Sanef
Comments
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TAG - for or against ?
Over the years many approaches in our Motorhome WITHOUT a Tag to the Toll booths are as follows ------
Search for purse or scrabble around in front of MH for some coins and check how much you've got.
Not enough – so where's the Credit Card we used to buy food at the Supermarche an hour ago?
Search for Card.
“You put it where?”
Passenger disappears into depths of MH and returns eventually with Card in hand
Slow down and wind window down to pull in wing mirror to allow close access to machine – not too early in case you want to change lane because the car in front has suddenly put on their hazards - they can't find their credit card or cash and you've got to move over - or wait an age.
“By heck, there's a biting cross wind and rain coming through the open window.”
Slow down and stop directly, and I mean directly, at the side of the machine.
Lean out of window.
Suddenly remember to release seat belt because you can't reach the machine.
Stick credit card in machine.
Wait a few seconds and barrier rises.
Remember to take credit card - or you're in deep sh........
Set off and wind window up.
Wind window down again as driver reminds passenger to push wing mirror back out.
Window up again.
Loud buzzing sound.
Passenger remembers to fasten seat belt to stop buzzer.
Stick Credit Card in safe place.
There, that wasn't too bad was it?
A typical approach WITH a Tag to the Toll booths -Slow down a bit.
Barrier rises
Speed up again.
Stress?What stress?
Yes, you are on holiday.
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You got it in one Keith.
All this talk of only takes a couple of minutes to get out, go round, squeeze between NH & booth, put card in, get receipt ..... try sitting in a queue behind that and good luck if its raining. Got ours a few years ago and yes there is a small cost each month you use it and a yearly admin fee but it really makes life easier and the exchange rate SANEF give you is the interbank mid rate and you are not ripped off at all.
Love the 30kph lanes.
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Against - for a car anyway because we can just lean out of the window:
We're organised so the toll ticket, and card to pay it with both go in the 'recess' in the dashboard.
So our scenario is
1. Slow down, and whilst slowing down pick up ticket and card
2. Lean out and put ticket in
3. Put card in next slot and take card back
4. Barrier rises
5. Drive away.
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Not even a height barrier. I sail through this lane without stopping.
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'Organised' on holiday ?
The dog has more idea of where we're going and what we're doing next than we do.
When we first had, and used, a Tag I got a rocket from SWMBO for not getting one years earlier .......
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My OH can - our wing mirror extension make the car very slightly wider than the caravan so he can get very near, and though I have to lean (and have got long arms
) I don't ever have to get out of the car. Mind you, I wouldn't tow through a toll booth - I only ever do the 'between' sections!!0 -
I received an email yesterday telling me Sanef Tolling is now Emovis Tag UK. Nothing else has changed, T & C's remain the same. However, although the links in the club offer will take you to Emovis, all the front end pages still say Sanef. This could cause some confusion for those wishing to apply.
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Wouldn't be without ours now and am more than happy to pay for the convenience of my wife not having to do a juggling act with ticket and money/credit card while hanging out of the window as I'm parked in the middle of the lane and nowhere near the ticket machine! Nothing to do with 'it just takes two minutes of your life' - its the convenience.
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We had a 10 week leisurely tour down the eastern side of France this year, Annecy, Avignon, across to Toulouse, Bordeaux and back up to Calais.
Can't remember ever seeing a toll booth, but did see some wonderful countryside, villages and towns albeit with numerous roundabouts and chicanes
but then I have a touring caravan.0 -
An update on the Tag.
I have had an ATMB Tag for a couple of years and on this wet and windy day I thought I'd have a look how much it's cost this year.
I've done 1451 kilometres on the Péage sections of the French Motorways in 2018 at a cost of €212 – approx 14.5cents per kilometre.
The charges from ATMB for the five different months I've used it are €1.90 each month - €9.50 in total.
I have been through the Péage Booths 29 times at a cost of approx 32cents each time.
There are no other charges, and no other charges in earlier years, for using or having the Tag except the initial start up charge to obtain the Tag.
We use the Motorways at the start and end of the holidays to get to our preferred area (Loire, Dordogne, West Coast) as quickly as possible and then meander around.
Weighing up the ease of use of a Tag (slow down a bit – speed up again) against our earlier paying at the Toll Booths by card or cash then we are quite happy to pay extra for not having any hassle when on holiday.
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Hi K&M, I think it might be cheaper than you think! ATMB reduce the monthly fee if the tag is used three times in any one month. By my reckoning of your use 29 times in 5 months you should have qualified for the lower charges. €1.90 is the higher band. I think it’s €1.60 on your usage, perhaps you went through more tolls than you thought!
Ken
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I’m on the fence, my husband is against. We’ve discussed these tags every time the subject comes up on a forum.
Last year I timed myself paying - 19 seconds. I get the ticket and/or card ready, as soon as we stop I open the door, step onto the step, put the ticket and card in, take the card and receipt, sit back down and close the door. Not hard or time consuming. There’s always a warning that the booths are coming up so plenty of time time to get your card ready. Ours is always in the cup holder with the ticket.
Not even 2 minutes and definitely not holding anyone else up.
