What toll tag company to use?

Tigerandahalf · 29-05-2017 10:45am #1

Hi

Irregular user but possibly upto 10-20 uses a year. Is it worth getting a tag as becoming a pain scrambling for change.

Could Android pay be used?

Thanks

Tigerandahalf · 30-05-2017 10:26am

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Hi

Irregular user but possibly upto 10-20 uses a year. Is it worth getting a tag as becoming a pain scrambling for change.

Could Android pay be used?

Thanks

Anyone?
Can a mod switch to motors forum?

Thanks

Pete123456 · 30-05-2017 10:43am

Android pay could be used because it is the same as using a card. This still means stopping at the toll booth though, versus flying through the express lane.

Whether or not you think its worth it depends on what value you put on convenience. Personally i go through about 5-10 tolls a week and i wouldnt be without a toll tag. I find it invaluable because i dont need to have any cash or cards on me and i can go through the toll at at least 50km instead of sitting in queues in the morning. (I just wish there was some sort of cap or loyalty scheme

)

Eflow is one option, but it costs 1.23 a month to have the tag. you can choose an auto top up scenario or get a bill the following month. it works for all irish tolls as far as i know. The toll costs the indicated price, no surcharge. https://www.eflow.ie/i-want-to/open-an-account/

ParkMagic have a couple of options, one is the same as above, and they have two others which require buying the tag first. These plans also charge a 10% fee on top of your toll. For example: on one of their plans you buy the tag for 30 upfront, and you get 4.40 credit (so you could say the tag costs 25.60) and you pay 10% on top of each toll. https://bookings.parkmagic.net/MyAccount/Tolling/PaymentPlans#/

they call it a pay as you toll, but i think eflow is better value because 24 months of 1.23 is still less than the 30 upfront and there are no surcharges. after the first year you might need to reassess which tag company you go with.

EasyTrip are another provider, they seem to have much the same set up as eflow.

hopefully this helps you decide.

Macy0161 · 30-05-2017 11:07am

We have eflow. Probably don't use it enough to justify it now (got them when I was going to passing a toll twice daily), but tbh wouldn't and haven't given it up due to the convenience. Also have a left hand drive camper, so no shimmying across to pay in that, even with no express lane. Across our three vehicles still not much more per month than a posh cuppa, plus the extra savings on the m50...

Tigerandahalf · 30-05-2017 11:07am

Pete123456 wrote: »

Android pay could be used because it is the same as using a card. This still means stopping at the toll booth though, versus flying through the express lane.

Whether or not you think its worth it depends on what value you put on convenience. Personally i go through about 5-10 tolls a week and i wouldnt be without a toll tag. I find it invaluable because i dont need to have any cash or cards on me and i can go through the toll at at least 50km instead of sitting in queues in the morning. (I just wish there was some sort of cap or loyalty scheme )

Eflow is one option, but it costs 1.23 a month to have the tag. you can choose an auto top up scenario or get a bill the following month. it works for all irish tolls as far as i know. The toll costs the indicated price, no surcharge. https://www.eflow.ie/i-want-to/open-an-account/

ParkMagic have a couple of options, one is the same as above, and they have two others which require buying the tag first. These plans also charge a 10% fee on top of your toll. For example: on one of their plans you buy the tag for 30 upfront, and you get 4.40 credit (so you could say the tag costs 25.60) and you pay 10% on top of each toll. https://bookings.parkmagic.net/MyAccount/Tolling/PaymentPlans#/

they call it a pay as you toll, but i think eflow is better value because 24 months of 1.23 is still less than the 30 upfront and there are no surcharges. after the first year you might need to reassess which tag company you go with.

EasyTrip are another provider, they seem to have much the same set up as eflow.

hopefully this helps you decide.

Thanks.
So eflow is just about €15 for the year plus the value of each toll. €15 is not bad for the convenience even if I only used it irregularly.

If you get a monthly bill can you just pay it online or is there an easy way to set it up?

Tigerandahalf · 30-05-2017 11:10am

Macy0161 wrote: »

We have eflow. Probably don't use it enough to justify it now (got them when I was going to passing a toll twice daily), but tbh wouldn't and haven't given it up due to the convenience. Also have a left hand drive camper, so no shimmying across to pay in that, even with no express lane. Across our three vehicles still not much more per month than a posh cuppa, plus the extra savings on the m50...

Ya the convenience is handy. It is awkward fiddling for coins and then sometimes you throw the coins and you are still 10/20c short and you have to take off the seat belt to scramble for more change. If it is only €15 per year I will get it.

Macy0161 · 30-05-2017 11:11am

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

If you get a monthly bill can you just pay it online or is there an easy way to set it up?

iirc it's done through the card, online. It was a couple of years ago I did it though, converting from an M50 video account.

Tigerandahalf · 30-05-2017 11:13am

Just reading on the eflow site and it says....

