Topic Wiki

Any recognizable member can PM @chinagel to add their car to an account for short term use.


How toll roads/Bridges can be paid in Florida & How to minimize surcharges from car rental companies:
•   Cash when that is a viable option (many/most are unmanned, so this is often not a viable option)
•   SunPass Account: There are two options:
o   SunPass PRO – Is a portable Transponder with suction cups (transponder cost $15)  (designed/intended for easy moving from car to car). Minimum starting balance is $10. There is no monthly fee. This is linked to credit card for auto-refill.  Save up to 25% on tolls compared to cash. This works outside Florida wherever E-ZPass is accepted. FOR CAR RENTALS: Sunpass strongly recommends users log into their account and add the rental vehicle’s license plate, along with the start and end date for the planned usage of the rental.
o   SunPass Mini - Window-sticker-transponder (transponder cost $5; available at CVS, Publix, many grocery stores). linked to credit card for auto-refill.  Save up to 25% on tolls. (harder to move between cars, intended to remain in one car. some have attached that to the windshield using scotch tape (rather than remove the plastic and using the sticky surface on the Mini), and have then moved it to another vehicle.
•   TOLL-BY-PLATE: Cars not registered with SunPass are automatically are billed using TOLL-BY-PLATE. TOLL-BY-PLATE is an electronic toll collection system that captures an image of a vehicle’s license plate when an active SunPass transponder is not detected. The vehicle’s first-listed registered owner will receive an invoice for accumulated toll amounts, plus a $2.50 administrative charge, per invoice. (If there is a cash-pay option, and toll is unpaid there is also a violation fee). Toll prices are up to 25% more than for SunPass customers. (This is the default option for many rental cars). (There is a prepaid toll-by-plate option that avoids the surcharge). FOR CAR RENTALS: (Prepaid TOLL-BY-PLATE) customers MUST log into their account and add the vehicle’s license plate, along with the start and end dates for the planned usage of the rental.
•   TOLL-BY-PLATE PREPAID: There is an option to “Register” with TOLL-BY-PLATE and maintain a prepaid balance, to avoid the $2.50 surcharge per invoice.


ADDITIONAL NOTES FOR VISITORS RENTING CARS:
•   You may (by the terms of the agreement) use your SunPass transponder when renting a vehicle as long as you add the rental vehicle and license plate information to your SunPass account. When you return your rental, be sure to remove your transponder or additional toll charges may continue to register. If you leave your transponder in a rental vehicle and cannot retrieve it, you will need to immediately report the device lost or stolen to avoid additional charges.
o   To add a rental vehicle to your SunPass account: Log in to your SunPass account / Click on "Transponders and Vehicles" / Click "Add Another Vehicle" and fill out the information on the page / Be sure to add the Start and End Date/Time / Check the Rental Vehicle box / Click "Add Vehicle"
o      Several people report succesfully registering the rental car to a SunPass account without having the transponder present. It seems that the system first looks for the physical transponder and bills that account, if no transponder is recognized, the system reads the plate, and checks if there is an account associated with that plate (that's why registering the rental care can be important) and bills that account. If not, then it reverts to the PAY-BY-TOLL, and bills the owner of the car (i.e. rental car company). The system reading the plate is reported to occur with a lag (few hours?), so you may be able to register the car shortly after the first use and still have that billed to the SunPass account.
o   Per Sunpass: Also, keep in mind that if you purchase and activate a SunPass Mini for use in your rental, once removed, the SunPass Mini will no longer function and cannot be reattached to another vehicle’s windshield.
o   If you traveled through a tolling point and an active transponder was not detected, an invoice will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. The invoice will include your toll charges and a monthly $2.50 administrative fee.
•   Sunpass PRO and Mini transponders can be purchased online at sunpass.com, or at many local grocery stores (Publix, CVS, etc.. .) The account need to activate and registered with a credit card.
•   Position the transponder to the right or left of the rearview mirror. If the windshield has a solar tint strip, install the transponder at least 2 inches below the strip.
•   SunPass Pro vs SunPass Mini: (1) PRO transponder cost $10 more (2) Is designed/easier to move from car to car (3) PRO works wherever E-ZPass is accepted Mini only works in FL, GA, and NC. (4) PRO can be used on motorcycles.
•   SunPass vs Toll-By-Plate: (1) Sunpass requires purchase of transponder and registration (Toll-by-plate does not, but Toll-by-plate “prepaid-option” requires registration) (2) saves an average of 25% on tolls in FL (3) Can be used for Parking in certain locations e.g. at Airport parking (4) Is a viable way to minimize surcharges from rental car companies. (5) There are a few toll facilities in Florida that don’t accept TOLL-BY-PLATE/TOLL-BY-PLATE-Prepaid (primarily in the Orlando and Ft. Myers areas), which could result in additional fees: My understanding is these do accept SunPass. See https://www.sunpass.com/en/common/docs/toll_map_prepaid_tbp.pdf 
•   Most car rental companies (Hertz, Avis, Budget, Payless,National, Alamo, Enterprise) charge $3-$5/day PLUS tolls (at the TOLL-BY-PLATE rates). Dollar/Thrifty/Fox charge $9-$11/day but that includes the cost of tolls. See: https://www.sunpass.com/en/tolls/rentalVehicles.shtml
•   Some Florida highways have “Sunpass express lanes” (also called managed lanes) where you pay a toll for travelling in the “express lanes” to save time/traffic (not common in the NorthEast US)
•   Unlike E-ZPass there is no monthly fee for maintaining a SunPass account (NY and NJ charge $1/month)
•   E-ZPass is accepted on all Florida highways as of June 2021. There have been reports of those transponders not being recognized (post #103, #110, and I had this experience). Perhaps they need to be placed closer to center of windshield?? 
•   The windshield on some cars prevent tolls from reading the transponder (https://www.sunpass.com/en/about/windshieldInstallation.shtml)
•   Sunpass can be reached at 1-888-TOLL-FLA (1-888-865-5352)


