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Old 08-10-2019, 08:30 AM
 
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Will I need a Sunpass for my car rental in Ft. Meyers and Naples areas?
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Old 08-10-2019, 09:25 AM
 
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Not unless you're going to Sanibel, Cape Coral, or across Alligator Alley all of which you can pay cash or toll by plate. Be careful of the latter, because the toll policies of the rental companies vary, and you can get stuck with some hefty fees.

Most rental companies in FL nowadays offer either a reasonable toll by plate program, or a transponder, but I haven't seen a Xponder in a while. Check with them if you think you're gonna be using toll roads or just pay cash.
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Old 08-10-2019, 11:57 AM
 
Location: USA
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I have not found the rental car fee for the Sunpass to be reasonable if you only have to pay a toll once or twice a day during your visit as the daily fee they charge in addition to the toll charge is high and the Sunpass connivence fee

https://www.sunpass.com/en/support/faq.shtml



https://www.avis.com/en/products-and...es/avis-e-toll

Avis details above as an example
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Old 08-10-2019, 12:31 PM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,087,806 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FireStation46 View Post
I have not found the rental car fee for the Sunpass to be reasonable if you only have to pay a toll once or twice a day during your visit as the daily fee they charge in addition to the toll charge is high and the Sunpass connivence fee

https://www.sunpass.com/en/support/faq.shtml



https://www.avis.com/en/products-and...es/avis-e-toll

Avis details above as an example
I used to rent cars 4-5 times per month between RSW/APF and FLL/MCO. Thankfully, I don't have to rent cars much these days since moving closer to work.

$4 a day to drive right through, avoid scrounging for change and waiting for the folks in front of you to get their directions etc. isn't reasonable?

Alamo's policy is similar, and I often never bothered to dig my transponder out of my bag to save the $4 using either one. I used Avis and Alamo most of the time the last few years I was dealing with car rentals.


Before that, I used to use Dollar exclusively, until they hosed me on a toll by plate deal. I have my own portable Sunpass, and always used it in rentals. One trip, for some reason, Sunpass charged my transponder AND they sent Dollar a toll by plate charge. Dollar's fees were ridiculous. IIRC, by the time I paid the $6 worth of 417 tolls and their fees, it was around $60. They wouldn't waive it, even after I sent them a pic of my sunpass bill for the exact same day/time. Sunpass was no help either.

The OP could buy a portable transponder from Sunpass for $20, and set up an account. That could pay for itself in a few days, depending on how many toll roads they drive on.
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Old 08-10-2019, 02:09 PM
 
Location: USA
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I just ordered it and will get it mailed to me.
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Old 08-10-2019, 11:42 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FireStation46 View Post
I just ordered it and will get it mailed to me.
If you live here, a Sunpass mini for $5 is a no brainer. We've got them in all of our cars.

There are a ton of toll roads in the Orlando area, where I live now. I use my sunpass for parking at MCO sometimes and used to use it at FLL all the time too.
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Old 08-11-2019, 07:47 AM
 
Location: USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tripower455 View Post
If you live here, a Sunpass mini for $5 is a no brainer. We've got them in all of our cars.

There are a ton of toll roads in the Orlando area, where I live now. I use my sunpass for parking at MCO sometimes and used to use it at FLL all the time too.
Thanks. I snowbird until I retire from humping fire hose. I ordered the full size deal. I think the Sunpass rule was the big one if you move from car to car, the mini dedicated to one vehicle.
Since I fly back and do rental cars it is easy to add the tag from the rental car.
I don't want to leave a car sitting in my garage when I am away. After a few direct rentals I found Hotwire has cheaper deals albeit you have to prepay. I cover that issue with trip insurance if I have to cancel a trip. Just buy the insurance well enough in advance of the trip to get lower premium. Again pre-paid too, but that is how I roll
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Old 08-11-2019, 09:35 AM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,087,806 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FireStation46 View Post
Thanks. I snowbird until I retire from humping fire hose. I ordered the full size deal. I think the Sunpass rule was the big one if you move from car to car, the mini dedicated to one vehicle.
Since I fly back and do rental cars it is easy to add the tag from the rental car.
I don't want to leave a car sitting in my garage when I am away. After a few direct rentals I found Hotwire has cheaper deals albeit you have to prepay. I cover that issue with trip insurance if I have to cancel a trip. Just buy the insurance well enough in advance of the trip to get lower premium. Again pre-paid too, but that is how I roll
The portable is definitely the way to go if you rent a lot. Get an RFID proof bag or case for it. I used the cellophane looking one that came with mine for years, and after a while, the RFID "proofing" wore off, and I found I was getting double charged if my roller bag was in the bed of my truck when I went through tolls. It's able to read it through the fiberglass cap, and also read the mini on the windshield. That one they took care of, but it took a little explaining.

I got the RFID proof bag from Amazon for about $10 IIRC.

FWIW, In the 18 years and 2 Sunpass portable I've had, I've never added a rental car plate to my sunpass account. It always gets charged without issue.

I used to use Kayak to book my car and hotel rentals. In the last few years, I've found that the prices are usually the same (or cheaper) just going to the Avis or Alamo sites. Car rental rates are really dynamic, so if those 2 seem like they're ridiculously higher than usual, I'll get on Kayak and see if they're all high. Sometimes, my usual choices are well over $100 for a one way between MCO/FLL and APF. I'll get on Kayak, and find that Hertz etc. is half that. I've never figured out exactly why. It's typically more expensive (sometimes considerably) to go from a large city to Naples or Ft. Myers than the other way, presumably due to supply and demand. Same pickup and dropoff place is almost always a lot cheaper too, but I don't do that too often in FL.

I am so glad I don't have to play the car rental game much anymore......
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Old 08-11-2019, 11:29 AM
 
Location: USA
1,599 posts, read 1,429,361 times
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I don't rent. I have a home in FL and one up here. Short drive from airport to FL home and I can leave the device in the house. If my kids visit when I am away I can update the app to register their rental license plate so they can zip around.
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Old 08-11-2019, 10:40 PM
 
1,394 posts, read 2,087,806 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FireStation46 View Post
I don't rent. I have a home in FL and one up here. Short drive from airport to FL home and I can leave the device in the house. If my kids visit when I am away I can update the app to register their rental license plate so they can zip around.
I was talking about the portable being best for renting cars often.

As I said, I've never even considered adding a rental plate to my sunpass account when using a portable, and never had an issue in the 18+ years I've had Sunpass. I wouldn't bother.
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