It’s no secret that vacations to Walt Disney World or the Universal Orlando Resort are expensive. Take it from someone who has been traveling to the area for years: from travel, lodging, and theme park tickets to souvenirs, food, and rental cars, a trip to the Central Florida tourist area can cost a pretty penny. Suffice it to say, the last thing most travelers want to deal with is a “hidden” charge that arrives days or even weeks after they arrive home.

Cinderella Castle

This “hidden tax” afflicts travelers who fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO) and then rent a car. See, driving from the airport to Disney World, Universal, or any of the area’s other tourist attractions will take you across some toll roads. While the amount will vary depending on the route you take, there will be a charge.

Most rental car drivers likely don’t even realize how much they’ll owe, as usually they’ll be paying through toll transponders. According to AAA, these toll transponders — which use brand names like E-ZPass, SunPass, and others around the country — are electronic devices that can track tolls. Instead of paying at the toll booth, drivers are sent a bill after a specified amount of time or in most modern cases, can connect a credit card to the drive to be charged immediately. When it comes to rental cars, their billing programs involve transponders in the car, which will process each toll driven through. The bill is then sent to the rental company, who then sends the bill along to the renter weeks or sometimes even months after their trip ends.

Rental Cars at Orlando International Airport

Several of the major rental companies handle these types of toll bills slightly differently.

• Avis uses e-Toll, a direct bill program in which the toll costs are passed along to the renter, along with a convenience fee of $6.95 for each day you incur a toll. These fees are capped at $34.75 per rental month. Of note, drivers will be charged for the tolls at their highest rate, without any of the discounts that are sometimes offered to cashless payers.
• Hertz program is called PlatePass All-Inclusive Tolling. This is similar to Avis’ unlimited program, with a daily fee of around $18.99.  Drivers who don’t opt into Hertz PlatePass be charged a $9.99 daily convenience fee, and the undiscounted toll charge will be passed on to you.
• Finally, Enterprise, the world’s largest rental car company, uses a TollPass Service, whose rates vary based on the rental state and whether the location is airport-based. Most daily fees range from $3.95 to $4.95 and are capped at $30 per rental period.

Florida also uses a “pay by plate” tolling system, where cars that do not have an active transponder will see tolls charged to the owner of the vehicle tied to its license plate. Once again, if driving with a rental car, the tolls will be passed on to the rental car company, who in turn turn the bill over to drivers, usually with fees attached. As for cash? At this time, only four Florida Turnpike facilities still directly accept U.S. currency: Beachline West (SR 528), Sunshine Skyway Bridge (I-275), Alligator Alley (I-75), and Garcon Point Bridge (SR 281). 

So, is there a way to avoid being sent a bill for this “hidden tax” after the fact?

©SunPass

The Visitor Toll Pass is a temporary rental car toll pass for visitors traveling roundtrip through the Orlando International Airport (MCO). Drivers who use the pass will pay tolls electronically on all Florida toll roads, express lanes and most bridges, and, according to Toll Pass, can save as much as 80% compared to rental car toll programs.

To use Visitor Toll Pass, guests affix a temporary pass — this tag can be reserved through an app and picked up at MCO — to their rental car’s back window and be connected to a credit or debit card, which then directly charges drivers.  Of note, if you use the Visitor Toll Pass, you will need to decline the rental car company’s toll program when picking up your car, unless you want t0 be charged twice.

©Visitor Toll Pass

Tolls are often a “hidden tax” that catches rental car drivers off guard weeks after the end of their Central Florida vacation. However, there are ways to avoid being hit with a bill long after returning home. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney travel tips.

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Have you ever gotten a surprise toll bill after a Disney World vacation? Let us know in the comments below.