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It's a fair few years since I had a tag for the French tolls, but a trip to the Alps this year means i need one again. Previously, i had an APRR one, only charges a nominal fee for the months it's used, I've just had a look and they want 15 euros set up and 10 euros delivery these days too. Is that still the go-to tag, or is there a better value alternative these days?
Thanks!
You’re overthinking it - it’s so quick tap your card and you’re off.
I think this is the one I have, but it does seem to have bumped up in cost since I got mine (which I need to check still works for later in the year).
I use https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/ which has been faultless.
Great to drive straight through the 30kph without stopping or queuing.
You’re overthinking it – it’s so quick tap your card and you’re off.
This, my youngest carsick child has the queen of peage for the last 2 years with her tap and gos.
I use https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/ which has been faultless.
Great to drive straight through the 30kph without stopping or queuing.
+1
Awesome device!
it’s so quick tap your card and you’re off.
This is like arguing that paying by cash is quicker than Apple Pay....
Ok, it works, but it's just living in the past.
I use the tag. So much quicker and easier hitting the drive through lane, especially on those late night stints when the passenger is snoozing.
Shorter queues with the tag, smash through at 30kph and you don’t get billed until after your holiday so spreads the cost a bit.
Cheers guys. The argument for paying by card is a none starter really, having driven to Greece a few times the difference between having a tag in France and not in Italy was massive, especially when driving through the night!
Quite a bit of a cost difference in the 2 mentioned above. The emovis would cost me 48euros for the 2 months id be using it once you add in the registration fee, account management fee, deposit and surcharge. The bip and go is about half that, even with 10e postage there's only a 10e registration fee and 1.70 per month surcharge. Presuming I can get that one without a French bank account it's definitely the one to beat at the minute, cheers!
There is a bonus to stopping and paying with the quick tap and go…
…forces drivers to slow down which gives the eyes and concentration a quick break from motorway driving.
As most of you on here are driving gurus with oodles of knowledge regarding bad driving, tyres and anything car related you certainly couldn’t disagree that having a quick minute or two break as terrible.
Disagree with using the tag, you’re on holiday what’s the rush !
Don't want to spend my holiday in a queue on the Autoroute.
We have the Emovis one.
Works a charm.
Emovis+1 here. Always slightly nerve wracking the first time it's used on a trip in case it's stopped working for some reason.
Yep, first toll anxiety! I get that.
We forgot ours once, that was a pain in the arse.
Don’t want to spend my holiday in a queue on the Autoroute.
A tag doesn't prevent that IME. The time saving is miniscule and I won't bother next time.
https://ulys.vinci-autoroutes.com/ or Fulli seem to be quite popular on the motorbike forums......
Never bothered, although I'm LHD. Keep right and go through with the HGVs,contactless. And never, ever go behind a UK reg car (passenger throws coins onto floor, can't open door, too close to booth, cue reversing etc..)
Been living/driving in France since the latest tech was being able to throw coins in a net rather than hand it over to the péagère. And never had a badge. Thing is I don't know anyone who's got one either, who would go to the faff of ordering one and then pay 20e a year? Business users and foreigners... .
We've been using the Vinci Ulys tag for years now (we're full time frogs). No waste paper and no stopping at the peage suits me just fine. I often see queues, so I'll beg to differ about not saving time passing through tolls.
Fwiw nearly all the tag suppliers have additional options to use the tag in Italy, Spain and Portugal for an extra monthly fee.
I often see queues, so I’ll beg to differ about not saving time passing through tolls.
There are two scenarios IME. If the road is very busy, you don't get to the tag lanes until you're most of the way through the queue. If the road isn't very busy then the queue is short. Either way, the time saving is utterly inconsequential which is I guess why the French don't bother.
I’ve used an ATMB tag for years. Costs €2 each month it’s used. Can’t remember how much it cost to send, but wasn’t much and may even have been free.
Having driven with and without a tag I would not want to be without it. It is much, much quicker even when the traffic is light. I have driven many times in convoy with friends who don’t have one and end up miles ahead. I prefer to have my breaks out of the car not sat in a queue at a toll booth!
It also dead handy when the passenger has a broken left collarbone and can’t reach the booth to pay……don’t ask how I know!
Yeah I don't bother any more. There's only about 3 till gates the whole way to the Alps (where you're paying, the gates to get on never have queues), it just doesn't save significant time
For me if there where a cost saving in using a tag then I'd go for it
Cant say that the queues have ever been very long for me when driving through France, and never bothered with the tag before.
However, I have just bought the Bip&Go as me and a mate are driving overnight to the Alps in a few weeks. One of us may well be asleep, so dont want to disturb them using a LHS booth. It was only 14euro initial (thought I might as well get Italy as well), and less than 2euro/month of use.
