French & Spanish Toll Roads
Discussion
I went with Mango (https://www.mango-mobilitesbyaprr.com/en/avantage-badge-telepeage)...annoyingly the day after their New Year sale with free this, that, and the other ended 
Still proved its worth driving down to the Alpes for Feb. half term, reasonably easy to navigate the sign-up process and has been simple to swap car reg. through the mobile app. to move the tag between cars. Only advice is to get one in advance of your trip rather than last minute as a few people had issues getting the DD set up for payments - fine if you're just sat at home with weeks before your trip, less so people who set off as soon as it arrived in the post. I/most people didn't have any issues though.
Still proved its worth driving down to the Alpes for Feb. half term, reasonably easy to navigate the sign-up process and has been simple to swap car reg. through the mobile app. to move the tag between cars. Only advice is to get one in advance of your trip rather than last minute as a few people had issues getting the DD set up for payments - fine if you're just sat at home with weeks before your trip, less so people who set off as soon as it arrived in the post. I/most people didn't have any issues though.
Edited by //j17 on Friday 22 April 12:24
Rick101 said:
Perfect timing!
Will have a look at that thanks. Used Emovis before but too expensive.
Bip and Driver was suggested but the website and application is a nightmare. Not sure if UK residents are accepted.
Will give Ulys a try.
Yup - I saw that same recommendation and tried to sign up to Bip and Drive - like you say - a total nightmare and no response from support either.Will have a look at that thanks. Used Emovis before but too expensive.
Bip and Driver was suggested but the website and application is a nightmare. Not sure if UK residents are accepted.
Will give Ulys a try.
I've just signed up to the Vinci one above - it looks like the same tag will cover Italy, France, Spain and Portugal - which is pretty much perfect. No tolls in Germany. Austria and Switzerland both covered by Vignettes. I don't think Netherlands or Belgium has tolls either - so one tag covers pretty much all of Western Europe.
mondayo said:
Forgive the stupid question but if I get the toll pass, I'm saving time, as I don't have to wait/queue to pay at the toll booths but the actual toll cost is the same?
And I just pay the daily fee the company charges?
Historically, I've just paid in cash. Hence my questions.
Ta
There is some talk of discounts on Tolls, but I very much get the impression it's much more about the convenience than any cost saving.And I just pay the daily fee the company charges?
Historically, I've just paid in cash. Hence my questions.
Ta
That's certainly why I signed up. There have been a couple of recent instances of very long queues at the toll booth - 10 minutes plus to get through. It's worth paying to avoid that. However, the bigger issue for me is avoiding the whole rigmarole of the toll booth - is it take a ticket, fixed fee, or pay based on re-inserting your ticket. Can I use contactless - or is the operator of this piece of road still in the dark ages. Will my bank think my card is being used fraudulently and block the payment. Can my wife reach the toll booth from her seat, or does she need to open the door - so should I try and pull up as close to the machines as I can, or as far away as possible.
Having said all of the above, I've only just ordered my pass, but hopefully it will live up to my expectations
mondayo said:
Forgive the stupid question but if I get the toll pass, I'm saving time, as I don't have to wait/queue to pay at the toll booths but the actual toll cost is the same?
And I just pay the daily fee the company charges?
Historically, I've just paid in cash. Hence my questions.
Ta
It's just convienience and actually costs you a little more than paying cash. For my Mango tag there's a €1.70 monthly fee - but it's only charged for months you actually use the tag (and currently they have a deal where even that's waves for the first 10 months, as is the €11 set-up fee).And I just pay the daily fee the company charges?
Historically, I've just paid in cash. Hence my questions.
Ta
I do a bit of driving in France, solo in a low-slung, right hand drive car so €1,70 to avoid having to seat belt off/get out car/walk around car/get ticket or pay/walk back around/get back in/put seatbelt back on at every toll point is money €1.70 well spent.
Just found this thread which is of relevance to me as I'm setting off on a three week Euro trip on May 18th. I'll be travelling through Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium so am looking into tolls/vignettes.
