What You Need To Know About Toll E-Tags
Old stuck in the mud me has always refused to pay tolls. I still don’t own one of those thingamajigger things that beep at you every time you go under the gates. I usually drive the long way around just to save myself some dollars. The tolls are crazy expensive.
But it’s time to bite the bullet. My sister has moved to Wollongong so in order to visit, I have an option of taking toll roads which is a total of 1.5 hours or the long way (but at no extra cost) around at 2.5 hours. Still persisting on being stubborn; my sister just added my car to her toll pass and I pay her after the fact but now the video matching fee has gone up to .75 cents. And the tight ass me refuses to pay that. So it’s time to get on board. I know it’s way overdue.
If you are like me and still to get one of the little beepers, hope this helps. So in my research, these are the options;
E-Toll Tag - Travel on any road within Australia. Open an e-tag account with Service NSW. No registration fee. The minimum opening credit is $25
E-Toll Tagless - Register online for $1.50 or at Services for $3.30. But then you have to pay a matching fee for each trip you take. Get a tag to avoid the matching fee.
Easy Toll Tag - with Service NSW. Registration fee $1.50. Account fees are $1.25 per month. Not sure why you would go with this one?
eMU Pass - when using toll roads for no more than 30 days
Linkt (was once Roam) - Regular Travel Option - $0 tag deposit. Can have multiple vehicles, no ongoing fees, no car matching fee, $20-$30 opening balance
EastLink - opening payment of $55, which is used as a credit on your account. When it drops below the minimum balance amount then it will do an automatic top-up. Beware of the minimum Annual Tag Usage Amount ($26.57) that is charged for each commercial vehicle tag in each of the first three years after the tag is issued to your account
Summary of what I have learnt through my research;
Tolls are cheaper when using a tag
All tags work on all toll roads around Australia doesn’t matter what state you buy it from
Usually have to pay around $40 if you loose your tag
Linkt seems to be the go-to for most states
There are no cash toll booths anymore. In Australia, all toll roads are electronically tolled
The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel are the only roads that operate with a time of day tolling. If you travel outside of the peak period, they charge you a lower toll
WestConnex M4, WestConnex M8, WestConnex M5 East and Westlink M7 are the only motorways in NSW that the tolls are calculated based on the distance you travel on the road
There is a Sydney Motorways Interactive Toll Calculator online if you would like to check out how much your route is going to cost you prior to taking it
Something which may be relevant to some is something called Toll Relief. If you are spending over $1406 or more on tolls in a year you may be eligible for free vehicle registration or if you have spent $843 or more you may be eligible for half-price registration. This is only for NSW residents and you must drive your own privately registered car, ute, 4WD or motorbike. It is also a good idea to link your e-tag to your My Service NSW account to get the benefits of the discounts on your vehicle registration. So when you renew your registration the discounts are instantly applied.
UPDATE JUNE 2021
I ended up buying the Linkt e-tag. I haven’t stuck it up yet on the windscreen, still in denial I need it, but I hold it up to the glass each time. At least once on any trip it does not beep at me so I get charged a 55c ‘no tag in vehicle fee’ as they reckon they couldn’t recognize that my tag was in the car, which I think is a bunch of baloney. Imagine how much money they get if they charge everyone that 55c at least once a month. On Linkt website it also stipulated there would not be a car matching fee so I am yet to write a rude email to them. It’s on my to-do list. Lesson learnt; stick it up so its on the windscreen.
I downloaded the Linkt app (free to download) which doesn’t tell me much, just that they have taken another $20, my account is connected to my credit card and it tops up $20 every time my account falls less than $5 which seems to be every time I take a trip as the tolls are so expensive it quickly gobbles your money up.
I also get charged a 12c MasterCard surcharge which I never realised until I checked the app every time they recharge my account. When I did some further investigation they take a surcharge for all credit and debit cards. The only way to get around this fee is to switch to direct debit payment from your nominated bank account. I will be getting onto this asap.
Make sure not to get a paper copy of your account as if you do they charge $2.50 to send you a copy of your own charges. These people are making millions!
There is a rewards section on the app which offers 4c off petrol at Shell Coles Express. Great if you fill up at Coles. I tend not to though so it is not much good to me.
The NSW Government unveiled a new Toll Rebate Scheme as part of the 2022-23 state budget. Motorists will receive a 40 per cent rebate for tolls incurred once they spend more than $375 in a year. The maximum annual benefit for each motorist is $750 and gets paid to you every quarter.
For further information, including what the different beeps mean check out the Transport for NSW info page.
Who do you have your toll tag with? Did I miss anything? Feel free to join the conversation and leave a comment below.
