Orlando area toll roads that do not accept cash? (PlatePass only)

[Lanny]

Question: How does one know which toll roads do not accept cash?

 

I just spent some time on the Dollar.com web site reading the Fine Print.  The information about the "PlatePass" was very interesting. Some toll roads in FL have converted or will convert to not accepting cash. If one does not pay for "PlatePass" ($10.49 per day, plus, I assume, various taxes) and goes thru one of those toll booths, Dollar charges $15.00 per occurrence.  I don't want to pay for "PlatePass". I want to avoid toll roads that are "PlatePass Only"

 

  

 

[DawnM]

Do you need to use toll roads?

I was just there in October and paid cash.  If you just drive thought, and don't pull off at each and every toll area, you need a Pass, but if you pull off at each one, you pay something like $1.10 per toll area.  It is a pain, but it can be done.

I didn't understand how it worked and blew through one.  I was send a bill for $1.60 or something in the mail. 

 

But I only used tolls because I picked up a friend at the airport and then went directly there to my house, going North, and we opted to just do tolls instead of go around.

[Lanny]

Do you need to use toll roads?

I was just there in October and paid cash.  If you just drive thought, and don't pull off at each and every toll area, you need a Pass, but if you pull off at each one, you pay something like $1.10 per toll area.  It is a pain, but it can be done.

I didn't understand how it worked and blew through one.  I was send a bill for $1.60 or something in the mail. 

 

But I only used tolls because I picked up a friend at the airport and then went directly there to my house, going North, and we opted to just do tolls instead of go around.

 

 

I assume that we will end up on some toll roads during the trip.  I expect that. What I do not want to do is go onto any toll roads that do not accept cash...  And I don't want to pay Dollar $10.49 a day for the PlatePass.

 

What you described, pulling off at each exit to pay and getting back onto the road, may be the way around that...

 

I read about that in the "Fine Print" on the Dollar Rent a Car" web site this morning. 

 

Hopefully, they have warning signs, before one enters those toll roads, that they are "PlatePass" only

 

We have the Timeshare Confirmation and the Airline Tickets, so the next thing I need to arrange is the car rental for Dollar. After that, the last thing is temporary insurance to cover us for Medical, etc., emergencies, while we are  in the USA. That's about USD $36 per person (plus tax?) for 7 days. Then, we have everything arranged.        :hurray:     Dawn THANK YOU for all of the help you gave us about the Timeshares, etc.!  MUCH APPRECIATED!

[SebastianCat]

Try looking at www.sunpass.com. That should show you which toll roads accept cash, and which do not. I live in Tampa, and part of the Veterans Expressway has already converted to cashless tolls, where they mail you a bill based on the license plate on the car.

 

As an alternative,you could purchase a Sun Pass transponder for as little as $5, load it with the amount you estimate that you'll pay in tolls, then that becomes your method of payment. You can buy Sun Pass transponders at any grocery store or convenience store.

[Caroline]

I have a Sun Pass for my car because we visit my parents there several times each year. There are some exits off the toll road that are Sun Pass only, but they are clearly marked. There are tolls on the road, but they are just like any other toll road. The far left lanes are for pass holders and are clearly marked. I honestly don't think it will be an issue for you at all.

[Lanny]

Try looking at www.sunpass.com. That should show you which toll roads accept cash, and which do not. I live in Tampa, and part of the Veterans Expressway has already converted to cashless tolls, where they mail you a bill based on the license plate on the car.

 

As an alternative,you could purchase a Sun Pass transponder for as little as $5, load it with the amount you estimate that you'll pay in tolls, then that becomes your method of payment. You can buy Sun Pass transponders at any grocery store or convenience store.

 

 

THANK YOU for that information!  That's cool.  Much better than paying $10.49 a day, probably tax on top of that, to the Rental Car company.

 

Excellent information!    

[ktgrok]

I have a Sun Pass for my car because we visit my parents there several times each year. There are some exits off the toll road that are Sun Pass only, but they are clearly marked. There are tolls on the road, but they are just like any other toll road. The far left lanes are for pass holders and are clearly marked. I honestly don't think it will be an issue for you at all.

 

Yes, what she said. There are a few exits, usually not for major roads, that are surpass only, but they are marked before you get off. And the tolls that are on the road all have the option of paying cash or not...the road will divide and some lanes go to the cash pay toll booths and others just go under the sensor that reads the Sun Pass. Just follow the signs and you should be fine. 

