Tolls when using rental car

[Marlyn]

I have a rental car from Alamo. Should I pay cash for tolls myself or do their easy pay thing, sounds like I get charged a rate for the day if I use the toll. Looks like maybe $3.95 or something. I dont even know how many tolls there are from airport to Disney, or how much the tools cost.

Anyone have any info?

 

[alopez926]

Pay cash. It will be around $6-7 round trip if you are just going between the airport and WDW.

 

[Marlyn]

Pay cash. It will be around $6-7 round trip if you are just going between the airport and WDW.

So as long as I have $7.00 in quarters I should be fine then. I assume I need quarters to pay? Or do they take Credit cards?

 

[Woodview]

Pay cash and keep a person in a job

There are usually 2 cash lanes open , who will give you change , + a Correct cash Basket lane open .

Pay a $ 10 & then you will have change .

 

[rcs]

You definitely want to pay cash. Use the electronic toll once during your rental and Alamo will charge you the $3.95 fee for EVERY DAY of the rental, not just the days when you use the electronic toll, up to some maximum around $20 per rental period. This used to be a good deal when the fee was $1/day. I stopped when it reached $2.95. $3.95/day convenience fee when you don't even use it that day is just insulting... just like the refueling prices they charge, and vehicle licensing fee, and concession recovery fee, and and and.

 

[MillauFr]

Yes it is much better to buy your own Sunpass than use the one from the rental car company. I bought one and was able to skip all the lines at the toll gates. No need to worry about big backups and getting stuck behind someone asking for directions or fumbling around in their car for coins. Manual tollbooths are so inefficient and I am glad they are getting rid of them all over the country.

 

[katallo]

I agree. Daily fees are high. The only time we use the rental companies program is when we stay for an extended period (several weeks) and know they will cap it at their maximum (which I think for most is 19.75).

QUOTE="rcs, post: 55263337, member: 453715"]You definitely want to pay cash. Use the electronic toll once during your rental and Alamo will charge you the $3.95 fee for EVERY DAY of the rental, not just the days when you use the electronic toll, up to some maximum around $20 per rental period. This used to be a good deal when the fee was $1/day. I stopped when it reached $2.95. $3.95/day convenience fee when you don't even use it that day is just insulting... just like the refueling prices they charge, and vehicle licensing fee, and concession recovery fee, and and and.[/QUOTE]

 

[Minnesota!]

To piggyback - renting a car, driving to Cocoa Beach (from MCO). I assume I can just bring a few rolls of quarters and be good? I don't need to get anything electronic?

 

[Woodview]

Bring your roll of Quarters or $ bills NO Need to have Electronic gagets

Stay on Right Lane & Enter Toll Booth & join Cash & Receipt Lane

 

[GrnMtnMan]

You definitely want to pay cash. Use the electronic toll once during your rental and Alamo will charge you the $3.95 fee for EVERY DAY of the rental, not just the days when you use the electronic toll, up to some maximum around $20 per rental period.

This is incorrect. Each of the rental car companies has their own program, and Alamo's does not charge every day, just the days tolls are incurred, as seen here:

The details can be found here.

For comparison, here is how Budget/Avis charge, which indicates that they charge for every rental day, not just the ones tolls are incurred.


I think the Alamo system is reasonable, and I've used it when I've rented from them, and I didn't get any surprise charges.

 

[alopez926]

Thrifty charges $52 to rent the sunpass for a 6 day trip! Tolls are covered, but still. Highway robbery (pun intended!), especially when you are simply going from MCO to WDW and back. Don't do it. I still kick myself for getting duped into paying this!

 

[quagmire0]

What a racket! Didn't realize they charged that much just to use the pass. Will definitely make sure we've got cash for tolls.

 

[Marlyn]

This is incorrect. Each of the rental car companies has their own program, and Alamo's does not charge every day, just the days tolls are incurred, as seen here:
View attachment 154077
The details can be found here.

For comparison, here is how Budget/Avis charge, which indicates that they charge for every rental day, not just the ones tolls are incurred.
View attachment 154078

I think the Alamo system is reasonable, and I've used it when I've rented from them, and I didn't get any surprise charges.

Thank you for this info. Flying in we arrive late at night, so highways won't be busy. I'll have cash on hand to pay.

However, going back to the airport might be busy, I need to be at Mco by about 11:00-12:00 on a Tuesday. If toll lanes are busy, I could potentially use the faster lane and only be charged for that particular day then right?

 

[MickeyReeds]

I also read that you should always get a receipt in case there is any question from the rental car co. or any "charged tolls" on your bill.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

If toll lanes are busy, I could potentially use the faster lane and only be charged for that particular day then right?

Right, you would only be charged for the day used, not all days of the rental.

And just to clarify, you don't really go through lanes if you auto-pay. The setup is on 417/The Central Florida Green-way is that you stay on the regular highway lanes at highway speed and tolls are collected automatically. If you pay cash/coin, you have to pull right into the traditional toll booths.

I also read that you should always get a receipt in case there is any question from the rental car co. or any "charged tolls" on your bill.

I actually use the automatic lanes to avoid this situation. Considering the cost of a rental car and Disney vacation, the $8 total charge ($3.95 each way) for using the automatic system to and from the airport avoids the hassle of fighting over erroneous charges, and gets you there a little bit quicker. Now if I rented from one of the agencies that charges you every day of your rental regardless of use, I'd behave differently, but I think the Alamo/National/Enterprise system is reasonable, so I use it.

 

[BigAlsGal]

We recently bought a sunpass transponder. It was $20 and I loaded $40 on it for tolls. We travel to Florida often and it seems every time we end up having a toll issue. We either accidentally take a sunpass ONLY exit or there's one exit that's sunpass OR exact change ONLY (75¢). All I had was a dollar!

Some tolls just feel like a trap. No more worries for me!!