The idea of a tag appeals to save the hassle of using a card. I've looked into the Ulys and Mango options mentioned above, they seem to fit the bill nicely but a couple of points concern me... I haven't got anymore plans to do another Euro trip so this may be a one off, is there a penalty for not using it again (Bip&Go mentions a €10/year charge when not used)? Also, I've found some bad reviews online when it comes to using a UK bank account, can anyone shed any light on this side of things? Lastly, I may have left it too late to receive it in time! I'm thinking of ordering a Swiss vignette in advance also.
Any advice on the above greatly appreciated.
The idea of a tag appeals to save the hassle of using a card. I've looked into the Ulys and Mango options mentioned above, they seem to fit the bill nicely but a couple of points concern me... I haven't got anymore plans to do another Euro trip so this may be a one off, is there a penalty for not using it again (Bip&Go mentions a €10/year charge when not used)? Also, I've found some bad reviews online when it comes to using a UK bank account, can anyone shed any light on this side of things? Lastly, I may have left it too late to receive it in time! I'm thinking of ordering a Swiss vignette in advance also.
Any advice on the above greatly appreciated.
@NathR - Certainly for Mango, unless I've missed something in the small print the only charge is the 'each month used' one. I've only had mine since Jan and so far only had charges have been for Feb. when I was driving in France.
And some people have had issues getting the Direct Debit set up, but that's generally been an issue with the individual's UK bank causing the issue. The vast majority don't have any issues though and they do a £1 transation as part of the set-up so you should know quite quickly if you need to talk to your bank to get it all working or not.
And some people have had issues getting the Direct Debit set up, but that's generally been an issue with the individual's UK bank causing the issue. The vast majority don't have any issues though and they do a £1 transation as part of the set-up so you should know quite quickly if you need to talk to your bank to get it all working or not.
I have a Bip&Drive.
Worked fine but then ran into an issue not that long ago where my bank was deducted a chunk for a trip across Southern France that clearly wasn't me. I had to argue with them for some time it wasn't me - the serial number for the tag was correct so no idea how it was somehow wrong or forged. Took about 6 months for them to reimburse me and then had to pay postage for a replacement unit to be sent as a precaution.
Worked fine but then ran into an issue not that long ago where my bank was deducted a chunk for a trip across Southern France that clearly wasn't me. I had to argue with them for some time it wasn't me - the serial number for the tag was correct so no idea how it was somehow wrong or forged. Took about 6 months for them to reimburse me and then had to pay postage for a replacement unit to be sent as a precaution.
omniflow said:
NathR said:
Did you have any issues setting up with a UK bank account?
You have to put in an "IBAN" - but that's not hard to figure out - there are plenty of sites that will generate one from your sort code and account numberUlys for me. I dropped Emovis, as their charges were too high (3% forex charge and ongoing charges).
If you have problems using a UK bank account, set up a free Revolut account and use that - it will give you a great Euro exchange rate. The Revolut app shows you your full IBAN number.
My Ulys tag took about a week to arrive. No fee when not using it, 2 euro a month when you do. They had a 9 months free offer on the website that I used to sign up through.
You can add Portugal and Spain to the tag, via your online account, again, I think its 2 Euro per month when you use it in these countries.
If you have problems using a UK bank account, set up a free Revolut account and use that - it will give you a great Euro exchange rate. The Revolut app shows you your full IBAN number.
My Ulys tag took about a week to arrive. No fee when not using it, 2 euro a month when you do. They had a 9 months free offer on the website that I used to sign up through.
You can add Portugal and Spain to the tag, via your online account, again, I think its 2 Euro per month when you use it in these countries.
Thanks all for the input.
Ordered a Ulys last night, got my IBAN no problem from my bank account online (Lloyds), no transactions as yet though. The only thing I noticed in the small print is a €10 per year charge for non use, which is no biggy. If I decide I won't use it again then I guess I can cancel/return it easily enough.
Ordered a Ulys last night, got my IBAN no problem from my bank account online (Lloyds), no transactions as yet though. The only thing I noticed in the small print is a €10 per year charge for non use, which is no biggy. If I decide I won't use it again then I guess I can cancel/return it easily enough.
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