This Device Can Help You Avoid an Annoying Car Rental Fee – Technologist

Traveling can be an expensive endeavor these days no matter whether it’s via plane, train or automobile. Speaking of the latter, money expert Clark Howard says he’s figured out a high-tech way to save money on road trips.

His inspiration comes from renting vehicles for his frequent travels to Florida. One time, he encountered a toll road and got an unpleasant surprise sometime later.

“The toll was maybe a dollar or something and then I got a bill from the rental car company for $25 plus the toll,” Clark says. “And so this dollar toll cost me an extra $25 – and this just annoys me so much.”

How Clark Saves Money on Road Trips

Clark says a device that he purchased has been invaluable when it comes to reducing travel costs on the road.

“A few years ago I bought a portable toll reader that I got on Amazon. You register online and it works I think in 19 states now,” he says. The device retails for about $15.

Screenshot via cfxway.com

About the Uni Portable Toll Reader

The Uni portable toll reader works by communicating with roadside motion detectors, which register the vehicle’s use of toll roads, triggering a fee through an electronic payment system. With a toll reader, you prepay the toll and sail through without a problem.

“So when you go on toll roads, you’re good,” Clark says. “It’s sold by the Central Florida Expressway Authority. And you just pay what the tolls are. No crazy daily fees from a car rental company or anything like that.”

According to the Central Florida Expressway Authority, the Uni portable toll reader allows you to:

• Save up to 30% over the cash toll rate in Florida.
• Get volume toll discounts on Florida toll roads.
• Pay for parking at Orlando International Airport and Port Canaveral cruise terminals.

The device attaches to your windshield via suction cups, according to the product description on Amazon. Also, there are no monthly account fees.

Where To Buy a Portable Toll Reader

In addition to the Central Florida Expressway Authority website, the Uni prepaid portable toll reader is available on Amazon and eBay.

As always, before you purchase anything from Amazon or any online marketplace, make sure you only buy from vendors with a 98% or higher seller rating. Even though it’s not foolproof, this will lessen your chance of falling for an Amazon scam.

What States Support the Uni Portable Toll Reader?

The device works with several toll systems across the United States, including E-ZPass, Sun Pass.

Here’s a list of states that support the Uni portable toll reader, according to the Central Florida Expressway Authority: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Minnesota.

Taking a Road Trip Soon? Here Are Some Tips From Clark

Clark says car rental companies are finding new and creative ways to siphon money from your wallet. Here are some tips from him on how to keep your hard-earned money:

Rent a Portable Toll Reader (If You Can)

Clark says the Central Florida Expressway Authority allows traveling motorists to rent a portable toll reader like the one he has. That’s a good option if you won’t use it often and don’t want to purchase the device.

“They refund your deposit when you return it and then you don’t get any ripoff charges from the car rental company for tolls,” Clark says.

Beware Toll Readers Inside the Rental Car

“Another trick of the car rental companies: Let’s say you have your own toll reader. They have a toll reader they put inside the car,” Clark says. “A lot of times it’s a little plastic box. When you get into the car, they have it open to read cars and charge you the daily fee. The second I get into a rental car, I close that plastic box, so it’s not active, it’s not working. So I don’t get hit with the daily fee, I use my own toll reader.”

The Central Florida Expressway Authority adds, “You can move Uni to a rental car if you inform the rental car agency that you’re using Uni in the rental vehicle. The rental vehicle and the vehicle from which you’re transferring the E-PASS must be the same class (for example, two axles). You also must update your E-PASS account information with the rental vehicle’s license plate number.”

So to be extra sure that you aren’t hit with toll fees from the rental car company, Team Clark recommends informing the rental car company that you will be using a Uni to pay tolls before driving off the lot.

Avoid the Toll Roads

“My rule, when I’m in Orlando, which I go to a fair amount for work reasons, is that I set everything for no toll on my GPS,” Clark says. “You should see how much longer my road trips take to not pay the tolls, but I do it, just to avoid the tolls.”

Using your phone for GPS? You can take advantage of your smartphone’s navigation apps to avoid tolls easily:

For iPhone

• Open the Apple Maps app.
• Tap on your profile.
• Tap “Preferences.”
• Tap “Avoid Tolls.”

Screenshot via Apple Maps

For Android

For Android phones, the steps may differ slightly depending on the model you have. In general:

• Open the Google Maps app.
• Tap your profile icon.
• Select Settings.
• Tap on Navigation Settings.
• Tap Route Options > Toggle “Avoid Tolls”

In the Waze App

• Open Waze.
• Tap the menu in the top left corner.
• Tap Settings.
• Tap Navigation > “Avoid toll roads”

Screenshot via Waze app

Final Thoughts

“Know that the toll readers are a solution to a terrible problem and the curse of the car rental companies that are always looking for yet another way to get in your wallet,” Clark says. “Don’t let them do this. Don’t let them take advantage of you.”

Want more ways to cut travel costs? Read up on how to save on a car rental.