[ktgrok]

THANK YOU for that information!  That's cool.  Much better than paying $10.49 a day, probably tax on top of that, to the Rental Car company.

 

Excellent information!    

 

Yes, you can buy them pretty much any grocery store..find a publix and get one. But...they take about half a day to activate from what I remember (that may not be true anymore). They do make getting around easier, and then you can just breeze right through the tolls. 

Edited March 10, 2016 by ktgrok

[umsami]

You can buy a SunPass at any Publix.  Rest Stops often sell them at the vending machines, too.

 

In Orlando proper, main toll roads that come to mind are the Greeneway (417) and Beeline (528).  417 is useful for getting around I-4 traffic jams, but it can get expensive if you take it all the way from where it starts near Disney/I-4 to where it ends near Sanford/I-4.  You used to get a slight discount when using a SunPass vs. paying cash, not sure if that still holds. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

What the heck.  A toll that won't take cash?!  That's ridiculous.

 

 

[ktgrok]

You can buy a SunPass at any Publix.  Rest Stops often sell them at the vending machines, too.

 

In Orlando proper, main toll roads that come to mind are the Greeneway (417) and Beeline (528).  417 is useful for getting around I-4 traffic jams, but it can get expensive if you take it all the way from where it starts near Disney/I-4 to where it ends near Sanford/I-4.  You used to get a slight discount when using a SunPass vs. paying cash, not sure if that still holds. 

 

You know, I bet the airport gift shop sells them too, although I can't promise it. 

I was thinking about the 408 as well...that's the toll road I use the most. That and the 429 and the turnpike, but I'm on the west side of town. 

[ktgrok]

What the heck.  A toll that won't take cash?!  That's ridiculous.

 

Much about Orlando is ridiculous. And driving is the worst part. I do not love where I live, at all. 

[zoobie]

The inexpensive Sun Passes are really strong stickers that adhere to the windshield. Check that your rental car company allows them. We bought ours at a rest stop vending machine, downloaded the app, added money to it, and were ready to roll. It's been a few months, but I think the minimum you can add is $10, and the price of the Sun Pass doesn't count toward tolls.  

[umsami]

Oh, two other tips.

 

If you dial 5-1-1 on your phone you can find out real time traffic.

 

I highly recommend using an app like Waze which will automatically try and re-route you if traffic is bad. 

 

In general, rush hour on I-4 can start as early as 3 p.m. especially down near the attractions/Millenial mall/etc. 

[vonfirmath]

What the heck.  A toll that won't take cash?!  That's ridiculous.

 

It's expensive to staff all those toll booths. Almost all the toll roads around us do not take cash. It is have a TxTag or get the bill in the mail.

[QueenCat]

What the heck.  A toll that won't take cash?!  That's ridiculous.

 

Becoming more common. There is one in the Dallas Fort Worth area. No cash or credit cards. Passes only. If you don't have a pass, your license plate gets tracked down and they send you a bill.

[Plateau Mama]

What the heck. A toll that won't take cash?! That's ridiculous.

Southern Florida has been mostly Sunpass only for years.

 

 

Here in Seattle we have never had the option to pay cash. We either pay w/transponder, pay by plate ($.25 more), or pay by Mail (a lot more). Of course at $10 a pop it would be hard to pay by cash.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Plateau Mama

[ashfern]

Make sure you have quarters. Several of the toll booths are unmanned so you have to have the exact amount to toss in the basket.

[3 ladybugs]

We have a sun pass for our van that says it needs to be stuck to the window but we live in NJ and I didn't want it there. It works fine without it being stuck to the window. So don't think you HAVE to stick it up if that is what you end up with.

[MomtoCandJ]

When we went to Chicago we bought an EZ pass transponder from Ohio for the Indiana and Illinois toll roads (our original trip was to Pennsylvania and I got the transponder for that trip). we are keeping the transponder for future trips and because I had already loaded money on it to go to Pennsylvania, we still have quite a bit on there. Dh wants to take the girls to Maine next year so I'm sure we will use it then too. We live in Michigan where the only toll road I know of is the Mackinaw Bridge.

Edited March 10, 2016 by MomtoCandJ

[ktgrok]

We have a sun pass for our van that says it needs to be stuck to the window but we live in NJ and I didn't want it there. It works fine without it being stuck to the window. So don't think you HAVE to stick it up if that is what you end up with.

 

True. I have the kind with suction cups and it works just fine when it has fallen to the floor, lol. 

[Lanny]

Oh, two other tips.

