Florida Turnpike

[travelplanner70]

I just noticed a warning on my car rental reservation that the Florida Turnpike went electronic. I am renting at Orlando airport (MCO) and driving to Disney World and Marriott's Cypress Harbour. Would I need to be careful not to get on the Florida Turnpike, or would I not even be near it? As you can tell, I am not familiar with the area.

Thanks for your help.

 

[rapmarks]

I think the only area that is not manned is near Miami, not sure. It would be hard to avoid the turnpike from where you are, if it is all electronic, they will send you a bill with a 2.50 additional charge.

 

[travelplanner70]

I just called Budget, and they said that the charge for a week is $14.75 just for the privilege of using their SunPass. Yikes.

 

[rapmarks]

you would only need it to go back and forth from the airport. i am pretty sure they are still manned in the Orlando area,

 

[dbmarch]

You need to be careful. Some lanes are both cash and sunpass. If you go in those lanes, it will active the rental car. You will get charged for all days.

What you need to do is buy a sunpass. You can buy it online. You should get the one for $25 which has suction cups. Then when you get to florida, you can access your account (or call) and tell them you have a rental car for "x days" and add the license to your sunpass account.

https://www.sunpass.com/displayPurchaseTransponderAgreement

You can take your chances in finding a cash only lane but if you guess wrong, it will activate. Keep in mind that if you dont turn on this feature in your rental car and you accidentally go through a sunpass lane, not only do you get charged for their sunpass fee, they willl tack on a steep surcharge.

Search online for sunpass rentals.

 

[richardm]

Check with the rental agent as in some cases they use a sunpass mini, which is attached to the windshield and you don't have the option of whether or not you want to use it. You just get a bill in the mail at the end of the month..

 

[Happytravels]

Driving to Orlando area

We also have this question...we driving from Texas and we are staying at Summer Bay...we went in 2007 and I don't remember getting a sunpass but can't remember if we had tolls...I was told that we only needed the sunpass if we headed south...we don't plan on doing much sight seeing while we are here...maybe go to Daytona for a day...Do we need one?

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

You can bypass the toll roads. For instance, to get to Summer Bay, go I-75 south to the Hwy-50 exit and head east. That should get you to Hwy-27, which is the highway Summer Bay is off of. The turnpike runs from Wildwood FL (before the Hwy 50 exit), through Orlando, and down to Miami.

Plus, you do NOT need to take the turnpike to Miami. You can take Hwy-192 (Kissimmee/attractions) east to I-95 and go south, or take Hwy 441 south, or Hwy 27 South. Hwy 27 is scenic, as it goes around Lake Okeechobee, past vast sugar cane fields, and directly through The Florida Everglades.

For all other posters, yes, the Turnpike uses electronic tolling. BUT, they do have manned booths at all plazas. There are a few exits (not major ones) that are strictly electronic, but they all have at least one manned. Past Orlando (going south), it's the "old fashioned" way - get a ticket and pay at your exit.

TS

 

[Sea Six]

You will NOT EVER be on the Fla Turnpike if you are staying in the Orlando / Disney area.

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

There are a few toll roads in the Orlando area. The Greeneway (a beltway), East-West Expressway (bypassing Colonial Drive/SR-50), and the Beachline (MCO to Cocoa Beach or downtown Orlando), but NONE are needed.

TS

 

[dwojo]

You can get a sunpass online then bring it with you. Once you have the license # of the rental you can put it on the account and put it in the rental.

 

[Talent312]

Only the Turnpike Extension in South Florida has gone all electronic.

From the airport (MCO) to hotels near Universal-Disney and Disney itself:
The only tolls roads you will use are the Beachline (528) and maybe Greeneway (417).
These have separate staffed cash-booths along the way and at all significant exits.
There are a few small residental exits that are unmanned where no tourist need venture.

Check with the rental agency to see if use of their pass carries a surcharge or can be disabled.
For infrequent trips, I see no point in using a pass. Stick with cash.

Only a frequent Orlando visitor or Turnpike traveller need set up a Sunpass account.
For more information, check out https://www.sunpass.com/index

 

[spencersmama]

Only the Turnpike Extension from Ft. Lauderdale to Homestead in South Florida has gone all electronic.

From the Orlando airport (MCO) to hotels near Universal-Disney (incl. Cypress Harbour) and Disney itself, the only tolls roads you will use are the Beachline (528) and possibly Greeneway (417) which have separate staffed cash-booths along the way and at all significant exits. There are a few small residental type exits that are unmanned where no tourist need venture.

Check with the rental agency to see if use of their pass-arrangement carries a surcharge, or if it can be disabled. For infrequent trips, I see no point in using a pass. OTOH, a frequent Orlando visitor or Turnpike traveller will find it very convenient.

For more information, check out https://www.sunpass.com/index

I agree with Talent312. When leaving MCO, you can take the northern route, which connects to 528, or the southern route, which leads to 417. There are too many out of state visitors to make the Orlando area completely electronic. If you bring change, you may save a little time. Some of the lanes may utilize change counting receptacles. (The ones where you throw the change in from your window.) It's not worth buying a Sunpass if you will only be here for a week. The main toll areas you will come in contact with are around the airport. Be careful leaving the airport. I find the roads, traffic, etc, very confusing. It's easy to be in the wrong lane and suddenly realize you need to move over couple of lanes or you will be headed in the wrong direction.

 

[TerriJ]

We were there three weeks ago and never had any trouble finding a cash lane.

 

[Sandi Bo]

Be careful leaving the airport. I find the roads, traffic, etc, very confusing. It's easy to be in the wrong lane and suddenly realize you need to move over couple of lanes or you will be headed in the wrong direction.

