Portugual's Electronic Autoroute Toll system

[BigJohnD]

I'm probably a bit off topic here, but can anyone help me with Portugal's EasyToll (no relation I hope!) which links your car number plate to your credit card, which I think needs to bought at one of the four border crossings:
A22 – Vila Real de Santo António;
A25 – Vilar Formoso;
A24 - Chaves;
A28 - Viana do Castelo

Do I have to arrive from Spain on one of those 4 autoroutes to buy into the EasyToll system or can I go into say a Post Office and sign up?

Our likely route is from Badajos (Spain) via Portugal's A6 and A2 to the Algarve, meeting the electronic toll road A22 at J10 - i.e. from a traditional toll road with pay booths onto the electronic system, not via one the routes listed above.

This would be my prefered choice as I have a international credit card (i.e. no foreign currency or transactions fees).

Their website is primarily in Portuguese, the translations not good, there are lots of 404s and it doesn't seem possible to sign up online.

The AA and RAC have some useful info about driving practices in Portugal but nothing about the finer points of the electronic toll system - which, unsurprisingly, is not universally liked because of its complexities for tourists.

Trip Advisor, as usual, never lets the facts get in the way of a horror story.

[sussamb]

You can buy a toll card on line, between €5 & €40

http://www.portugaltolls.com/en/web/portal-de-portagens/home

http://www.tollcard.pt/fetcwcm/wcmservlet/en/home/index.html
_________________
Where there's a will ... there's a way.

[BigJohnD]

Yes I saw that.

They're pre paid and sold in Post Offices. I might end up doing that despite the fact I'll probably end up leaving Portugal with unspent credit on the card.

I'd prefer the credit card option but only seems to be four selling points and typically I'm entering Portugal on a traditional autorute with toll booths.

I should have looked into this earlier. 😢

[sussamb]

No, they can be bought on line before you go

http://www.tollcard.pt/fetcwcm/wcmservlet/en/comprar/comprar-online.html

You could buy a €5 before you go, then add a credit card once you hit an appropriate toll booth or can get to a POS.

I also think you can have any unused credit refunded but I'm not sure about that.
_________________
Where there's a will ... there's a way.

[BigJohnD]

I'm going at the weekend. I doubt they can get one to me in the UK by Friday. It looks like some kind of scratch card with a one time code entered by SMS.

[sussamb]

Ah okay
_________________
Where there's a will ... there's a way.

[cwog]

For the benefit of any one coming to this thread to get information on foreign travel - take a look at the TollTickects web site - they can provide support for all European countries

see

www.tolltickets.com/

[alan_sh]

I got one as I went over the border. It's very easy. We had two issues though

1. We were trailering two motorcycles - so I had to cover the number plates up - which I realised as we were coming up to the toll point. But don't forget to do it - or you get charged for the bikes as well [But see 2. below]

2. The ANPR system read out car numberplate wrong. Which could have meant we would get fined for not having a ticket. But as it turned out, it read it wrong 4 times (we went through loads of cameras on out journey) so we got charged for those 4 occasions and we have no seen anything about the other charges.

I'm not sure what the arrangement is between the UK and Portugal, but we haven't heard anything (since June).

Alan

[BigJohnD]

[BigJohnD]

[BigJohnD]

For info:

This is the page for "Tolls inDebt" in Portugal.
https://www.pagamentodeportagens.pt/PPP_Portal/Infractions.jsf

which was nothing like the URL the telephone helpline gave me.

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