how to pay tolls with rental car in France?

Hi,
On this route, you pay at the toll booths. Usually you take a ticket at the entrance and hand it at the exit to calculate the toll. Credit card is easiest, but there are cash lanes too.

Or you could take the train to Bordeaux and rent the car there, that will probably save you a bit of travel time.

And no tolls between Bordeaux and the Dordogne.

Some have reported issues in the past with automated toll booths and US Credit Cards. If they have been upgraded to tap to pay, you should not have a problem, but wise to have some cash on hand, and head to either a manned booth, or one that accepts cash.

France just started making their freeway free-flow roads, meaning you'd pass through a toll-area but, the charges was accumulated via cameras as you passed though instead of stopping at a traditional toll-booth.

At the end of your trip or, within 72-hours of your first charge, you can pay online here at the SANEF site, this is the highway agency that manages tolls.

So far, this is just in Normandy (A13/14) and one other further south.

There are no free-flow tolls to go to the Dordogne, and there have been no manned booths at the vast majority of toll booths in France for many years.

Toll lanes have signs with symbols indicating the available payment methods. See the image below:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Autoroute_A2_-_Barri%C3%A8re_de_p%C3%A9age_de_Hordain-5705.jpg

I won't explain the symbols since they're supposed to be self-explanatory. However, the yellow T sign stands for Télépeage (you need a transponder in your car). The toll lanes, generally located at the far right and left, are reserved exclusively for Télépeage (electronic toll payment). They have a 30 km/h speed limit sign and no symbols other than the T.

The lanes with a green (lit) card symbol take credit cards. The ones with the Euro symbol take cash or CC. If you're not sure how to use them pay close attention to the car ahead of you. If you don't know for certain your CC will work use the cash lanes.

You should also be aware that some Peage (toll booths) do not issue a ticket; they simply require you to pay the fee.

The train is your best option. It will cost less than the toll and fuel charges and be faster. Unless you plan to stop along the way seriously consider the train.

However, if you do drive, and don't mind taking a slightly slower route, you can use an app like Waze and adjust the settings so you avoid the toll roads. This is my normal way to travel.

Like KGC, we normally use the D roads for better scenery (usually) and to avoid the tolls, which sometimes add up to a lot. And we are likely to not be in a hurry. When we have to, we just tap and pay at the machines on the toll roads. Haven't had a problem with our credit cards so far.