Visitor toll pass

Question

Hi,

is there any way to get a Visitor Toll Pass if we are flying into Miami Airport? We will be renting a car at the airport in Miami, but it seems the Visitor Toll Pass can only be acquired at Orlando Airport. The reason I want a Visitor Toll Pass is that it covers the whole of Florida and supposedly, the tolls are significantly cheaper than if I accept the toll program from the car rental company. We are renting from Hertz, and they charge around 6$ per day plus the highest toll rate if the car passes through a toll section. I'm not thrilled about this, because with a 15-day rental, that's an unnecessary 90$ which could be spent on a tasty lunch or dinner. And not even counting toll itself where I could overpay another 30-40$ compared to cheapest toll rates. I also wondered if there might be a service that could potentially deliver the Visitor Toll Pass to Miami Airport for a modest fee. Alternatively, are there any other options how to avoid these unnecessary fees paid to rental company? Well, except for paying toll by cash because we don’t want to spend hours in toll cash cues. Thanks in advance for your responses.

Answer

Travelers flying into Miami and renting a car often face high rental toll program fees, so it’s smart to explore alternatives like the Florida Visitor Toll Pass. Unfortunately, the official Florida Visitor Toll Pass is primarily offered at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and is not distributed at Miami International Airport (MIA).

Here are the key points and potential options to manage tolls when renting a car in Miami:

Hertz Toll Program: Hertz and most other rental companies offer an electronic toll program (ETP) that charges around $6–$8 per day plus the highest toll rate. This is convenient but can become expensive over a 15-day rental.
Pay by cash: Some Florida toll roads still accept cash, but as you mentioned, this can require waiting in long queues and can be inconvenient if you are unfamiliar with routes.
SunPass: You can purchase a standard SunPass transponder online or at retail locations like Publix, Walgreens, Walmart, or CVS. These can be linked to your rental car if you receive permission from the rental company, or you can manually pay tolls online using your SunPass account. This often results in cheaper toll rates than rental company programs.
Third-party toll services: Some services or apps allow you to prepay Florida tolls or register a rental vehicle online, but you must ensure the rental company allows attaching a personal transponder.
Delivery services: Currently, there is no official service that delivers a Florida Visitor Toll Pass to Miami Airport. Some private courier services could theoretically do this, but it is uncommon and may not be authorized by the Florida Turnpike Enterprise.

Suggested practical approach:

Purchase a SunPass Mini or SunPass portable transponder at a retail store near Miami Airport after picking up your car.
Attach it to your rental vehicle according to the rental company’s policy (always check in advance to avoid violating rental terms).
Register the transponder online with your credit card, so tolls are automatically deducted at SunPass rates, which are generally lower than rental company fees.
Keep track of toll roads you’ll use to estimate costs and avoid using rental ETP, unless it’s more convenient for certain trips.

In summary, while the official Visitor Toll Pass cannot be obtained at MIA, using a SunPass purchased locally is the most cost-effective and legal alternative. This method avoids paying inflated rental company toll fees while still allowing cashless travel on Florida toll roads.

Visitor toll pass

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