If I fail to return the transponder when I drop off the rental car, and bring it home with me, can I reuse it on a later trip if I fly into Sanford Airport and get a rental car there?
I can’t answer your question from experience but we have a prepaid portable SunPass to use when we rent a car. When we get to our rental car we enter the plate number in the app (actually I think we just take a pic of the plate in the app), stick it on the windshield and we’re set. I think it was roughly $25 on Amazon. We used pick up a visitor toll pass at MCO but this is even easier.
If you want a transponder to bring with you and take home I'd suggest a Sunpass PRO. It can be used up and down the east coast as well as some states in the Midwest. Just buy it for about $25, associate a credit card and set it to autoreplenish. Just don't forget to bring it home.
If you want a transponder to bring with you and take home I'd suggest a Sunpass PRO. It can be used up and down the east coast as well as some states in the Midwest. Just buy it for about $25, associate a credit card and set it to autoreplenish. Just don't forget to bring it home.
I wish I'd known about this a few years ago! I had family in Massachusetts, but we don't personally have a transponder. But then when the Mass Pike went to transponder only, it was a real pain to figure out how to get from Logan Airport out to Worcester. Where do you get the Sunpass PRO?
The VTP isn't a transponder. It's a tag with a barcode that hangs from the rearview mirror. And yes, you'll be charged for it, as outlined in their FAQs, if you don't return it. It’s tied to your current rental, and not yours to take with you for future rentals.
I wish I'd known about this a few years ago! I had family in Massachusetts, but we don't personally have a transponder. But then when the Mass Pike went to transponder only, it was a real pain to figure out how to get from Logan Airport out to Worcester. Where do you get the Sunpass PRO?
Thanks! I went over to Amazon, and also looked at the "UNI" system for EZ-Pass. Since DH and I have relatives in both Illinois and Massachusetts, we may pick one up.
Thank you for all of the responses. I know I will be charged I just wasn't sure if I could reuse it the next time. I will grab a sunpass pro off Amazon. How do you "stick it to the dash or window and then get it off without leaving sticky residue on the rental
This is the part I always worry about. Otherwise, it's super easy.
I got a FL Sunpass transponder at a CVS/Walgreens or some such to start off our first FL trip, and have used it many times since. The initial cost was $25 IIRC with all/almost all of that being loaded into the account, so the transponder itself was free/nearly free.
When you get to your rental, you go on the Sunpass website & add the rental plate and when you are returning the car. Stick on the transponder & drive off. Depending on the rental company, you may have to flip their transponder up into its little box.
After having the same thing happen, I started tyeing some metallic holiday "curling ribbon" around the middle of it. The ribbon hangs down a bit below the rearview mirror, and it catches the sun, which keeps me conscious that it is there and is not part of the car. Haven't come close to forgetting it in a vehicle since I've done that.
I currently have upgraded to the UNI version which can be used in several states, so it lives in my carryon and I just take it everywhere; at the moment the ribbon on it is shiny purple. (I switched bags once for a trip to MCO and forgot it at home, so I had to use the Visitor Pass. The time that took was ridiculous IMO, so I'm sticking with using my own.)
PS: If you are planning to drive your personal vehicle in Florida, and that's the only state you want toll coverage for, you can get a cheaper personal sticker transponder from the CSX Toll Authority, but they have to mail it to you, so it takes awhile. These have to be permanently mounted to the car's window, so they cannot be used with rental cars, but it's an option if you prefer to drive to Florida in your own vehicle.
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