Feb 28, 2017, 7:09 pm
Last edit by: aztimm
Toll Roads in Texas
Wikipedia: Toll Roads in Texas
TXTag: Map of Tollroads in Texas
Companies which manage/bill for toll road access (note one tag will work throughout Texas)
- HCTRA: Harris County Toll Road Authority
- North Texas Tollroad Authority (DFW area)
- TxTag (for metro Austin)
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Texas Tollways and Rental Cars
Nov 14, 2016, 10:33 pm
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,194
Well, my first toll posted...10 days after driving through the toll gantry.
If the NTTA's processing system really does take 10 days to process things, I suppose the rest of my tolls will show up on my account in another couple of days...
The chances appear to be good, though, for avoiding Hertz's surcharge--phew!
If the NTTA's processing system really does take 10 days to process things, I suppose the rest of my tolls will show up on my account in another couple of days...
The chances appear to be good, though, for avoiding Hertz's surcharge--phew!
Mar 7, 2017, 11:03 am
#32
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Midwest
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Posts: 571
Anyone have updated information on Dollar rates? I called and the rep could only give me a range from $9.99 a day to $23.99 a day. Will be going from DFW->Austin->San Antonio->Dallas (one trip to downtown to Nobu from near airport) If it truly the upper end I am going to cancel and go with Hertz or Avis since the overall cost would be less.
Mar 27, 2017, 12:13 pm
#33
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DFW
Programs: UA 1K, AA Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 466
I just found this topic. I'm always renting cars in Texas and have kept my old NTTA hard tag from when I moved away in my backpack. I never got charged for the tolls until my last time renting a car from Hertz in DFW. It appears that a couple of the toll gantries didn't pick up the transponder, so it got forwarded to Hertz and I was charged about $18 extra. It just wasn't worth fighting over. I'll have to remember to change the license plate on my NTTA account for next time and see if that works.
With more toll roads being built in Texas, there has got to be a better way for rental cars.
With more toll roads being built in Texas, there has got to be a better way for rental cars.
Aug 5, 2017, 4:16 pm
#34
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: USA & UK -- AA EXP 3.5MM, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, Avis President's Club
Posts: 6,411
The Harris Country Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) has a mobile app which lets you conveniently pay for tolls in a rental car. After downloading the app:
- Enter the rent-car's license plate number into the HCTRA App
- Sometimes it will say that this license plate has toll violations and cannot be used. There is no way to recover from this error. Swap to a different rent-car.
- The App will almost always say that your license plate is already on another account. Simply confirm that you keyed in the license plate number correctly.
- It will ask for the ending time. I like to set the time for several hours after my planned return (in case of a lengthy flight delay or I decide to fly out later than planned).
- Once you return the car, go to the App and end your association with that license plate.
- Tolls tend to post to your credit card about 3 to 5 days after the fact.
Dec 4, 2017, 8:02 pm
#35
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DFW
Programs: UA 1K, AA Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 466
Well I've been getting charged tolls that aren't me lately.
I rented a car in DFW last summer and put my TollTag in the windshield. I got on the NTTA and changed the license plate to my rental car. After turning in the car, I forgot to remove the license plate from my account. I took my TollTag with me. A couple of months go by and I decide to check my NTTA account. I come to see that my NTTA account continues to be deducting tolls in Houston. The license plate being used was indeed the rental car I had months earlier. I quickly changed my license plate setting back to my own personal vehicle and figured that would be the end. Now my car appears to continue driving in Houston with my TollTag. The kicker is that my car is not even in the state of Texas and has not been for a few years. My TollTag continues to be in my bag with me! I'm starting to guess that they are just seeing the same rental car and just charging my account. What's the point of having the transponder then?!
I rented a car in DFW last summer and put my TollTag in the windshield. I got on the NTTA and changed the license plate to my rental car. After turning in the car, I forgot to remove the license plate from my account. I took my TollTag with me. A couple of months go by and I decide to check my NTTA account. I come to see that my NTTA account continues to be deducting tolls in Houston. The license plate being used was indeed the rental car I had months earlier. I quickly changed my license plate setting back to my own personal vehicle and figured that would be the end. Now my car appears to continue driving in Houston with my TollTag. The kicker is that my car is not even in the state of Texas and has not been for a few years. My TollTag continues to be in my bag with me! I'm starting to guess that they are just seeing the same rental car and just charging my account. What's the point of having the transponder then?!
