Using French Tolls (Cat 2)
Hi
Travelling through France this summer with our little caravan, and not really sure how to use the French tolls.
We often drive through France but have never done it with the caravan. We do not have a tag. Do we just drive up to the barrier as usual, and the system will recognise that we have the caravan, show this as a Cat 2 payment on the screen, pay using a card, and drive on through?
I've just got this image of the barrier coming down in between the car and the caravan! 😬
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Matt H
Comments
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Don't worry, there are sensors which will prevent this happening. However, I would recommend you got a tag as this makes life so much easier. We've been using ATMB for several years without any problems, and the extra cost over cash / credit card is minimal - €1.90 for each month when it is used.
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Matt, you say "little caravan". If lower than 2m then you will be a class 1. We avoid tolls roads in France unless it really is a no brainer to use them regarding time gained for minimum cost. If you use the viamichelin website you can play around with toll and non toll costs, adding in via points. The savings on a trip can be considerable.
Colin
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Matt, Ian has described what happens. For many years we have been 'tagless'; however, I have this week got a Tag (ordered Friday came yesterday). We got one because my wife was finding it quite difficult reaching over to insert the ticket then card into the machine at the barrier. Remember, you will not be able to get as close to the machine with your caravan behind you as you can with just the car. Off in a couple of weeks so hope the Tag works!
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If you are travelling quite a lot on the autoroutes then a tag is a godsend, in particular on certain pèages you can drive straight through the “auto” gates without stopping. Unless you are new to France and enjoy stopping or slowing down every few minutes at the various N road obstacles then the autoroutes are great with Aires every few miles and excellent full service stations.
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Another recommendation to get a tag here. I’ve had a bip and go tag for the last 3 years. It’s inexpensive and makes toll roads so easy. The tag can also be used to automatically pay in some car parks.
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Hi a startup, I’ve set it up with my bank and it’s paid in pounds sterling.I’m not sure if its Bip and Go or my bank that calculates the conversion, i guess it will be in the Ts & Cs if you look closely enough, but I’ve never had any problem.
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Can you have any charges debited to a credit card? That would be the easiest way as the CC would automatically convert euros to sterling. If you have something like the Halifax Clarity card it could save on fees, there are other cards that also don't charge the earth for transactions in Europe. Some years ago we had the SANEF Tag (now Emovis) and what I liked about that was that charges came through a UK source which made it easier to pay directly from your bank with no extra fees. Some would argue that it was the most expensive Tag but I was happy to trade that for the convenience.
David
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Just about still on topic -- does anyone know how long the battery in the ATMB tag lasts?
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I’ve had mine 4 years now and still working fine.
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I was a little concerned about the battery in our ATMB tag last year as we had had it for several years but hadn't used it since 2019 due to the pandemic. I just ordered an additional one - price about €4 IIRC. Obviously the battery state can't be checked unless the tag is actually used so didn't want to risk arriving at a toll booth and finding it not working.
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I think that they can monitor the battery state when you use the tolls so in theory will send you a new tag but after around 5 years I requested a new one anyway.
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Just a reminder for first timers going to Brittany - don’t bother to get a tag.
Whether you land at Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo or Roscoff you can drive into Brittany and all around that area on big roads without seeing a tollbooth - there are no motorway tolls in Brittany.
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Viamichelin looks like an awesome site. Thanks for the introduction to that.
I just took a quick look with two random points. Amazing.
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You should have seen the website a month or so ago until they "updated" it. It was so easy to navigate.
Colin
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Tag is the way ahead (we use EMOVIS). With a 2.5m caravan we just drive straight through the wider truck lanes at the peage. EMOVIS take payment in GBP from our current account without any bank charges. Have a great trip!
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