The SunPass transponder is synonymous with toll roads in Florida because it’s the most popular toll transponder in the state and states nearby. It was established in the Office of Toll Operations under the State’s Department of Transportation in 1999.
The SunPass is a wireless means of paying toll fees across toll booths in toll roads, express lanes, and bridges in Florida and other states where the toll transponder works. As of today, roughly 13 million motorists use the SunPass to pay for toll rates.
Like other devices, the SunPass transponder comes in varieties – the SunPass Pro, SunPass Mini, and SunPass Plus. Before motorists can install these devices on their cars, they must create a SunPass account. Let’s see how they work in Florida to grasp the SunPass fully.
How Does SunPass Work in Florida?
Once the SunPass transponder has been installed on the vehicle’s windshield, the toll rates can be paid automatically every time the car goes past a toll booth in the state. For this, the driver has to open a SunPass account by going to the signup portal and filling in the relevant details for registration.
The motorist will need to have his vehicle plate number and payment information. The former is to add the rental vehicle to the account charged for toll rates, while the latter is to fund the account for the toll charges. The minimum deposit is $10, and you will top up the account from time to time to ensure that there are funds to debit the toll charges.
While the vehicle is going through a toll booth, the transponder transmits a wireless signal to the toll booth. The information it sends is authorization for the booth to automatically debit the toll fees from the motorist’s prepaid account.
SunPass offers its customers the lowest toll rates compared to other toll payment programs in Florida. As popular as the SunPass is in Florida, you aren’t under any obligation to use it for toll payments.
However, using it gives you access to certain perks, such as 25% savings on toll payments, driving on Florida’s Managed Lanes, and SunPass Plus Parking. Plus, there’s convenient to manage your account on the SunPass application, which can be installed on Android and iOS devices.
SunPass isn’t limited to cars; it can only be installed on RVs and motorbikes. You can even use it on vehicles you use to pull trailers or boats. However, you’ll be required first to add the trailer and tag details to your SunPass account.
Also, the toll rates charged via your SunPass transponder are based on the axle profile. Axle profiles range from 2-axle to 8-axle. The higher the axle profile of the vehicle, the higher the toll rates. SunPass users cannot pull trailers or boats while driving on Florida’s Managed Lanes.
How Does SunPass Work with Rental Cars?
SunPass user doesn’t have to worry about how they will pay toll fees while traveling in vehicles they don’t own. All they have to do is install the SunPass transponder on the windshield and add the plate number of the rental vehicle to their SunPass account.
They should also add other relevant information, such as the start and termination date of the rental agreement.
How Does SunPass Mini Work?
The SunPass Mini is one of the SunPass transponder models. It’s the cheapest and most basic model. It also has the least coverage among transponders.
This transponder is limited to toll roads, express lanes, and bridges across three states: North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. The SunPass Mini is the go-to transponder for motorists who travel within Florida or the other two states mentioned above.
This transponder comes with certain benefits and drawbacks. For the perks, you can purchase it for roughly $5 on the official website. This transponder doesn’t work on motorbikes, which can be a downside.
How Does SunPass Parking Work?
The functions of the SunPass transponder aren’t just limited to paying toll rates across toll booths; it also extends to paying for parking spaces in various places.
For instance, you can use SunPass Plus to pay for parking spots in airport garages. It makes the process much easier. To activate SunPass parking, drive through the SunPass lane when heading inside a parking facility. When leaving, go through the SunPass lane at the toll plaza.
This will trigger the SunPass transponder to automatically debit the parking facility’s fees from your prepaid account. Unfortunately, the SunPass transponder doesn’t work for all kinds of parking. Airport parking? Yes. Valet parking? No.
How Does SunPass Easy Pay Work?
As we mentioned earlier, to use the SunPass transponder to pay toll fees, you’ll need to create a SunPass account and fund it with at least $10. There are several payment methods that you can use to replenish your account, including debit cards and credit cards via cash at SunPass service centers.
There are also two ways to replenish your SunPass account – manual and automated. The latter is where the SunPass Easy Pay comes in. With a major credit card, your SunPass account can be automatically replenished.
With the Easy Pay set up on your SunPass account, you don’t have to worry about a low balance or insufficient funds in the prepaid account to handle toll fees. Easy Pay tops up the funds in your SunPass account when the balance is below $10.
Just as the minimum deposit on the account is $10, so is the same amount as the minimum account threshold for Easy Pay.
Conclusion
SunPass has gone above and beyond to simplify toll payments for motorists. That’s why it’s the most popular toll payment method in Florida. Introducing Easy Pay is also a welcome change for motorists who sometimes don’t have the time to top-up their account balance.
After reading through, you should have in-depth knowledge of how SunPass works in Florida and the limitations of the SunPass Mini transponder.