Toll roads aren’t common in all states in the US but when you travel across the country, some will probably become part of your route. No worries, in most cases, tolls are very reasonable (the average is as little as $5) and they eventually help you get to your destination much quicker. When it comes to the term ‘toll road’, it includes various tolled facilities – roads, turnpikes, bridges, and tunnels. The toll rate you pay often depends on the time of traveling, the type of vehicle, and of course the road you are traveling on. Fortunately, most facilities enable drivers to pay tolls online.

What does paying tolls online mean?

Let’s start with a short guide on different payment methods. First, tolls are in most cases paid at toll booths. Toll booths usually have several stations through which your vehicle can pass to pay the toll. Nowadays, many toll highways provide booth-less tolling. This means, your plates are registered at a booth and the bill is then sent to you by mail. You can also buy a convenient transponder to make payments even easier. The most popular tolling system is E-ZPass, which can be used in fifteen states.

In general, there are five ways to pay tolls in most US states:

• FasTrak – a convenient option for paying tolls in many states. You mount a toll tag that is read by antennae and your tolls are automatically deducted from a prepaid account. The toll is assessed electronically either to your account or to a One-Time-Payment transaction. Every time you go through the toll plaza, you are charged the appropriate toll. Signing up for a FasTrak account is quick and easy. You just purchase a toll tag for $25 ($20 refundable deposit and $ in prepaid tolls.) and open an account online (you can use a credit card), by phone, or in person at a customer center. Once your account is activated, you can monitor it online.

• License plate – you open an account with a credit card, cash, or check without extra fees and prepaid toll balance. It’s a ‘pay as you go’ option – your card is charged each time when your vehicle crosses the toll booth. You can add up to five different license plate numbers per account. This s a great option for people who travel regularly but don’t want a toll tag.

• One-time payment – you pay one toll payment at a time up to 30 days before or within 48 hours after crossing the booth (this can vary depending on the state and toll facility).

• Toll invoice – an invoice is generated and mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle after they cross the toll booth.

• App toll payment - register your vehicle with a toll payment app, such as Uproad, and you can drive on many toll roads across the country and manage the payments through the app, without worrying about receiving violations in the mail or paying higher rates.

Pay tolls online step by step

Paying tolls online is as easy as 1, 2, 3. There are two options based on whether you have a pass or not.

1. With E-ZPass. If you are a frequent traveler, the best option is to set automatic replenishment. To do so, you should link your pass to your card (either credit or debit) or bank account. Whenever your balance gets too low, it is automatically recharged. If you prefer to recharge your account manually, you can also choose the Pay-per-trip option – your pass is still linked to your bank account but there is no automatic replenishment.

2. Without E-ZPass. You set up a short-term account to use your license plate and credit card.

Use a handy toll payment application – Uproad

If you want to easily pay for using non-cash tollway lanes, consider using a simple and intuitive mobile app for drivers – Uproad. It’s a user-friendly way to manage your toll payments from the place. You just need to link a payment method and that’s it! Everything is managed in just a few clicks. There are many payment options to choose from and you can conveniently track all your toll expenses. Fines and late penalties aren’t your problems anymore!

Pay Illinois tolls online

How to pay Chicago tolls online? And how to pay tolls in entire Illinois? Many drivers ask these questions every day. In fact, most of Illinois’s tolls went cashless so if you are not a frequent traveler and you don’t have the pass, the best option is to set up a Pay by Plate account and pay your tolls online. When you go through a toll plaza, your plates are recognized and you are billed accordingly. You can pay your bill online at the Illinois Tollway website within 14 days after driving a toll road. If you don’t pay within 14 days, Illinois will mail you an invoice. To pay the bill, you should log in to your Pay by Plate account and enter your license plate number. You can use your credit or debit card, as well as a bank account.

Pay tolls online NY

It’s easy to pay tolls online in New York! If you are a traveler who doesn’t have an E-ZPass mounted on your car (therefore, no tag will be read at a toll plaza) you will miss paying for tolls on all-electronic booths in New York. An image of your license plate is captured while going through the toll booth and a toll bill is sent to the registered owner’s address. Toll bills are usually mailed around 30-40 days after your first date of travel. You can wait for the bill to be delivered or, instead, pay online. All you need to do is search and pay for your tolls by the license plate on the E-ZPass website. Toll transactions are available approximately 7 days from the date of travel.

Maryland tolls pay online

In Maryland, for license plate tolls, plate payment invoices can be immediately paid online. The process is instant, especially when you have a pre-registered plate payment account. If you don’t pay a license toll online right away, you will have to wait up to several weeks until you get an invoice. The invoice is usually issued within up to 30 days after a toll violation or a missed toll. To quickly pay online, go to the Maryland Transportation Authority website. This is the only agency that manages toll collections in Maryland.

Pay tolls online Texas

The easiest way to pay tolls in Texas is to use TxTag. The Texas Department of Transportation issues such a tag. It allows drivers to go through the toll lanes in Texas and pay tolls automatically. On top of TxTag, the following tags are accepted in Texas: TollTag, EZ-TAG, PikePass, K-Tag, and NationalPass. Most Texas toll facilities are cashless so if you don’t have a tag, the most convenient option is to pay online. After you go through the toll plaza, you receive a bill to pay (usually within a month). You can pay it online on the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority website. Be aware that in case of missed toll in Texas, an administrative fee may apply.

Some additional information about paying tolls online

Summing up online toll payments, let’s answer the most popular questions asked by drivers:

1. What information is needed to pay tolls online?

All you need is your license plate number and the date you went through the toll booth.

1. Will I be punished if I miss a toll in the US?

It depends on the state so an additional fee may apply to your bill. However, after going through the toll booth you have approximately several weeks to pay a toll online.

1. I paid online but still received a toll violation. What should I do?

No worries. Just log in to the violation resolution page using the information listed on the notice of toll you received. Go to the ‘Apply a Paid Toll’ section if you have already paid the toll and believe you received a toll in error.