Electronic payment on French toll roads

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MattyP
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Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by MattyP »

Hi all

I will be travelling through France next year and wonder if anyone can detail how I can pay tolls electronically to avoid stopping at toll booths. Also, what might I expect to pay travelling from Calais across into Germany.

Many thanks.

Matt P
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Steve398
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by Steve398 »

Google is (occasionally) your friend… there are a number of toll tags available to travel on European motorways. Eurotunnel offer Emovis tags -

https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/french-toll-tags

No idea what it will cost though.
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by sakm »

Steve398 wrote: Thu Dec 01, 2022 6:01 pm Google is (occasionally) your friend… there are a number of toll tags available to travel on European motorways. Eurotunnel offer Emovis tags -

https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/french-toll-tags

No idea what it will cost though.
might be cheaper to just stop and pay the tolls :o

https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/subscription/
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by burridge01 »

Whenever I travel into Germany from Calais I am taken through Belgium-Luxembourg by the satnav(set to fastest route). I have never travelled through France to get to Germany, even down to the Black Forest.If your planning to tour through France then why not just stay on the N roads or less.
Last edited by burridge01 on Mon Dec 05, 2022 4:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by Sharkfighter »

I’ve got an emovis tag and use it regularly in France. I used it when I went to the Dolomites in June and it worked fine, just popped in in my left chest pocket and the sensor picked it up.

The pro’s
If you approach the toll barriers at 30 kph then the sensor usually picks it up, so no stopping.
No stopping to take a ticket or searching for change.
When the tolls are busy it’s quicker and you can usually use a dedicated lane, but check the signs as not all dedicated lanes allow motorcycles.

The cons
There is an annual fee, can’t remember how much, but I think it’s around 14 euros. The company charges you in Euros but converts to Stirling and takes it by direct debit.
There is a refundable fee of 20 euros when you take the tag.
There is a 5 euro fee for using it for two months. That is if you used it on the 31st of one month and the 1st of the following month you would be charged 10 euros but no more if you used it for the rest the year then there is no further charges, apart from the tolls.

Having said all that I’m more than happy using mine just for the time it’s saved on queuing at the payment barrier, I’ve spent 45 minutes queuing to pay before. Now I don’t have any of that. If I’m on my bike and it’s busy and there’s no dedicated lane that I can use, then I follow the HGVs as they all have them and don’t stop.

The tags don’t require a registration number and I use it on any vehicle that I’m in.
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by Steve398 »

I may have to sit on the naughty stair for this :lol: there’s an active thread on UKGSER giving various options -

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthrea ... =Toll+tags

This one looks pretty good -

https://abonnement2.vinci-autoroutes.co ... A3&lang=en
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by yorkie »

The way I do it is set the SatNav to "Fastest route, Avoid tolls"
Better roads, usually running parallel to the motorways, and doesn't cost anything.
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by Doctor T »

You miss so much by not going via Route Nationals. The RN10 is a beautiful road going through many villages with loads of B&B and campsites. Most of the time RN only put an hour into your travels
Trust me I am a retired Doctor and lecturer at Oxford University of Structural and Mechanical/Electrical engineering.
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by MattyP »

Hi all. Many thanks indeed for your insight and varied suggestions. Plenty of food for thought methinks!

Matt
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by beemerboy9 »

Doctor T wrote: Sun Dec 04, 2022 6:45 pm You miss so much by not going via Route Nationals.
Agreed, but what a pain sticking to the 80 kph (50 mph) speed limits!

Did get flashed this summer, but was not going fast enough to get fined.
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by exhussar »

Hi Matty
you can go from Calais to Germany without paying any tolls, Take A16 towards Dunkirk then A25 towards Lille follow signs to Tournai
then Mons just keep following signs to direction Luxembourg there are no tolls on this route.
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by Steve398 »

I made a number of attempts to obtain one of the Toll Tags that covers both Italy and France, the biggest problem was that several either didn't accept my IBAN number, or in one wonderful case let me get all the way through the online form before telling me that they don't post to the UK.

However I managed to get through the form on Vinci Ulys site and for the first time the IBAN was recognised, so hopefully one will be winging its way towards me soon...
but as the saying goes it's not all over until the generously (but no doubt perfectly) proportioned lady/man/non-binary sings! ;)
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by Steve398 »

... and the fat lady sang!

FAIL!

From what I've read the problem lies with Nationwide Building Society, who for whatever reason don't support SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area), which is strange because despite Brexit we are allegedly still in this arrangement.

However it appears HBOS works within the scheme (they say) so I've set up a Lloyds account, let's see what happens.... To be continued.
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by jclaudej »

Hi

Perhaps I can help you because it's my country.
In fact you can take a toll pass, look at here
https://www.vinci-autoroutes.com/fr/faq ... eage-ulys/
In your native language
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't live in France, can I still buy a Ulys electronic toll badge?
If you live abroad, the ideal Ulys electronic toll pass for you is Ulys Classic, specially designed for occasional trips, weekends or holidays.

To subscribe, all you have to do is:

Have a bank account opened with a banking establishment located in one of the countries of the “Single Euro Payments Area” (or SEPA zone).
Reside in one of the following countries: Metropolitan France, Monaco, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Steve398
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Re: Electronic payment on French toll roads

Post by Steve398 »

… and the Lloyds account worked :) (and Nationwide didn’t :() so one toll tag on its way.

Vinci Autoroutes.

https://connect.vinci-autoroutes.com/
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