 

If you dial 5-1-1 on your phone you can find out real time traffic.

 

I highly recommend using an app like Waze which will automatically try and re-route you if traffic is bad. 

 

In general, rush hour on I-4 can start as early as 3 p.m. especially down near the attractions/Millenial mall/etc. 

 

 

I wonder if Waze is the app my wife mentioned a few days ago? I will ask her...  If we have our cell phones on and become separated in the parks,     if that's the app, we can see where the others in our party are located.

 

We will be staying NW of WDW which is fine for WDW, but not so fine for the day we go to Universal (probably that will be the day after we arrive) or the day we go to Kennedy Space Center.  I have memories of staying in WInter Park (?) North of Orlando and going from there to WDW in Rush Hour.           

[zoobie]

Waze will drain your battery and suck up data. Make sure you turn it off when you're not driving! :)  There is free Wifi in the Disney parks, but my phone would flip from data to wifi sometimes. If you have a portable phone charger, those are great for the parks. We bring one that can recharge all of ours before the brick needs to be recharged. An Anker I think. 

[3 ladybugs]

LOVE Waze! I used it to drive back from Maine to New Jersey on Labor day and it took me only 6 hours! Some of the roads it took me on were nearly empty too! That is going through 2 major metropolitans and 1 minor one! I can't speak highly enough of it! I just wish it would figure out routes that were over 1000 miles away. 

[Lady Florida.]

Southern Florida has been mostly Sunpass only for years.

 

 

 

 

South Florida was the first place we saw it. Any of you Floridians remember Wannado City? Our homeschool group took a day trip there once (a few stayed over but it's only a 3 hour drive). and on the Fl. Turnpike dh and I saw signs for some exits that were Sunpass-only. Of course most of those exits were used by locals but that still got us concerned enough to get a Sunpass in case it became widespread.

 

True. I have the kind with suction cups and it works just fine when it has fallen to the floor, lol. 

 

I have that one too but since I don't live in Orlando I keep it in the glove compartment. I had the old big one that uses a battery but a year or so ago they made me turn it in for the newer one. We have both cars registered and just move it around depending on which one we're taking when we need it. I usually leave it in my van because I'm the one who goes to Orlando more often, but there have been times when I have the car and the device is in the van. At those times I either need to take non-toll roads like 50 or 436 or whatever (the horror!) or make sure I have cash and go through the toll booth (the horror!).

 

I live on the east coast near Orlando. When I go over there and use toll roads it's to go shopping near IKEA and the Mall at Millennia, to go to plays at the Phillips Center (and before that the Bob Carr) downtown, to the theme parks or Downtown Disney, to pick someone up at the airport, or to go the area by the Orlando Science Center and Shakespeare Theater. Those are the areas most likely to be frequented by tourists. I will pay an ungodly amount in tolls in order to avoid I-4, that's how much I hate that road. As a (somewhat local) tourist and shopper I've never come to a toll that only takes Sunpass. I think at this point, they're at exits that only locals use. That could (and probably will) change, but with the number of tourists who frequent the area I don't think it will be anytime soon. The PTB certainly don't want to alienate that huge sector of the economy. Until they figure out a way to handle that, there will be toll booths for all the areas a tourist needs. 

 

In other words Lanny, don't worry. 

Edited March 10, 2016 by Lady Florida

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's expensive to staff all those toll booths. Almost all the toll roads around us do not take cash. It is have a TxTag or get the bill in the mail.

 

Right, but what if you are just visiting?  And don't know that?

 

Ok..duh bill in the mail.  So that works.

 

 

Edited March 10, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

 

I just spent some time on the Dollar.com web site reading the Fine Print.  The information about the "PlatePass" was very interesting. Some toll roads in FL have converted or will convert to not accepting cash. If one does not pay for "PlatePass" ($10.49 per day, plus, I assume, various taxes) and goes thru one of those toll booths, Dollar charges $15.00 per occurrence.  I don't want to pay for "PlatePass". I want to avoid toll roads that are "PlatePass Only"

 

 

Are you only going to be in the Orlando area? The car rental company doesn't know where you'll be going. If you go to South Florida and take the Turnpike you might have that problem. You're not going to have it as a tourist in Orlando if you pretty much stay in the tourists areas during your trip.

 

Going north I know I can go as far as Gainesville on the Turnpike and not worry also.

[Lanny]

Oh, two other tips.

 

If you dial 5-1-1 on your phone you can find out real time traffic.