Author Topic: SunPass in Florida  (Read 35364 times)

Offline Iz

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #40 on: February 26, 2018, 10:40:33 PM »
I double checked, seems not, but you cab get one in a gas station there.
Thanks.

Offline brodes18

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #41 on: January 18, 2019, 10:32:53 AM »
ANy way to pick up a Sunpass @ MIA?

Offline Yoel

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #42 on: January 28, 2019, 07:39:48 PM »
From fll to St Regis, any need for a sunpass?

Offline Der Deutsche Jude

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #43 on: January 28, 2019, 09:35:37 PM »
From fll to St Regis, any need for a sunpass?
No. Just don’t end up in the express lane.

Offline A3

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #44 on: January 29, 2019, 12:05:34 AM »
No. Just don’t end up in the express lane.
Do you need for the bay harbor bridge? Or is that its own system

Offline Der Deutsche Jude

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #45 on: January 29, 2019, 12:13:01 AM »
Do you need for the bay harbor bridge? Or is that its own system
If you end up on it, you’d want a sunpass, but it’s totally avoidable.  Just set GPS to avoid tolls. Chances are going with the causeway won’t save you time, and certainly not more time than it takes to get a sunpass.

ETA: just realized you’re not the OP, so this was all pertaining to a single return trip from FLL.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2019, 12:17:22 AM by Der Deutsche Jude »

Offline Yonah

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #46 on: January 14, 2020, 07:44:46 PM »
Random Sunpass Q:

My FIL forgot his Sunpass in NY, but in his FLA house, he has a pre-paid sunpass that I bought last year with a balance on it. Does it matter that his car is not on my account? Will anything happen if he tries to use it?

Offline asks

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #47 on: January 18, 2020, 11:19:07 PM »
Random Sunpass Q:

My FIL forgot his Sunpass in NY, but in his FLA house, he has a pre-paid sunpass that I bought last year with a balance on it. Does it matter that his car is not on my account? Will anything happen if he tries to use it?
pretty sure you can add it in the app

Offline Yonah

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #48 on: January 21, 2020, 11:47:08 AM »
pretty sure you can add it in the app

Update - I tried adding it online (probably the same as the app) - I couldn't do it because his license plate is already associated with his account.

On a side note, he said that he was able to setup his account without a transponder, as most of the sunpass tolls now have license plate readers and they would simply charge his account when scanning his plate, even without a transponder.

Offline Dan

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #49 on: February 12, 2020, 03:30:29 PM »
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline davidd75

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #50 on: February 18, 2020, 05:34:04 PM »
I did not take the sunpass on recent car rental in FLL from Fox car rental and got slapped with $60 of just toll administrative fees broad crossway(ouch).

I called fox but not willing to budge on waiving the entire $60.  anybody with experience/advice on getting the whole amount waived etc...?

Offline yelped

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #51 on: February 18, 2020, 08:06:11 PM »
I did not take the sunpass on recent car rental in FLL from Fox car rental and got slapped with $60 of just toll administrative fees broad crossway(ouch).

I called fox but not willing to budge on waiving the entire $60.  anybody with experience/advice on getting the whole amount waived etc...?
How many days? Most companies charge $4-$5 a day up to a $16-$20 maximum.

Offline davidd75

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #52 on: February 19, 2020, 09:01:06 AM »
How many days? Most companies charge $4-$5 a day up to a $16-$20 maximum.

I used toll road 4 times over a span of 2 days.  They are charging me $15($60 total) administrative fee for each time I used toll road

Offline yelped

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #53 on: February 19, 2020, 10:30:29 AM »
I used toll road 4 times over a span of 2 days.  They are charging me $15($60 total) administrative fee for each time I used toll road
Woah. That is indeed excessive. From their website. I guess that's one of the reasons people hate the cheap car rental agencies. The bigger ones also charge, but they charge less.