Dec 5, 2017, 6:59 am
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
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Posts: 14,517
Well I've been getting charged tolls that aren't me lately.
I rented a car in DFW last summer and put my TollTag in the windshield. I got on the NTTA and changed the license plate to my rental car. After turning in the car, I forgot to remove the license plate from my account. I took my TollTag with me. A couple of months go by and I decide to check my NTTA account. I come to see that my NTTA account continues to be deducting tolls in Houston. The license plate being used was indeed the rental car I had months earlier. I quickly changed my license plate setting back to my own personal vehicle and figured that would be the end. Now my car appears to continue driving in Houston with my TollTag. The kicker is that my car is not even in the state of Texas and has not been for a few years. My TollTag continues to be in my bag with me! I'm starting to guess that they are just seeing the same rental car and just charging my account. What's the point of having the transponder then?!
I rented a car in DFW last summer and put my TollTag in the windshield. I got on the NTTA and changed the license plate to my rental car. After turning in the car, I forgot to remove the license plate from my account. I took my TollTag with me. A couple of months go by and I decide to check my NTTA account. I come to see that my NTTA account continues to be deducting tolls in Houston. The license plate being used was indeed the rental car I had months earlier. I quickly changed my license plate setting back to my own personal vehicle and figured that would be the end. Now my car appears to continue driving in Houston with my TollTag. The kicker is that my car is not even in the state of Texas and has not been for a few years. My TollTag continues to be in my bag with me! I'm starting to guess that they are just seeing the same rental car and just charging my account. What's the point of having the transponder then?!
That's why you had to tie the tag to the plate number in the first place.
It's unfortunate in your case, but it's a better system than the alternatives.
Jan 3, 2018, 8:44 pm
#37
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,115
Wanted to share that I had some HCTRA tolls that I incurred in July (more than a month before Harvey struck) that didn't post on PlatePass until the last week of December, while during the same rental I incurred toll charges with TxDOT/TxTag (SH 130) that were posted less than a week after incurring them.
I had to do a serious effort to match this PlatePass charge to the correct rental agreement since it's so long ago and I had other rentals with toll charges in meanwhile.
I had to do a serious effort to match this PlatePass charge to the correct rental agreement since it's so long ago and I had other rentals with toll charges in meanwhile.
Jan 29, 2018, 6:24 pm
#39
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Travel Safety/Security & Texas, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS / GRK
Programs: AA, HHonors, Hertz
Posts: 13,485
At least they have the option to pay cash there. Here in Austin, if you're on a toll road, it is all automatic. My car's GPS was set to avoid tolls when I got it and it used to prompt me to exit the 130 toll road on the east side of Austin, then re-enter it. As someone who lives here with a Tx Tag, the total toll for me to drive to the airport is about $5 each way, so I just go with it.
May 20, 2018, 1:19 pm
#40
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA MM, SQ KrisFlyer, SPG/Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,231
I'm going to be in Dallas for 5 days with a Hertz rental.
The last time I was there, the car had a sensor in the licence plate frame and a $25 fee from a third party?
How can I just pay the tolls without being gouged?
The last time I was there, the car had a sensor in the licence plate frame and a $25 fee from a third party?
How can I just pay the tolls without being gouged?
May 22, 2018, 12:21 pm
#41
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DFW
Programs: UA 1K, AA Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 466
Unfortunately, all the toll roads in Dallas are no longer equipped with a manned booth or coin operated lanes. It's all automated in that you pay by license plate or have a TollTag. If you go through without a TollTag, they'll bill the license plate which will eventually get sent to Hertz and they will bill you, plus their fees. So either stay off the toll roads or if you visit Texas often, it may be worth ordering a TollTag or stopping in a store and picking one up and just keeping it in your bag when you travel. You just have to remember to connect the license plate of your rental to your toll account, and then to change the plate again after you turn in your car. (This is something I didn't do once, and continued to get charged for another persons rental.) The good thing is that TollTag or any of the Texas based transponders are good on any toll road in Texas. If all that is a hassle, you can easily avoid the toll roads. You can just stay on the service road and deal with the red lights or other roads are getting HOV/Toll lanes installed, and you can simply just stay in the free lanes.
