How to Avoid Rental Car Toll Fees

Paying tolls when you’re driving a rental car is largely unavoidable, but you can avoid paying hefty fees just to activate the device that allows you to pay tolls.

In July, the Central Florida Expressway Authority, which is based in Orlando, began issuing free temporary toll passes to travelers who rent cars at Orlando International Airport. Travelers can download an app, register using a credit card and get a toll pass which comes in the form of a QR code that can be hung from a rearview mirror. These temporary toll passes allow travelers to avoid being charged extra fees to use a rental car company’s toll transponder, a small electronic device that attaches to the car’s windshield.

This program, the Expressway Authority said, is the first of its kind in the U.S. and in the future could be a model for other destinations. Until then, there are other tips and tricks that can keep you from getting stuck with an inflated car rental bill from toll-related surcharges.

See if there is an app for your area of travel

No single toll-pay app covers roads across the country. And some apps can only be used for personal cars, rather than rentals. But there are several that cover sections of the United States and let you pay tolls from your phone.

GoToll lets you pay for tolls on roads in California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. Another toll-paying app, Ecotoll, covers much of California, Texas and the Northeast.

Bring your own toll pass (but don’t open the rental car’s transponder)

Before bringing your own transponder along, check which brand provides service where you are traveling. If you’re using an E-ZPass — which is accepted in about 17 states across the Midwest and East Coast — you don’t need to update any information about your rental car to your personal E-ZPass account. But some other brands may require you to register your rental car with your account within a certain time frame.