Here's the Skinny on Those Toll Tags

You can use credit or debit cards to set up a TxTag account. Currently, a minimum of $20 in prepaid tolls is required to set up the account. For a limited time, the sticker will be free. In the future, it will cost $9.65.

The Toll Authority prefers customers to use an AutoPay system, which charges your credit card automatically when the account gets below a pre-set value. There is no fee. If you prefer to manage your account with manual payments, it is your responsibility to make sure there are enough funds in the account to pay a toll. Understand, a pre-set value on a single tag is $10 (2 tags is $40, and so on up to 5 tags).

Under the AutoPay system, your charge card will be charged again when your account drops to $10 for one or two tags, $15 for 3 tags, and so on by $5 increments. This means there will still be a minimum of $10 in your account when your card is charged. Using the AutoPay system will ensure that there are always funds sufficient to cover your tolls, but it also means that there will always be a minimum of $10 in the hands of TxDOT from every tag customer in the state.

If your TxTag account does not have enough funds and you do not stop to pay cash, a camera will take a picture of your car license. A Notice of Toll Violation will be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle. Failure to pay a toll in Texas is a misdemeanor offense. A violator will have to pay the original toll and fees from between $25 to $100. Fees can increase depending on the effort needed to collect from the vehicle owner and, should a court hearing be necessary, up to $250 in fines can be added along with standard court fees.

The TxTag is a thin, electronic transponder that will mount on the inside of your windshield behind the rearview mirror. The toll lanes are equipped to receive the signal that the microchip sends out, thus enabling your account to be debited the amount of the toll. All of this happening while you just drive through the toll road uprights.

updated: 02/16/2008