 

I highly recommend using an app like Waze which will automatically try and re-route you if traffic is bad. 

 

In general, rush hour on I-4 can start as early as 3 p.m. especially down near the attractions/Millenial mall/etc. 

 

Waze is the app my wife has installed on her Android.  I am going to install it on my Android, after I wash the Lunch dishes....   It has 4.6 stars.  My wife says that if someone in your party get separated/lost and they have Waze on their phone, you can see where they are.  You can also see other people nearby who have Waze on their phones/tablets, but they are not identified, so we won't know who they are and v.v.   You will just know that there are other people near who also have Waze installed.  

 

I like that  you wrote that it can try to reroute around bad traffic. That would be wonderful.  Also, the information about it on Google Play says that it can give information about gas prices. I googled for "gas prices near MCO" and it looks like everything was below $1.80 a gallon. Very cheap.

 

If our flight from Colombia into MCO is on time, we will land there about 12 hours after leaving our house. We are supposed to be at the airport 3 hours before departure of our first flight.  I will be tired and hope to make it out of the airport before Rush Hour begins, if it can begin as early as 3 P.M.

[ktgrok]

 

 

If our flight from Colombia into MCO is on time, we will land there about 12 hours after leaving our house. We are supposed to be at the airport 3 hours before departure of our first flight.  I will be tired and hope to make it out of the airport before Rush Hour begins, if it can begin as early as 3 P.M.

 

Just try to avoid spending much time on Semoran or Colonial or I4. Those are the roads that really get backed up. And John Young, but you shouldn't be on that one anyway. 

[Lanny]

Are you only going to be in the Orlando area? The car rental company doesn't know where you'll be going. If you go to South Florida and take the Turnpike you might have that problem. You're not going to have it as a tourist in Orlando if you pretty much stay in the tourists areas during your trip.

 

Going north I know I can go as far as Gainesville on the Turnpike and not worry also.

 

Yes. We will be in Lake County.  Very convenient to WDW, but not so convenient to Kennedy Space Center. KSC will be our farthest jaunt, unless we go to a beach (probably on the Gulf Coast), which I suggested to DD and my wife this morning, that we consider doing.  

 

The last time we were there, we met friends who also lived overseas. He'd read (apparently) in the AAA book about a property in Winter Park (?) which was North of Orlando on I-4. The AAA book mentioned the property was unusually clean, which it was, but I remember driving from there to/from WDW a few times and wishing that he'd selected a property somewhere closer to WDW...  My wife did manage to get the secret recipe for something we ate in a Mexican restaurant on the East side of Winter Park in a strip mall. 

[Lady Florida.]

Yes. We will be in Lake County.  Very convenient to WDW, but not so convenient to Kennedy Space Center. KSC will be our farthest jaunt, unless we go to a beach (probably on the Gulf Coast), which I suggested to DD and my wife this morning, that we consider doing.  

 

The last time we were there, we met friends who also lived overseas. He'd read (apparently) in the AAA book about a property in Winter Park (?) which was North of Orlando on I-4. The AAA book mentioned the property was unusually clean, which it was, but I remember driving from there to/from WDW a few times and wishing that he'd selected a property somewhere closer to WDW...  My wife did manage to get the secret recipe for something we ate in a Mexican restaurant on the East side of Winter Park in a strip mall. 

 

KSC is my neck of the woods.

 

I can imagine that it was annoying having to go from Winter Park to WDW, especially if you had to drive through Orlando. I don't want to make you feel bad, but Lake County isn't all that close either. It's about the same distance I think, depending on where in Lake County you're staying. It might be more convenient to the highways though, I don't know. 

[Lanny]

THANK YOU to everyone who responded to this thread!   I got some very valuable information from the responses.   I made the Rental Car reservation  today. The last thing is to arrange Temporary Medical insurance that covers us while we are in the USA.  I'll do that next week.  I'm planning to buy one of those gizmos ASAP after we arrive in MCO and also am hoping to get a roll of Quarters, when we go to the Supermarket to buy food, etc. for the Timeshare.  

 

PSA to anyone who lives overseas renting a car in the USA.  It was much less expensive for us to arrange the rental car on the web site of an OTA (Online Travel Agency) here in Colombia.  Everything was included in a "Package" rate (taxes, insurance, additional driver). Had I rented on the web site of the Rental Car company, it would have been much higher. 

[Tess in the Burbs]

I accidentally got on a toll Rd there many years ago. No way to pay cash. NEVER got a bill in the mail....