French toll plazas

Thanks for the heads-up. Did you make it work with a debit card, or chip + PIN card, or just busted through? Was there a help button to communicate with someone?

We had 2 pin-&-chip cards. It took those. The guy on the help button (when one of the machines didn't want to read cards or tickets) didn't speak English except for "Insert your ticket first".

Thanks again for reporting back.

• Tolls are everywhere on the French highways and they aren't cheap. I wish I had gotten an "EZ Pass" or Liberte, as known in France, toll transponder equivalent! I can't stress this enough! It seems that almost everyone on the road pays cash and there are usually only a few toll booths that accept cash, causing major backups on the frequent toll plazas. We found a few of the toll plazas closer to Paris accepted our "chip & signature" MC/Visa. Close attention must be paid to get into the correct lane that accepts cash. Look for the Euro symbol above the booth as early as you can read them. If paying cash, be sure to have lots of small bills (5,10,20) and lots of 1 & 2 Euro coins. This will save you from collecting all the coins returned when paying a small toll with a large bill. Best to be exact or just over. Note: The coin return is too low to retrieve easily. Observations and opinions based on trip in June 2015.

Good information. We did not find the EZ Pass option or see lanes that took it. I had wanted that as well. A few lanes had pictures of bills and coins, instead of the euro, where we were. It was pricey, but faster than the backroads (although they had great side trips).

FYI, the Liber-T pass corridors are the ones marked with a "T".
You can get the Liber-T at the large toll plazas.

Can someone explain how the Liber-T system works? Is there a fee for the pass? Do you receive the bill at home? What is then the payment method? We've seen the EZ Pass here at home for years but never used one nor have any idea of how the system works. We will be driving in France this fall. We were astounded at the cost of toll roads a few years ago, and I would like to postpone the pain.

We have driven all over France seldom using the Autoroutes (toll highways) except when necessary and occasionally by accident. The N (national) roads and D (departmental) roads are a lot more interesting, take the traveller though interesting towns, and offer the chance to happen upon a farmers' market or a nice little restaurant at lunch time.

The posts in this thread would lead the new visitor to France to think that you HAVE to use the toll roads. Unless you are in a hurry, you do not.

And, not all Autoroutes have tolls. The ones near big cities and major conurbations are toll free. The tolls start about 50 Km from cities.
All good road maps of France indicate which Autoroutes have tolls and which don't.

Can someone explain how the Liber-T system works?
It's mounted on the shaded area of the windshield in a little pouch. Something "reads" it and the arm lifts. Nigel's wife used to hold theirs up to the windshield, but now his is mounted. I hold the pass up to the shaded area because our cars are always rented or leased. Never leave the radio transmitter part in the car because it can be stolen out of the pouch it sits in on the windshield--just like you wouldn't leave a mounted GPS.

Is there a fee for the pass?
If I remember, it's about 2 euro each month it's used and then the cost of the tolls. If you aren't using it, it doesn't cost.

Do you receive the bill at home?
It's linked to my Amex, mainly because when we got it about six years ago our Visa wouldn't go through on the clerk's computer. She said something about Amex being a sponsor so of course Amex worked--kind of like Amex working on Velib bikes, too.

What is then the payment method?
It shows up on my Amex bill. I can go to the Liber-T website to see the bill and breakdown, though.

That said, I agree with Norma about departmental and national roads being lovely, (I don't think Chani agrees, reading her post on driving in France) but the autoroute is good for long distances or if you are in a hurry and it's going your way.

Thank you for the replies. It has been very helpful and we will look into the pass when we begin our trip. We have driven N and D roads in the past, but for the long hauls and when time impacts our itinerary, the autoroutes will probably be our referred route. Thanks again to all who responded. I have learned so much through the courtesy of posters and am grateful. Safe travels to all!

I used toll roads in Burgundy and Alsace. At every toll plazas, there were machines that accepted cash. Very easy to use, took notes up to €20 and gave change. I paid about €0.10 per kilometer.

I was also just recently in France in the Alsace, Burgundy, Beaujolis and Drome Provencal regions. All toll plazas either have an attendant or a cash toll booth.

Could you be more specific as to where you found toll booths that take only cards, no cash and no attendant. That would mean that French people who don't have a credit card, and yes there are many, would not be able to drive on the autoroute.

I've never seen a toll road in France that didn't have a cash lane. I rarely see any manned (or womanned) toll booths anymore, but there has always been at least one lane that has a machine that takes cash as well as credit cards.

I agree with the previous posters. I have driven on the autoroute in France for more than a decade, and I have never seen a toll plaza that does not have machines that take cash. My guess is that the original poster thought there needed to be a person in the toll booth in order to use cash--as on some antiquated US toll roads. Of course, in France, it's all automated. Just look for the green arrows about the toll booth, which signify the machines that take cash. Be sure to have 20-euro bills or smaller denominations--the machines don't take 50-euro bills--and yes, they take coins too!