AVIS etoll charges? How to avoid it?

Old Jan 15, 2019, 7:46 pm
  #16  
 
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Avis will refund admin fees if you have your own toll tag - if it bills Avis when it did not scan your EZPass, they will refund it. Did this several times with in Massachusetts.
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Old Jan 16, 2019, 10:05 am
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by KimchiExpress
Yes, this happened to me also. I think I received a violation for the offense of driving in the car pool lane without a Fastrak device or something. And in California, you cannot pay your toll online if the car is a rental. So I was once charged a big fee for a $2 toll. Cali is one big corrupt place!
I know this is somewhat just semantics, but it's important semantics...

You do NOT need a Fastrak (of any form) to drive in a "car pool lane". Car pool lanes just need you to have the right number of people in the car if you're within the set hours (which in SoCal is frequently all day. In NorCal is more normally just weekday morning and afternoon peak hours)

You DO need a Fastrak (of any form) to drive in an ExpressLane. If you have a standard Fastrak then you will be charged to use the ExpressLane, regardless of how many people are in your car. If you have a Fastrak Flex, AND you have sufficient people in the car to meet the carpool requirement, then you can set the Fastrak Flex to the number of people in the car and it is free.

(Some ExpressLanes can be free during quiet periods, in which case the signs will show that and anyone can use them, with or without a Fastrak and you will not be charged regardless)

You can't pay the tolls online on the basis that using the ExpressLane is optional. In situations where there is no option but to pay the toll (which is only the Golden Gate Bridge as far as I'm aware) you can pay online.
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Old Jan 16, 2019, 1:34 pm
  #18  
 
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Originally Posted by docbert
You DO need a Fastrak (of any form) to drive in an ExpressLane. If you have a standard Fastrak then you will be charged to use the ExpressLane, regardless of how many people are in your car. If you have a Fastrak Flex, AND you have sufficient people in the car to meet the carpool requirement, then you can set the Fastrak Flex to the number of people in the car and it is free.
What you described is correct in the Bay Area, but in San Diego you can drive in the express lanes with no transponder as long as you have the requisite number of passengers to be considered HOV: http://511sd.com/fastrak511sd/how-to-use-the-I-15-Express-Lanes
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 11:33 am
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by docbert
You DO need a Fastrak (of any form) to drive in an ExpressLane. If you have a standard Fastrak then you will be charged to use the ExpressLane, regardless of how many people are in your car. If you have a Fastrak Flex, AND you have sufficient people in the car to meet the carpool requirement, then you can set the Fastrak Flex to the number of people in the car and it is free.
One more exception, the 91 Express Lanes (including the new expansion) DO NOT support the Fastrak Flex occupancy choice. You must have a Fastrak (of any kind), but you still must use the 3+ designated lane with the Fastrak device to get charged the discounted (or free) rate. Yes, it really is a mess since San Diego as mentioned allows HOV Express Lane use without any Fastrak (in fact, they tell you to put the Fastrak in the special bag to avoid getting charged when you are carpooling).

Further, as of 2019, no new car in California can be sold without paper license plates attached. So, all of those people using the toll roads without a visible license plate under the excuse of purchasing a new vehicle should go away soon. There is still this weird concept of people not using their plates either (some sort of fake new car feeling), but that has been against the law for some time.
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Old Jan 28, 2019, 5:45 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by Erikderek_SWE
Thx. I'll be driving a lot in Orlando and the Broward-Dade area as well on the Turnpike so I will add on my share part of tolls, but as you said it all depends on the number of tolls passages (or days of toll passages).
You are right adopt the "opt-in" the leveler on the transponder is default ON if I recall correctly from my last rental in Florida back in 2017.

EK
I will be renting from Avis in FL. I already have a portable SunPass. My plan is to opt out of the toll package when I pick up my vehicle, make sure that the Avis transponder is turned off, then add the rental car to my SunPass account. That should do it, shouldn't it?
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Old Jan 29, 2019, 2:55 pm
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by IsleTraveller
I will be renting from Avis in FL. I already have a portable SunPass. My plan is to opt out of the toll package when I pick up my vehicle, make sure that the Avis transponder is turned off, then add the rental car to my SunPass account. That should do it, shouldn't it?
There is no way to opt out of the toll package when picking up your car, it is only by closing the pass can you avoid that being used. However, most car plates are registered with the toll contractor even if that is closed. Best option is to find a car that does not have a toll pass inside it (out of area car), but that is also not very likely.

If your dashboard portable tag doesn't get picked up at the toll scanners and they go to plate match, it is still possible that Avis's toll contractor would get picked-up for the plate match before your account. Of course, you just have to give it a try.
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 1:19 pm
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by rasheed
There is no way to opt out of the toll package when picking up your car, it is only by closing the pass can you avoid that being used. However, most car plates are registered with the toll contractor even if that is closed. Best option is to find a car that does not have a toll pass inside it (out of area car), but that is also not very likely.