Rapid passage through express lanes on certain Irish toll roads (excluding M1, M7 and N25)
......

Are those excluded?

Pete123456 · 30-05-2017 11:23am

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Thanks.
So eflow is just about €15 for the year plus the value of each toll. €15 is not bad for the convenience even if I only used it irregularly.

If you get a monthly bill can you just pay it online or is there an easy way to set it up?

Youre very welcome. Yep in my opinion its well worth it!! If you select to pay the following month (which i think is the best option) you can pay either by Debit card, Credit card or Direct Debit so you have options.

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Just reading on the eflow site and it says....

Rapid passage through express lanes on certain Irish toll roads (excluding M1, M7 and N25)
......

Are those excluded?

No, I dont think so, the website indicates it can be used on the following

M50 Barrier-Free Toll
M3 (Clonee – Kells)
M4 (Kilcock – Enfield – Kinnegad)
N6 (Galway – Ballinasloe)
N8 (Rathcormac – Fermoy Bypass)
Limerick Tunnel
East-Link Bridge
Dublin Port Tunnel
M1 (Drogheda)
M7/M8 (Portlaoise)
N25 (Waterford)

https://www.eflow.ie/why-eflow/how-it-works/

_Kaiser_ · 30-05-2017 1:18pm

eFlow works fine on the M7 etc.. I think that might be a section that wasn't deleted again after their row with one of the toll operators last year.

I have eFlow myself and prefer it for the single monthly billing rather than needing to mess about with top-ups, credit, or random direct debits when a threshold is reached.

coylemj · 30-05-2017 5:57pm

The €1.23 (incl VAT) monthly 'admin' charge seems to be common across eflow and easytrip but what bugs me about easytrip is that they also slap a 'credit card handling fee' (another €1.23) on you every time there's an auto top-up when you go below a threshold.

I thought I could avoid this charge by switching the account to a debit card instead and guess what? Yes, there's even an 'debit card handling fee' (0.62) for using a debit card.

If you have a billpay a/c with eflow and pay the bill every month by DD, is there any charge beyond the basic €1.23 monthly fee?

TimeToShine · 30-05-2017 11:03pm

coylemj wrote: »

The €1.23 (incl VAT) monthly 'admin' charge seems to be common across eflow and easytrip but what bugs me about easytrip is that they also slap a 'credit card handling fee' (another €1.23) on you every time there's an auto top-up when you go below a threshold.

I thought I could avoid this charge by switching the account to a debit card instead and guess what? Yes, there's even an 'debit card handling fee' (0.62) for using a debit card.

If you have a billpay a/c with eflow and pay the bill every month by DD, is there any charge beyond the basic €1.23 monthly fee?

Been using it for 3 years now. No charge with e-flow other than the 1.23.

Pete123456 · 31-05-2017 2:15am

coylemj wrote: »

The €1.23 (incl VAT) monthly 'admin' charge seems to be common across eflow and easytrip but what bugs me about easytrip is that they also slap a 'credit card handling fee' (another €1.23) on you every time there's an auto top-up when you go below a threshold.

I thought I could avoid this charge by switching the account to a debit card instead and guess what? Yes, there's even an 'debit card handling fee' (0.62) for using a debit card.

If you have a billpay a/c with eflow and pay the bill every month by DD, is there any charge beyond the basic €1.23 monthly fee?

Nope, It hits my credit card every month and there is no fee beyond the tolls themselves and the 1.23 lease fee

blackwhite · 31-05-2017 10:15am

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Just reading on the eflow site and it says....

Rapid passage through express lanes on certain Irish toll roads (excluding M1, M7 and N25)
......

Are those excluded?

They had a dispute last summer that almost meant they weren't accepted, but it was resolved before any disruption happened.

Looks like they haven't updated their website since though!

I love Sean nos · 01-06-2017 10:49am

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Irregular user but possibly upto 10-20 uses a year. Is it worth getting a tag as becoming a pain scrambling for change.

Which motorways do you use? All motorways cost the same whether paying by tag or cash bar the M50. Make a return journey once per month on the M50 and that's the tag cost of €1.23 made back in savings over cash.

Signpost · 26-11-2019 5:16pm

Against my better judgement going to be making a more trips to Dublin (prob every 2 to 3 weeks rather than the 2 - 3 times a year previously) so just wondering would people still think eflow is the best option?

Macy0161 · 26-11-2019 5:21pm

Still have mine, even though the campervan is gone! I haven't seen a reason to move from eflow.

_Kaiser_ · 26-11-2019 9:02pm

Signpost wrote: »

Against my better judgement going to be making a more trips to Dublin (prob every 2 to 3 weeks rather than the 2 - 3 times a year previously) so just wondering would people still think eflow is the best option?

Still an eflow user myself, still using it regularly, still far happier with a single monthly bill than topping up nonsense or irregular direct debits.

What toll tag company to use?

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