Sep 15, 2018, 2:00 pm
#43
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LAS - Las Vegas
Programs: Southwest
Posts: 131
If you find yourself renting a car in Texas, Oklahoma or Kansas and anticipate having to pay tolls, you do have some options as a rental car customer. I bought a Kansas K-TAG hard case transponder. It has suction cups so you can mount it to any windshield. The K-TAG is usable on the Kansas Turnpike and is interoperable with the Oklahoma PikePass system and the Texas systems of E-ZTag (Houston), TollTag (Dallas-Fort Worth) and Austin (TXTag).
With a rental car, you just put the hard case K-TAG up on the windshield and enter in your license plate information on the K-TAG website. When you are done with your trip you remove the transponder and log back into the K-TAG website to remove the rental car from your account. The best part about it is you don’t have to put up money in advance for your account. They bill you after receiving the tolls. They do not have a monthly fee nor minimum use requirement for the transponder. It really works out well for occasional toll users.
The K-TAG website is: www.myktag.com .
You cannot get a portable transponder from any of the roads in Texas. They only use the sticker transponders which you must affix and leave on the windshield. That is where the K-TAG hard case transponder is advantageous.
With a rental car, you just put the hard case K-TAG up on the windshield and enter in your license plate information on the K-TAG website. When you are done with your trip you remove the transponder and log back into the K-TAG website to remove the rental car from your account. The best part about it is you don’t have to put up money in advance for your account. They bill you after receiving the tolls. They do not have a monthly fee nor minimum use requirement for the transponder. It really works out well for occasional toll users.
The K-TAG website is: www.myktag.com .
You cannot get a portable transponder from any of the roads in Texas. They only use the sticker transponders which you must affix and leave on the windshield. That is where the K-TAG hard case transponder is advantageous.
Oct 12, 2018, 8:47 am
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
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Posts: 14,517
NTTA hard case transponders
I recently sent an inquiry to NTTA about a couple of tolls posted to my account, when I was using my hard case transponder in a rental car (turned out to be valid, I was looking at post date and not toll date).
Anyway, in their reply email they added this:
"Our records indicate that you have a hard case TollTag. NTTA is upgrading its technology, and all hard case transponders are being phased out. Would you like to send you a new sticker tag?"
I know that they haven't issued new hard tags in years, and that unlike the stickers they can't be used out of state, but has anyone heard of upcoming changes where they won't be usable in North Texas either?
Anyway, in their reply email they added this:
"Our records indicate that you have a hard case TollTag. NTTA is upgrading its technology, and all hard case transponders are being phased out. Would you like to send you a new sticker tag?"
I know that they haven't issued new hard tags in years, and that unlike the stickers they can't be used out of state, but has anyone heard of upcoming changes where they won't be usable in North Texas either?
Apr 17, 2019, 1:26 pm
#45
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DFW
Programs: UA 1K, AA Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 466
I recently sent an inquiry to NTTA about a couple of tolls posted to my account, when I was using my hard case transponder in a rental car (turned out to be valid, I was looking at post date and not toll date).
Anyway, in their reply email they added this:
"Our records indicate that you have a hard case TollTag. NTTA is upgrading its technology, and all hard case transponders are being phased out. Would you like to send you a new sticker tag?"
I know that they haven't issued new hard tags in years, and that unlike the stickers they can't be used out of state, but has anyone heard of upcoming changes where they won't be usable in North Texas either?
Anyway, in their reply email they added this:
"Our records indicate that you have a hard case TollTag. NTTA is upgrading its technology, and all hard case transponders are being phased out. Would you like to send you a new sticker tag?"
I know that they haven't issued new hard tags in years, and that unlike the stickers they can't be used out of state, but has anyone heard of upcoming changes where they won't be usable in North Texas either?