How does the payment work on these, do you associate a bank account or credit card with the tag tp pay as you go, or does it give you a bill at the end of the month to settle?
For ours (Emovis/SANEF), you get a bill and it gets DD’d from bank account.
My favourite bit is watching the French car behind you do an emergency stop & quick lane change as you enter the tag only lane in a UK reg car...
My favourite bit is watching the French car behind you do an emergency stop & quick lane change as you enter the tag only lane in a UK reg car…
Yes, very much this ^^^^^^ It's very satisfying seeing it.
Btw, we have an Alis/Mango/Fulli tag (it was originally Alis but changed hands - T&Cs remained the same). It bills to our French bank account.... when we took it out with Alis you needed to have a French Bank acct, which we had.
unfitgeezer
Full Member
You’re overthinking it – it’s so quick tap your card and you’re off.
Except the toll booths are on the wrong side for a UK car so it doesn't work if you're on your own or the passengers are asleep.
And there is the random guess as to whether it'll trigger the upper or lower set of payment options when we're in the van. Lower ones are too low to reach the contactless area easily, upper ones aren't easily readable.
Another BipnGo user here, very easy to set up, only get charged when you use it, works in Spain, Portugal and Italy too. There's an english website and an app, also in english, where you can check out how much you owe.
We live in France and have been using ours for 2 or 3 years now and never had a problem with billing.
I've lived in France for 15 years. Crazy not to take a tag. The queues at toll booths can be absolutely horrendous. Even at St Arnault on the A10 where it widens to about 20 lanes, you could wait dozens of minutes at peak times. Or get through in seconds with a tag. Au choix!
another +1 for the Sanef/Emovis one - i used to drive in France alone a lot when i had clients out there and my brother lived in the Alps, so had no co-pilot to do the payments. Going to look into the BipnGo one though if it works in several countries - seem to be in Spain aswell more and more often now - probably its cos I'm bored of the Alps and have been hitting up the pyrenees.
wasting time looking at these now - I've always thought the slow down and slight break was healthy as a driver. But I guess you can still have the option of doing that (you can tag on any gate and a single bill would be useful)
Emovis
10 application
20 deposit
8 admin per year
5 per month used.
Eurotunnel
Free application - no fee (save €10)
€8** annual fee for the first year of subscription, discounted to €4** from the second year onwards
€20 refundable security deposit on the tag
€5** active usage fee - only for the months in which the tag is used and capped at €10 in any subscription year
ATMB
2euro per month (that you use it, though it charges you for the month you apply?)
free application
free delivery (but I can find every country in the world except UK/GreatBritain in the drop down list of countries - what am I missing?)
BIP&Go
In France
€ 1.70/month
In Spain and Portugal
€ 2.50
In Italy
€ 2.50
14 setup
10 postage
theres a 'refer a friend code' where you both get 4euro if anyone wants to share their sub number
https://www.bipandgo.com/en/sponsoring/
I've got the Fulli one and it's fab. Think it was free but 10€ delivery, and I get charged 1,70€ for every calendar month I use it. It means I can let my passenger sleep and not get anxious about losing the ticket between one barrier and the next, or dropping her card and struggling to get out the car to pick it up again. 1,70€ for convenience is effectively nothing. I can't believe we went for so long without one.
Slightg diversion - anyone know anything about toll tags in Greece?
Trying to do the BIP&Go and it looks like it's failed because we've got a nonstandard numberplate....(I hate the thing but we inherited it)
also, there are annual charges -
€16.00 / year and per badge France
10Euro spain/portugal and italy
so ATMB looks the cheapest by some way if you can actually get it..
Not sure where you're getting the 16 euro a year from? BipnGo charge 10 euros activation and 10 euros for delivery outside of France.
Then it's 1,70 euros a month but only for the month you use it.
Not sure on the registration number but we have used ours in at least 3 different vehicles, only one of which is registered with them as far as I can remember. Perhaps just use a different UK plate?
edit.... just spotted it, you're looking at an annual subscription, much better to use the pay as you go one. Also if you know you're not going to use in any 12 months, cancel it as they can charge for non usage.
Ok. That’s instead of, rather than as well as, the monthly charges.
I think you guys have spent as much time faffing about badges as I've spent queueing in the last 30 years. 😉
UK = Royaume Uni on the country dropdown. my lack of French is embarrassing.
ATMB application complete. Free delivery, free application - really does just seem to be 2euro each month you use it.
I think you guys have spent as much time faffing about badges as I’ve spent queueing in the last 30 years
yes, i think you're right. But it's cold out, trails are muddy, and this has got me thinking of our trip in May so that's a good thing...