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
#16
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AS, BA, AA
Posts: 3,670
Hmmm...
Now I need to double check. I called the rental car company (Enterprise in this case) before I got on the toll road, and they said that the ZipCash bill would just be charged directly to my CC. I asked, "So I'll only be billed for the toll amount?" and they said yes. I will be ticked if there is an additional fee.
Now I need to double check. I called the rental car company (Enterprise in this case) before I got on the toll road, and they said that the ZipCash bill would just be charged directly to my CC. I asked, "So I'll only be billed for the toll amount?" and they said yes. I will be ticked if there is an additional fee.
#17
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: DFW
Programs: UA 1K, HH Diamond, AA PLT, DL Silver
Posts: 427
Hmmm...
Now I need to double check. I called the rental car company (Enterprise in this case) before I got on the toll road, and they said that the ZipCash bill would just be charged directly to my CC. I asked, "So I'll only be billed for the toll amount?" and they said yes. I will be ticked if there is an additional fee.
Now I need to double check. I called the rental car company (Enterprise in this case) before I got on the toll road, and they said that the ZipCash bill would just be charged directly to my CC. I asked, "So I'll only be billed for the toll amount?" and they said yes. I will be ticked if there is an additional fee.
Despite living and driving around Dallas, any rental car that I've ever used down in Houston which I've driven on toll roads has seen the toll amounts only billed to my credit card, via Enterprise, as a seperate item from the actual rental.
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 20,404
Are there any more recent experiences with this?
I have to visit Houston more often than I'd like, and they make it so hard to drive on their toll roads.
Hertz ripped all tags out of their cars nationwide since their big lawsuit last year.
I'd be willing to get my own tag and use it in rentals, but that's supposedly not allowed, and even worse, if I drive through and the tag doesn't get scanned, it becomes a fine.
All I want to do is drive on a better road and give $$$ to the state of Texas!
I have to visit Houston more often than I'd like, and they make it so hard to drive on their toll roads.
Hertz ripped all tags out of their cars nationwide since their big lawsuit last year.
I'd be willing to get my own tag and use it in rentals, but that's supposedly not allowed, and even worse, if I drive through and the tag doesn't get scanned, it becomes a fine.
All I want to do is drive on a better road and give $$$ to the state of Texas!
#24
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EP 3MM, UA Silver, Bonvoy LT TIT, Hyatt Explorist, HH Silver, Caesars PLT
Posts: 7,259
#25
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
I keep the TxTag in my backpack and brought it out on a recent trip to AUS. Held it up to the windshield on several tolls in the AUS/Lockhart area. Tolls never got debited from my TxTag account (it's been about five days). They also aren't showing up on the toll website's "pay by plate" function. Hopefully Hertz's fees are only a bit ridiculous instead of completely ludicrous, I guess.
#26
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Travel Safety/Security & Texas, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS / GRK
Programs: AA, HHonors, Hertz
Posts: 13,485
This is what I did last time I was in DFW (last March) and it worked just fine.
I keep the TxTag in my backpack and brought it out on a recent trip to AUS. Held it up to the windshield on several tolls in the AUS/Lockhart area. Tolls never got debited from my TxTag account (it's been about five days). They also aren't showing up on the toll website's "pay by plate" function. Hopefully Hertz's fees are only a bit ridiculous instead of completely ludicrous, I guess.
I keep the TxTag in my backpack and brought it out on a recent trip to AUS. Held it up to the windshield on several tolls in the AUS/Lockhart area. Tolls never got debited from my TxTag account (it's been about five days). They also aren't showing up on the toll website's "pay by plate" function. Hopefully Hertz's fees are only a bit ridiculous instead of completely ludicrous, I guess.
That said, if you get charged through a rental car, I would expect a flat charge of $15-30, depending how much you used it.
For a $4 charge in Houston, I was charged $15 through Hertz, but at least that was paid by work.
#27
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
A friend of mine is a local cop, and that PD uses the Dallas area toll tags because they allow more flexibility on which vehicles they can be used in, not a 1-1 with vehicle like TxTag. And any toll tag from Texas works throughout the system, so a Dallas or Houston version will work in Austin.
That said, if you get charged through a rental car, I would expect a flat charge of $15-30, depending how much you used it.
For a $4 charge in Houston, I was charged $15 through Hertz, but at least that was paid by work.
That said, if you get charged through a rental car, I would expect a flat charge of $15-30, depending how much you used it.
For a $4 charge in Houston, I was charged $15 through Hertz, but at least that was paid by work.
Hopefully the charges for a 7-day rental aren't obscene.
#28
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Travel Safety/Security & Texas, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS / GRK
Programs: AA, HHonors, Hertz
Posts: 13,485
Charges would depend on how much you used the toll roads.
For me to drive from home to airport is about $5 on my TxTag (the 45 from the I-35 to 130, then the 130 down to the 71). I'd bet Hertz would charge me $25-30 for that.
#29
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
From what I've heard, NTTA still should do this, but I'll have to check when I'm back. If not, then that's bad news.
Charges would depend on how much you used the toll roads.
For me to drive from home to airport is about $5 on my TxTag (the 45 from the I-35 to 130, then the 130 down to the 71). I'd bet Hertz would charge me $25-30 for that.
Charges would depend on how much you used the toll roads.
For me to drive from home to airport is about $5 on my TxTag (the 45 from the I-35 to 130, then the 130 down to the 71). I'd bet Hertz would charge me $25-30 for that.
I don't know the exact amount of tolls we passed through, but I'd estimate that it's no more than $5-8(and probably less). If Hertz (or PlatePass or whomever they contract with) charges a reasonable daily fee and a not-too-obscene surcharge, it's probably OK. If they're charging $10/day, though, then I'm looking at $70 for the week-long rental, which would be very annoying to pay.
ETA: I see now that PlatePass is the provider for Texas rentals, too, here. So we're probably looking at $25 in service fees plus $12 or so in toll charges. That's not optimal but better than $70.