Oh thank you for saying that, it's not just me

I've have gone the wrong way many a times leaving MCO. My goal last visit was not to go the wrong way when I'm heading to Daytona Beach and pay that darn $2.50 when I find myself headed toward Orlando. You have to turn around and pay another $2.50 to go the right direction. I swear it's a conspiracy.

Ending up on a turnpike, and/or accidentally running through a toll stop in a fast past lane with no pass, can be very costly. I personally haven't done that, but my brother did (in Texas) in a rental car and got a hefty fine. My mother has done it (on the Mass Pike and they slap you with a $50 fine, I believe). Not to scare you, just saying....

On a positive note, if you do end up on the turnpike (whether on purpose or by accident) it sounds like you will able to pay in a cash lane. I haven't been there for nearly a year now, but that was certainly the case for me (I never ended up where I couldn't pay because i didn't have a pass).

 

[bankr63]

Convenience Factor

Spend a couple of minutes to understand HOW your rental car company charges for using the SunPass. National/Alamo is very reasonable - they only charge a couple of bucks on the days that you actually use the service (for us about 2-3 days in our usual 7 day visit). Budget charges more for every day of the rental, so use it once and you get a HUGE bill.

We used the SunPass option last year with National and it was very convenient. $4 extra (above the toll costs) for the 2 days we used it. If it is a reasonable cost, it is much easier than the bother of setting up your own account, juggling change, and stopping/lining up to pay when when you can just sail through.

Update: Went back to the National site to check my facts; the charge is $2 per day used, to a max of $6 per rental (plus tolls). So the most you pay for is 3 days use.

 

[spencersmama]

they only charge a couple of bucks on the days that you actually use the service (for us about 2-3 days in our usual 7 day visit).

the charge is $2 per day used, to a max of $6 per rental (plus tolls). So the most you pay for is 3 days use.

If that is the case, it could be cheaper to use the Sunpass on the rental car. they give you a discount on the tolls if you use them. For instance, the toll I go through that is lasted as $2.50 is actually $2 for Sunpass holders.

 

[spencersmama]

Oh thank you for saying that, it's not just me

Oh no, I've lived in Florida for 16 years and still can't chat while leaving MCO for fear of heading in the wrong direction!

 

[Talent312]

I've lived in Florida for 16 years and still can't chat while leaving MCO for fear of heading in the wrong direction!

The nice GPS lady keeps me going in the right direction, as long as no one interrupts her.
.

 

[hjtug]

We had an interesting experience last Thanksgiving. We rented a car from Hertz in VA and drove to Cocoa Beach, FL. After we returned home I noticed a credit card charge for something like $40. I could not remember going on any toll roads. We did use the section of the Beachline from I-95 to the beach but didn't see any sign of tolls. The charge was from a company that collects toll charges for Hertz and a couple of other companies. The charges consisted of a few tolls and about $14 for a service fee because we used the Hertz toll pass. I found their website and the charges were for the car we rented and the same time period. But the tolls involved were in NJ and NY. I called and told them we didn't take the car to that area. They removed the charges. I could not get an explanation of how this could have happened. They did say that the toll device in the car would be checked out. Check your credit card statements.

As cash toll lanes are phased out, I hope rental car toll issues can be worked out in some reasonable way.

 

[dbmarch]

Just make sure your cash lane is not a dual CASH/SUNPASS lane. It will still register the rental car. In Orlando it is correct that you can avoid the use of Sunpass. Just don't goof up!

From Sunpass website:

SunPass Customers:
SunPass customers using a rental vehicle may have their tolls applied to their SunPass account. Customers with SunPass Portable transponders may use their transponders in their rental vehicles. (It is strongly recommended that SunPass customers access their online SunPass accounts or contact the SunPass Customer Service Center to add the rental vehicle subscription to their account for the rental period.) Please remember to remove your transponder upon return of the vehicle.
SunPass customers that do not have their transponders in the vehicle are subject to the tolls, fees and charges set forth below and in their rental agreements.

 

[lvhmbh]

ALSO, remember to gas up well away from the airport when returning your car as the gas stations near the airport are super ripoffs!!!!

 

[dioxide45]

Just make sure your cash lane is not a dual CASH/SUNPASS lane. It will still register the rental car. In Orlando it is correct that you can avoid the use of Sunpass. Just don't goof up!

Unless the rental car has a physical transponder installed, it won't register the rental car. All cash toll booths in Orlando and Florida also have SunPass/EPass. So you can't avoid SunPass/EPass when going through a cash toll lane.

Rental cars use what is known as plate pass. When you pass through the SunPass only lanes if you have a transponder the system recognizes the transponder and charges the toll to that account. If there is no transponder it takes a photo of the license plate. If that plate is registered to a transponder account, then it bills the transponder account. If it is registered to a rental car company that is setup for electronic tolls, it bills that rental car company that then charges the renter (plus the daily fee). If it is a car that is not registered in the system, it bills the owner plus any fines associated with not paying the toll. I think all/most rental car companies are setup for electronic tolls so you would just pay the toll plus the daily fee the rental car company accesses.

 

[hjtug]

Just make sure your cash lane is not a dual CASH/SUNPASS lane. It will still register the rental car.

Don't some of the rental car companies use shielded transponders that do not operate unless you activate them by pulling out a tab?

 

[Kelsie]

We were driving from NC to Key West for Thanksgiving & didn't realiae that the Turnpike went "cashless" until we were on it. We only went through 2 tolls. A month after we were home we received a bill from the Turnpike Authority for $2.00 for the tolls and a $2.25 per toll Admin. Fee $6.50 for 2 Tolls. We will be getting the Sun Pass, it is definitely worth it, especially when renting a car down in Fl.