FL Sunpass info

[Jeanne Sz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeanne Sz]

Wondering if we should purchase the SunPass deal from the rental car place. We fly into/out of Orlando. Staying 3 nights in Orlando and heading east each day toward Merritt Island/Canaveral. Then heading down to the Keys for a week. Would it be cost effective to use it, or might I be better off paying as we go? Once we hit Key Largo, we're down there all week, only returning to MCO to drop the car off and leave. Thanks.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

Speaking from the standpoint of convenience only (disregarding cost), it would be nice. When we went from Orlando to Key West and back, the toll roads moved much better than the others, especially around Miami. Same around Orlando.

I'm thinking with the Sunpass you will not hesitate to use the tollroads whereas without it you will debate it every time you have a choice.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

My last Florida experience was with Hertz. We went through toll sections of roads on 2 of 7 days. We were charged by Hertz for the tolls plus their handling fee. That fee was a whole lot higher than the tolls. If you can get the pass for a decent rate (and I don't know what that is) that may be your cheaper way vs paying a huge service fee.

[dcwojo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dcwojo]

Go to the sunpass website and look into getting your own. They can be used on rental cars.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Go to the sunpass website and look into getting your own. They can be used on rental cars.

https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Definitely get your own.

Of the last few times I was renting down in Florida I rented from Thrifty. I knew I was going to hit a couple of tolls but no Sun Pass ONLY roads on one trip. It was a weekly charge of $50 minimum and capped at $100 or something. I don't think any of the rental companies differ in this "administrative" cost or if they do, not by much.

Now, I did have a scenario a trip or so lateer where a pass would have been handy because the most direct route to a class I was taking in Tamarak was Sun Pass only and it was a devil to figure out how to get off without having one and no penalty. I don't use cash a lot and having exact change ( there are no toll attendants) was a very near thing. I don't think these are marked very well but that may be my personal experience.

I can use my NY ez-pass from Maine through Maryland. Given the amount of NYers in Florida you would think it would be recipricol but it isn't. Just another money maker.

Following is are the fees charged by the major rental car companies. If a company is listed as opt-in, you must decide at the time of rental if you want to participate in automatic tolling. Failing to do so can expose you to large administrative fees per infraction.

Where opt-in is automatic (or if you fail to opt-in but use a Sunpass lane anyway) the charges will appear on you credit card without notice some time later, usually long after the car is returned.



Dollar, Thrifty, Sunshine:
Customer must opt-in (decide) at the time of rental.
If renter participates, there is a $8.99 daily fee each day of the rental whether a toll was used or not.
All tolls are included in the daily fee.
The maximum fee is $45.99 per week
If customer does not opt-in and a cashless gantry or SunPass lane was used, a $15.00 fee per infraction will be added at the end of the rental.
Advantage, Hertz, Firefly:
Participation is automatic - no decision is made at the time of rental.
If a renter accesses a SunPass Lane or cashless toll, the renter is charged a $4.95 per day service fee plus the actual toll.
The daily service fee is charged for the entire rental period, up to a maximum of $24.75 per month, including days when neither a SunPass Lane nor a cashless toll is used.
For current details on Hertz, see Hertz PlatePass program.
Avis, Budget:
Participation is automatic - no decision is made at the time of rental.
If a renter accesses a SunPass Lane or cashless toll, the renter is charged a $3.95 per day fee plus the actual toll.
The daily service fee is charged for the entire rental period, up to a maximum of $16.75 per month, including days when neither a SunPass Lane nor a cashless toll is used.
National, Alamo, Enterprise:
Participation is automatic - no decision is made at the time of rental.
If a renter accesses a SunPass Lane or cashless toll, the renter is charged a $3.95 per day fee plus the actual toll.
The daily fee is only charged on days a cashless toll or SunPass Lane is used.
Maximum administration fee is $19.75 per rental period.
Family Auto Rental:
Participation is automatic.
No daily charge whatsoever for SunPass transponder.
One time $1 fee per rental period plus actual tolls.

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

the sunpass that only works on one car costs $5, I have one on each car and was pleased to discover that the funds would work in either car. the problem is it has to be affixed to the car so hat is not going to work for another trip. on the other hand, it is only $5

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

the sunpass that only works on one car costs $5, I have one on each car and was pleased to discover that the funds would work in either car. the problem is it has to be affixed to the car so hat is not going to work for another trip. on the other hand, it is only $5

To use your own Sunpass, the Sunpass site mentions having a transponder that you have to have in the rental car, and to make sure you don't leave it when you check the car back in.

& then there are the toll roads with no toll booths, where you don't know how much the fee is, and then you get a statement in the mail, with a picture of your vehicle.

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

Sometime in the future, EZPass and Sunpass are supposed to get connected, but it is always in future. Since I live in 2 states, I need both. Sometimes it is hard to remember which one to take and which on is affixed to the windshield. There was also talk about rental car companies charging so much for sunpasses or those without them, but not sure that was ever resolved. I'd purchase my own, the movable type, and if you register your rental car, make sure you unregister it when you are done with it.

JMHO
Nancy

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Sometime in the future, EZPass and Sunpass are supposed to get connected, but it is always in future. Since I live in 2 states, I need both. Sometimes it is hard to remember which one to take and which on is affixed to the windshield. There was also talk about rental car companies charging so much for sunpasses or those without them, but not sure that was ever resolved. I'd purchase my own, the movable type, and if you register your rental car, make sure you unregister it when you are done with it.

JMHO
Nancy

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-...30-column.html

Congress has set a deadline of October 2016 for all toll systems to be compatible. Florida is compatible with Georgia and North Carolina. And agreements are soon coming between Florida, South Carolina and Alabama, and then Texas, Louisiana, Kansas and Oklahoma.

FWIW I almost ran into one of these no coins, no attendant issues when I arrived late at John Wayne airport in SCal and got on the toll road south by accident

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

& then there are the toll roads with no toll booths, where you don't know how much the fee is, and then you get a statement in the mail, with a picture of your vehicle.

When DW and her GF first went to IKEA in Tampa, they just followed GF's GPS from I-4. They went about a mile and they were at IKEA. They never paid attention to what kind of road they were on. A month later the bill for the toll arrive.

At just about the same location, there is another exit (Exit 1 on I-4), which goes to IKEA through the Historic Ybor City district.

Things that are not confusing for the locals, anywhere, are for visitors.

For football fans, that is the Lee Roy Selmon:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Roy_Selmon_Expressway

[Jeanne Sz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeanne Sz]

Thanks for the help, everyone. After one day of waiting in long lines at toll booths(we quickly used up all our quarters), we bought a mobile transponder at Walgreen's for 19.99. I went online and registered it and loaded it. It worked great! The sunpass registration for the mobile unit allows you to designate it as a rental car, put in the info about it, and designate the date and time of deactivation. And since I like to keep track of details, I now easily know that it costs $18.60 to take the Turnpike from Homestead to MCO, using sunpass discounts. Looking forward to using it again next time I'm down there.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Good to know.