We are planning a trip to France for September 2016 and wonder if anyone has recently purchased and used the Liber-t box for getting through toll booths. It even says you can use it to pay for parking in some locations. I found this website from which one can purchase, but before doing so, it would help to know if anyone has purchased and used this recently.
https://www.tolltickets.com/country/france/libert.aspx?lang=en-GB
Also, how are our (US) new credit cards with chip and pin working in these machines? Is cash still the best alternative to cards?
Thanks.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10625 posts
We've owned a Liber-T for several years. We just take it with us every year and zip through the toll plazas. It's linked to one of our credit cards. Just don't attach it to the windshield; hold it up when you get to a toll gate. We got the device at a toll plaza, not by mail. It was free. The only cost is 1 euro each month we use it. No cost the months it's sitting in a drawer waiting for the next trip.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33840 posts
I use a bip in my car for much the same result but much cheaper and smaller.
If you are doing lots of autoroute driving it is very helpful, especially for me with an English right hand drive car.
The newer devices are much smaller, a beige rectangle about 1.5 inches long which has to be stuck up at the top of the windscreen in the shaded area. You stick the mounting on then the bip slides on.
The German company you have found has much higher fees than I pay the SANEF.
I don't think you will find my deal on the other side of the puddle.
To decide if this makes financial sense to you add up the start-up charge, the delivery charge, the activation charge, the daily charge and the maintenance charge, and the return charge, and see what proportion of the actual it will cost you for the ease of not carrying some cash with you.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33840 posts
note - we were posting at the same time
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
I haven't gotten a Libert-T, but may do so one of these days. Seems worthwhile. If you don't get one, make sure to carry enough cash. It's hit-or-miss whether your cards will work, and I'm not sure there's any way to find out in advance. It also probably varies depending on which company is managing the particular toll road. I've almost never had any luck with my chip cards, even with the chip and PIN card I got from Andrews several years ago, but some people have (you can check earlier threads).