If your dashboard portable tag doesn't get picked up at the toll scanners and they go to plate match, it is still possible that Avis's toll contractor would get picked-up for the plate match before your account. Of course, you just have to give it a try.
Here in VA the license plate needs to be associated with the transponder otherwise the plate only will be charged.
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 2:38 pm
  #23  
 
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Just to confirm coming South across the Golden Gate Bridge in two weeks with a budget rental, if I keep the fast track transponder closed and have pre-paid for the toll by license plate on my credit card on the fastrak website, I should avoid being charged the e-toll fee, right?

This language has me confused
If you do not pay cash for tolls, you automatically opt into our e-Toll service, pursuant to which you agree to pay us our or our toll program administrator, with whom we will share your credit card/debit information, for all tolls incurred during your rental and all related fees
https://www.budget.com/en/products-s...ervices/e-toll

Last edited by Mr.Nuke; Jan 30, 2019 at 2:57 pm
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 3:42 pm
  #24  
 
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Sorry to semi-hijack the thread with my question.

We rented an Avis car and was driving in an Expresslane in CA (was travelling San Diego to LAX) which is free if you meet the 2+ passengers criteria. Would this count (according to Avis) as using a toll? Should we expect a charge? I didn't think about it until afterwards.

Thanks,
Mark
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Old Jan 31, 2019, 8:23 am
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by marconess
Sorry to semi-hijack the thread with my question.

We rented an Avis car and was driving in an Expresslane in CA (was travelling San Diego to LAX) which is free if you meet the 2+ passengers criteria. Would this count (according to Avis) as using a toll? Should we expect a charge? I didn't think about it until afterwards.

Thanks,
Mark
If you are referencing the I-15 lanes in San Diego area, as long as you had the toll box closed and had sufficient people for carpool purposes, you should not be charged. If the box was open and/or beeped, not good.
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 3:38 pm
  #26  
 
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Question I kept our cash receipts

On and off Pensacola Beach island is a toll bridge. I kept all of our cash payment receipts. Is there a form or procedure to get the $19.95 reduced or removed?
Thanks
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 4:58 pm
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Originally Posted by MarTN
On and off Pensacola Beach island is a toll bridge. I kept all of our cash payment receipts. Is there a form or procedure to get the $19.95 reduced or removed?
Thanks
What $19.95?

If you paid cash for all tolls, then there should be no charge from Avis.
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Old Feb 27, 2019, 8:18 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by docbert
What $19.95?

If you paid cash for all tolls, then there should be no charge from Avis.
i drove next to the Sun Pass lane. I assumed that would be enough to trigger the charge.
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Old Apr 3, 2019, 9:13 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by Section 107
In Virgina we have "EZ-Pass." EZ Pass allows one to register multiple vehicles per account. When renting, I simply add the rental vehicle info to the list of vehicles in my EZPass account and then use the transponder as normal. When the rental is over I am sure to take my transponder but I leave the rental vehicle in my list of vehicles for about 60 days after the end of the rental. That way, if any charges do come in I can dispute them. Took only one $3 toll with I think it was a $13 service charge from Enterprise to learn this lesson.
Similar deal with iPass in IL (which also plays nicely with EZ-Pass). I use my transponder when traveling to the East coast.

The iPass account page allows you to indicate whether a vehicle is a rental and put in the desired duration. Since the activity log shows the license plate number of the vehicle, I can tell which charges are for my car and which are for the rental.

I have had Avis try to double-charge me, but it's an easy exercise to send them a pdf of my toll charges and have it reversed. Also have had them charge me for tolls outside of my rental period. Again, easy to correct. Fortunately, it's relatively rare. Out of 20+ rentals last year, it's happened once.
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Old Apr 4, 2019, 8:55 am
  #30  
 
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My wife will describe me as CHEAP as I like to save. I have driven in Southern California for many years and always avoid the express lanes, so I believe I am ahead of the game there. When in SFO I was frustrated with the tools so when i had to cross the bridge I actually blocked my plates to avoid the toll ( I know bad and illegal, but at home, I do have one of those plate cover's that reflects photo radar). I may go to hell, and if I do, I will have more loose coins in my pockets than others, lol. When in Florida there are so many tolls I simply gave up and pay the $3.95 a day. To carry that much loose change and spend the time playing with the system and not all tolls have cash options, so I gave up and pay the $3.95 plus tolls.

Personally, hate tolls, it slows the traffic pattern and the bureaucracy is costly. I know it creates unskilled jobs like the TSA agents, just add the extra two cents if that to the price of fuel.
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