"The current rates applicable to the PlatePass All-Inclusive service are as follows: Rentals originating in Florida, USD/6.99 to USD/8.99 per rental day depending on location. Rentals originating in CA, WA, CO, or TX, USD/11.49 per rental day.Maximum charge of 15 rental days.

NOTICE : If you choose not to purchase the optional PlatePass All-Inclusive service at the commencement of your rental, and you utilize a PlatePass Toll Road, then you will be charged a USD/15.00 admin fee per toll (USD/90.00 maximum per rental agreement) plus the price of the toll and fees from the tolling authority."

Offline davidd75

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #54 on: February 19, 2020, 02:30:25 PM »
Woah. That is indeed excessive. From their website. I guess that's one of the reasons people hate the cheap car rental agencies. The bigger ones also charge, but they charge less.

"The current rates applicable to the PlatePass All-Inclusive service are as follows: Rentals originating in Florida, USD/6.99 to USD/8.99 per rental day depending on location. Rentals originating in CA, WA, CO, or TX, USD/11.49 per rental day.Maximum charge of 15 rental days.

NOTICE : If you choose not to purchase the optional PlatePass All-Inclusive service at the commencement of your rental, and you utilize a PlatePass Toll Road, then you will be charged a USD/15.00 admin fee per toll (USD/90.00 maximum per rental agreement) plus the price of the toll and fees from the tolling authority."

Thanks I know the rules by now but really looking to see if anyone has had experience getting the administrative fees waived/credited etc.. whom did you speak to or email?

Offline yelped

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #55 on: February 19, 2020, 02:54:22 PM »
Thanks I know the rules by now but really looking to see if anyone has had experience getting the administrative fees waived/credited etc.. whom did you speak to or email?
I would say that most people here avoid using them in the first place...

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #56 on: February 20, 2020, 09:17:43 AM »

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #57 on: February 20, 2020, 10:27:52 AM »
Anyone have this?
https://www.cfxway.com/e-pass-xtra/
Nice find, I ordered one and will try it out in March and let you know

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #58 on: February 24, 2020, 11:24:14 AM »
@ShmuliT

https://www.dansdeals.com/more/dans-commentary/news-roundup/sunday-news-roundup-2-23-20-flight-denied-entry-israel-e-pass-transponder-venice-bonvoyed-mlb-points-scam-drone-dome-10k-bump-cuba-trip/#comment-1450558

Quote
I worked out a solution ever since discovering a few years back that a sunpass is required more or less right outside the airport in Miami. I purchased a 1 time use sunpass sticker transponder online, and created a sun pass account.

Now every time time I go to Miami I add my rental car (and other family members cars) to the account and it just bills it based on the plate.

Can you please elaborate a bit more?

You bought this? Then before you leave the rental center you add the plate to your account? How does the system know to charge your account and not the platepass account?

Thanks

If it's not free shipping it's not worth it.

Offline ShmuliT

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Re: SunPass in Florida
« Reply #59 on: February 24, 2020, 03:18:46 PM »
@ShmuliT

https://www.dansdeals.com/more/dans-commentary/news-roundup/sunday-news-roundup-2-23-20-flight-denied-entry-israel-e-pass-transponder-venice-bonvoyed-mlb-points-scam-drone-dome-10k-bump-cuba-trip/#comment-1450558

Can you please elaborate a bit more?

You bought this? Then before you leave the rental center you add the plate to your account? How does the system know to charge your account and not the platepass account?

Thanks


Happy to elaborate.
Did a bunch of googling a few years back and pieced together some info on this. I even called up sunpass to verify my method would work, and the (clueless) rep said it would not, but it does.

Your link doesnt work, but i bought this Sunpass Mini sticker and created a sunpass account. Each time I rent in florida, I go to the App/Website and add a rental car to my account. Be sure to accurately add the start and end rental times, so you dont end up paying the next renters tolls.

The logic is as follows, when one drives through a toll plaza:
A) If they detect a transponder: they bill the transponders account (for this reason if your rental car includes a transponder, you need to remove it or put it in the non scanable bag/container).
B) If no transponder is detected, they take a pic of the licence plate and first run the plate in the sunpass system to see if its linked to an account, and bill that account, and if not, then they bill the car owner ie the rental company, who pass on the toll to you with their fees. (note: this doesn't happen instantly, so if you leave the airport, and later that day realize you went through tolls and add your licence plate then, it should be fine.)

I have used this system with three rental cars added to my account simultaneously and it worked for 99% of the tolls. One or 2 tolls over the past few years did end up hitting the rental company instead of my account, but a quick phone call got those adjusted.

Note, I dont remember if you can activate an account without having a physical sunpass? But this sunpass still sits in the envelope it came in in NY and has never made its way to Florida to be physically used.

This method with Sunpass is not to be confused with the "Pay by Plate" system by E-pass. While E pass does give out their E-pass sticker for free, their system wont work with rental cars.

If you have any more questions, would be happy to try answer them.