Nora
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Nora
You obviously approach the toll booths with the precision of an F1 team changing a set of tyres
No need for anyone to have a Tag but those of us that use them find them one less thing to think about. No taking of tickets, no need to pay at the time and generally quicker through the booths. Perhaps as we are on holiday we shouldn't bother about such things? Lost count of the times we have been behind a French registered car at a toll booth obviously scratching around for change to pay the toll. You do wonder if they are taken by surprise that they have to pay!!!David
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I'm always surprised by how many French vehicles don't seem to have tags, given that they must use the autoroutes far more often than we tourists do. As said several times the cost is minimal and the saving in inconvenience dramatic.
As an aside, we visit Greece once a year and hire cars whilst there. I must investigate getting a tag for their system as hunting for Euros when we've just got off a plane is stress inducing....
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I just like being smug.
Many the time a French car has zoomed past us to get to a booth before us.
Then we approach a different booth, barrier up straight away and off we go.
French driver disappears in my wing mirrors as they scratch about for card or cash and they eventually pass us a couple of miles down the motorway.
Talk about the Tortoise and the Hare …......
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I'm a bit unclear here. Emovis/Sanef (CAMC offer) is €5 per month. ATMB is €1.90 up to a max of 3 x if used. Does that mean a max of €5.70 in any one month of usage or per annum?
On the face of it, the ATMB tag looks cheaper. It doesn't appear to have an annual fee either, only a security deposit.
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Just paid my Sanef fees via direct debit. Went to see friends in Carcasonne in September and as we were a bit short on time (only 3 weeks available) and wanted to spend some time in the Tarn Gorges going down, we used the toll motorways heavily. Even though we used some Route Nationals the cost in tolls was £109. They are not cheap but they are convenient and we wouldn't be without our tag these days.
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CyberY - not sure about the reference to “max of 3” you mention re ATMB. The only reference to ‘3’ I am aware of is the fact that if you pass through 3 tolls in any one month, the €1.90 fee is waived. We have this ATMB tag and have benefitted from this discount, and the easy way tolls are charged monthly to Halifax card, at competitive rate.
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It is nice to have that superior felling as you "sail through" the tolls, but it is not necessary for the limited number of times you use it. All the reasons that have been given so far to justify having one, speak volumes for the fact that it is very much a personal preference.
Remember on 29th March all UK cards will cease to work and it will be the end of the world, etc, etc!!
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DJG - 'Remember on 29th March all UK cards will cease to work and it will be the end of the world, etc, etc!!'
All the more reason to be in France on that date - unable to get back to the UK for an indefinite time, Spring time - and Summer approaching, Aires and Campsites devoid of arriving Brits, trapped in a Country that actually welcomes and encourages Motorhomes, Boulangeries selling their wares to hungry travellers, an extra hour of daylight, no pitch markers or Wardens, empty roads as British vehicles stockpile on the UK South Coast will help us to avoid Toll roads – bring it on …....
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After years of traveling in France, and thousands of miles in motorhome and car on the peage, we've just ordered a tag for our summer trip to the Cote d'Azur ( via the Alps).
Our motorhome is so old that it doesn't have electric window winders, and Cath now finds it painful to wind down the window and stretch out to the card slots. Our motorhome height is such that our window is halfway between the slots for cars and the higher ones for camions.
The question is: where do we position the tag? Our hymer has an overcab which presumably would block the line-of-sight to the mirror position.
Any advice please?
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Chasncath
There have been previous threads on this. Some people when using for the for the first few times, hold it by hand and wave it around in the windscreen to establish where to finally position it. I seem to recall that towards the bottom left hand side works, but trial and error!!!!
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We position the TAG at the bottom of the windscreen fractionally above the wipers. If you think about it this is about inline with the height it would be if it was fitted in a car. It works for us! (Right click on the picture and open in a new window to see a larger picture.)
David
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As it's radio frequency I suspect that the exact position isn't too critical as unlike infra-red etc it doesn't need line of sight alignment. It would however possibly be affected by heated screen filaments etc (although they don't seem to affect the tag in our Discovery).
The first time using the drive-through booths is exciting. I always use the ones where you need to stop for the first few on each trip as sometimes it seems to take a while for the system to remember us.
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The problem with some motorhomes is that they have a cab overhang which prevents a clear line of sight to the static reader.
David
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I've just received this info from Emovis from whom I had also sought advice.
"The tag needs line of sight to the gantry, it must also be positioned in the mottled shaded area if you have an athermic heat reflective windscreen installed.
Heat reflective screens and specifically the metallic reflective coating applied to make a screen heat reflective will block the signal to your tag unless the tag is placed in the mottled / shaded area which is always free from any heat reflective metallic coating.
If your Luton overhang would be in the way of the tag, then you can position the tag lower down but ONLY if you have confirmed with the vehicle manufacturer that you do not have an athermic windscreen.
More information on where you should position your tag can be found on our website here:
https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/faq/All issues with athermic windscreens can be overcome by holding the tag out of the window"
I doubt whether our van will have athermic windows: sounds a bit modern for a 17 year old Hymer/Fiat! I hope we don't end up having to wind down windows to wave the tag about!!
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