.

 

[joelkfla]

We drove our cars from Mass. to FL. and used our EZ-Pass transponder - and Fl. sent us a written bill for the tolls they did not accept on our EZ-Pass. We have since gotten a "Uni-Pass" and that is supposed to replace both E-Pass and Sun-Pass. We are keeping the EZ Pass transponder in the glove compartment - just in case.

Driving through an electronic toll collection point without a transponder used to be a violation. Now, at least in FL, it's considered perfectly acceptable, as long as your registration is current and you're not trying to hide your license plate.

BTW, make sure the extra transponder is in a shielded bag or otherwise blocked from RF transmissions. The glove compartment alone may not prevent it from being read.

 

[carol48b]

Driving through an electronic toll collection point without a transponder used to be a violation. Now, at least in FL, it's considered perfectly acceptable, as long as your registration is current and you're not trying to hide your license plate.

BTW, make sure the extra transponder is in a shielded bag or otherwise blocked from RF transmissions. The glove compartment alone may not prevent it from being read.

Thanks for the advice, I never thought about that!

 

[gharter]

A Simple Solution is PAY by Cash ... Just take Cash Lane Exit .......And Pay

As I recall, not every exit off 417 has a cash option. Some were SunPass only.

 

[joelkfla]

As I recall, not every exit off 417 has a cash option. Some were SunPass only.

The 417-Turnpike interchange is cashless, for the ramps that do charge a toll. There may be one or 2 more exits on 417, and there's at least one more on the Turnpike in the Orlando area.

These are newer exits. Florida DOT policy requires all toll roads or exits built after a certain date to be cashless, but I don't know what that date was.

So new toll roads under construction or planned will also be cashless, including the 429 extension to I-4 north of Orlando, and the eastward Osceola Pkwy extension.

 

[leebee]

And therein lies the problem- newer tolls are cashless. We are renting a vehicle from Dollar, where their PlatePass charge is $10 per rental day (NOT per day of use) plus the cost of the toll. NOT cost-effective for a vehicle that will spend most of its time in a parking lot!
I have my EZ-pass from Maine, but I know EZ-pass isn't accepted everywhere in FL. I would happily pay by cash (I don't mind a few extra minutes along the way) but don't want to get caught at a cashless toll booth! Perhaps I'll get Uni and pass it off to my daughter when we aren't in FL.
Also... if order a Uni or SunPass, is it registered to just one vehicle or can it be used on several? It seems like that'd defeat the purpose if I can't use it on a rental car because it's registered to my own vehicle.

Gosh, I wish Visitor Toll Pass was still in operation!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Also... if order a Uni or SunPass, is it registered to just one vehicle or can it be used on several? It seems like that'd defeat the purpose if I can't use it on a rental car because it's registered to my own vehicle.

Gosh, I wish Visitor Toll Pass was still in operation!

I have the Uni pass. You can (and should) change the registered vehicle easily using either the Epass app or a browser to access the epass/cfxway.com web site. I do this on my phone while in the garage at MCO without a problem. It takes just a minute.

 

[Akck]

I purchased a Uni for our next and future trips. You do have to register a vehicle prior to ordering it (just did our primary car where we live), but it is easily changed in the app or online (I’ve tested it). The only issue I’ve read about is to not clear the rental license plate too quickly upon returning as the last toll to the airport may not have posted. That and remembering to clear it later and remembering to grab the unit from the rental.

Be aware it can take as long as 4 weeks to receive it in the mail, how long it took ours. I got worried and ordered a free sticker which arrived in about 2 weeks. Just cost me another $10 for tolls.

 

[gatour]

Also... if order a Uni or SunPass, is it registered to just one vehicle or can it be used on several? It seems like that'd defeat the purpose if I can't use it on a rental car because it's registered to my own vehicle.

Gosh, I wish Visitor Toll Pass was still in operation!

For Sunpass you can move it between cars. I think both mine and wife's cars are concurrently registered to my Sunpass. Over the years a coworker would borrow my Sunpass when visiting family in Orlando so I would add his car to the my Sunpass. When he got back I would go into my account and tell him how much he owed me. Saved him money, plus not having to worry about the cashless ramps

 

[Capt_BJ]

For Sunpass you can move it between cars. I think both mine and wife's cars are concurrently registered to my Sunpass. Over the years a coworker would borrow my Sunpass when visiting family in Orlando so I would add his car to the my Sunpass. When he got back I would go into my account and tell him how much he owed me. Saved him money, plus not having to worry about the cashless ramps

Correct for the 'portable' Sunpass (not the sticker). With the portable which is intended to be moved about multiple vehicles you can easily add delete vehicles and have multiple vehicles associated with the transponder. Technical tidbit: if your car (tag) is associated with a transponder and you go thru a Florida toll and FORGOT to put the transponder in the car the way the system works, the toll fee will still get correctly charged to your account. When the system 'reads' the tag, before processing the toll it checks for association to an existing account in case it was just a transponder booboo (older transponders had batteries that would die). Daughter forgot transponder in a drawer for months ... all tolls (routinely drove toll roads) properly processed . . .

 

[JimMIA]

Correct for the 'portable' Sunpass (not the sticker). With the portable which is intended to be moved about multiple vehicles you can easily add delete vehicles and have multiple vehicles associated with the transponder. Technical tidbit: if your car (tag) is associated with a transponder and you go thru a Florida toll and FORGOT to put the transponder in the car the way the system works, the toll fee will still get correctly charged to your account. When the system 'reads' the tag, before processing the toll it checks for association to an existing account in case it was just a transponder booboo (older transponders had batteries that would die). Daughter forgot transponder in a drawer for months ... all tolls (routinely drove toll roads) properly processed . . .

I have had this glitch a couple of times -- seriously, like two times in many years of Sunpasses on two cars. Several weeks later, I've received a bill in the mail from Sunpass for the toll plus an administrative fee. But there is an easy fix on the Sunpass website. You just go to the website, go to your account, and enter the bill number and poof...it's paid from your Sunpass account with the correct discount applied and the admin fee removed. Easy peasy.