Travel

[gracie2014]

@Lilysmom I am pretty sure you can purchase a sticker...no longer need the transponder.

[gracie2014]

@Lilysmom Yes, it works in Florida.

[FranandZoe]

Cash works - we were just in FLA last week and week before.  When you rent a car at Tampa Airport they push the Sun Pass - would have you think that cash is not accepted.

[Lilysmom]

@FranandZoe@gracie2014 et al, thanks for this.  We usually use cash at the tolls but I read somewhere they are phasing out cash.

We are travelling from Tampa Airport to Venice area.  I know from @FrostyBabe1 and @I am still oxox that I can get over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge with cash.  

We are planning to go near Fort Myers as well.  I know there is a toll there.  Can I use cash I wonder?

I would like to buy e-z pass if we can move it from vehicle to vehicle as we travel annually in the northeast as well ... Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts area.

The car rental companies are really pushing these electronic passes but they way overcharge for use.  If we decide not to use that, we have to decline at the rental kiosk.

So, two questions.  1.  Can we decline use in Florida and pay cash?  Secondly, if we buy e-z pass can we use it in northeast and Florida as well?

Thanks in advance!  LM

[FrostyBabe1]

@Lilysmom, you can certainly decline the use of the electronic pass when you pick up your rental car and just pay cash. I do it all the time. If you're only going to go over the Skyway on your way to-from the airport it'll be significantly cheaper. The last I recall, Avis charged a $3 per day convenience fee, plus the actual tolls incurred. I rent for upwards of 5-6 weeks at a time when I'm in Florida, so paying cash is definitely the right choice for me for the few times I go over the bridge. 

If if you haven't purchased your airfare yet, have you checked into flying into Sarasota rather than Tampa? It's much closer to Venice and you can avoid the Skyway altogether. 

[Lilysmom]

@FrostyBabe1, I really appreciate the feedback.  The flight schedule to Tampa is better for us.  We can fly direct.  We have travelled this route for many years.  I used to fly into Ft. Myers but the connections from my home airport are limited and if you get into a weather situation, there are not many alternatives to Fort Myers.  Although a little longer drive, we prefer Tampa for those reasons.

I am happy to hear that we can still use cash at the tolls.  The rental car companies, as you know, are notorious for markup.  Their rate to use their pass is either 4 or 5$ per toll to a maximum of $20 per week I think.

I am going to look at buying an e-z pass I think.  More for the northeast than Florida.  Some times it seems like there is a toll every ten miles in Maine/New Hampshire.

Thanks again for the feedback.  LM

[FranandZoe]

We drove to Ft. Myers a few years ago - don't remember the details of the tolls but I know we've always used cash.  

[Lilysmom]

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Just back from Florida.  Paid cash on Sunshine Skyway.  Went to Ft. Myers but encountered no tolls.  No charges for  use of the transponder.  LM

[VaBelle35]

I have a Virginia EZ Pass and it does not work in Florida.

When I went to Florida for a wedding, we rented a car and because I couldn't use my EZ Pass transponder in Florida, I purchased a Sun Pass online before I left and declined the Sun Pass through the rental car agency.  

I used the Sun Pass to travel from Miami to Key West and back.  I returned the Sun Pass and got a refund after.

[Lilysmom]

@VaBelle35, interesting!  We rent from Budget usually and did this trip.  I told DH who collected the car to decline the transponder.  They absolutely said no way.  There was no ability to refuse.

As stated in my earlier report, we only paid cash at Sunshine Skyway and never used any other tolls so it was not an issue.  

That is not what they told me when I called Budget before we left.  They said we could decline.  Not so at the counter.  LM