Even before COVID caused prices to go through the roof, car rental companies had a bajillion add ons. Some were big, some small, some were needed, some not, but they could really skyrocket the cost of even the best “good deal.”
Case in point, toll transponders.
Most states have at least some toll roads. Some of those roads in some states offer payment with cash, but others only allow electronic payment. Either way, nowadays you pay either with a transponder (such as E-ZPass), or some states have a “Bill By Plate” system wherein the toll plaza records your license plate number and a bill is sent to whoever the car is registered to.
For years, car rental companies have used tolls as a means to upcharge their customers. Here’s what you can expect to pay in extra fees if you rent a car in Central Florida.
Fortunately, E-PASS, which is one of the prepaid toll programs in the Sunshine State, along with the Central Florida Expressway Authority (they’re in charge of several roads in the greater Orlando area, including at least two that tourists may be familiar with, the 417 and the 528) have invented something called Visitor Toll Pass and it should allow tourists to refuse rental car companies’ toll payment options.
The new thing is called Visitor Toll Pass.
You may be saying, “Hey, that isn’t new! Didn’t they have that back in 2019?” Yep, they sure did – here’s what we wrote about it at the time: “Renting A Car at MCO? Here’s A New Way To Save A Ton On Your Car Rental Bill.”
At the time, Visitor Toll Pass was a pilot program billed as a new automated toll payment solution for select visitors to Florida traveling between May 1, 2019 and July 30, 2020 (it had originally been through August 31, 2019 but was extended) and renting a car from the Orlando International Airport.
The program had been well received but when COVID hit and everything shut down in March 2020, so did the Visitor Toll Pass pilot program (and no wonder, really – the system included talking to someone at their Visitor Toll Pass counter, plus the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s offices were closed for a time, PLUS, let’s face it…hardly anyone was coming to Central Florida).
Things are looking better now in terms of COVID, and suddenly the Visitor Toll Pass website is showing signs of life, with a brand-new COMING SOON notification!
Coming Soon.
Travel Smarter with Visitor Toll Pass
The smart alternative to costly rental car toll programs, Visitor Toll Pass is a FREE temporary toll pass for rental car customers traveling roundtrip through the Orlando International Airport. With Visitor Toll Pass, you always pay the lowest toll rate throughout Florida with no hidden or extra fees.
Their FAQ even gives an idea of how it will all run.
It looks as if there have been some changes to the system since the pilot program – it will now be app-based (Apple & Google flavored) instead of “make a reservation on our website” and instead of a manned kiosk at the airport, there’s apparently going to be a vending machine on the same level as the rental car counters.
Visitor Toll Pass will save tourists on their rental car bill in two ways. Not only will they be able to refuse whatever crazy expensive toll payment system their rental car company is using (as long as it’s Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, E-Z Rent A Car, Hertz, National or Payless) but they’ll also get to pay the cheapest rate possible on each toll incurred (in June 2020, prices for some toll roads DOUBLED if you were paying by plate, which is how many of the car rental companies operate). Just make sure to not go into the luxury lanes that are soon opening in Orlando (they’re under construction on both the 528 and I-4, so far) – there’s no money savings there!
You may have recently read that E-ZPass can now be used throughout Florida. If you typically use an E-Z Pass, you’ll still be able to use that instead of a Visitor Pass – just make sure to contact your local E-ZPass provider so you can add your rental car to your account.
Visitor Toll Pass is currently labeled as “Coming Soon” but as soon as it’s “open for business,” we’ll let you know!
Feature Photo (cropped): qwesy qwesy / wikimedia
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
4 comments
We used the Visitor Toll Pass in 2019 and it was wonderful!
It’s not California, nobody refers to them as THE 528 and THE 417, just 528 and 417 or the Beechline nee Beeline and Greenway.
It’s not just California. I grew up in NYC and have lived in Florida for almost 20 years. I live 1.5 mile from the THE 417 and 5 from THE 528 and yes, that’s what I call them.
Growing up, the Long Island Expressway was always referred to as “the ‘L.I.E.”.
As an undergrad in Chicago, I caught on pretty quick that they call expressways and toll roads prefaced with a “the” – the Edens, the Tri-State, the Kennedy, the Eisenhower, etc. and not usually with a number.
Even though in southern California, it’s common to hear the word “the” in front of the freeway number (the 5, the 405, the 118, the 55, the 73, etc.) – I don’t believe it’s just southern California where one will hear “the” front of the freeway/expressway/toll road number/name.
Probably has to do with the dialect and vernacular of the area. Gym Shoe vs. Tennis Shoe, Soda vs. Pop, etc. I didn’t know what “pop” was until I went to school in Chicago. Later, I discovered they commonly call soda “pop” in upstate New York around the Rochester and Buffalo areas – but their dialect also sounds closer to Chicago than of New York City.
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