Renting car in Spain but going into Portugal.....transponder situation?
 

I have friends who are starting their vacation in Madrid where they are picking up a car.
Their whole trip was set up by a travel agent , all is prepaid even their car. They were asking me how they will be able to travel on the toll roads that require a transponder when they travel in Portugal which is part of their trip.

I just called Auto Europe as I use them frequently and they had no idea how one can pay these tolls without a transponder or the inconvenience of going 48 hours after passing thru tolls to pay at a post office. That does not help when exiting the country to return to Madrid.

The AE guy I talked with thought maybe one was billed through the car rental agency when they got the bill from Portuguese authorities but these friends are afraid there could be extra fees or late fees added on.

Has anyone rented outside Portugal, then entered Portugal and driven on the toll roads requiring a transponder and how did that work? Thanks for any help.

This link (posted on another thread) give information on the transponder when coming from Spain.

http://www.theportugalnews.com/a22-a...u-need-to-know

Why aren't they asking the agency that made the arrangements?

We normally plan our drive to avoid the need for a transponder for the tolls, but you should be able to find out what you need on the Via Verde web site (www.viaverde.pt).

adrienne, thanks for that link. I think it will give them the info they need.

Both the links given so afar do not give you the correct information.
The official website on how to make payments is this one:
http://www.portugaltolls.com/en/web/...portagens/home
You should note that the authorities are now looking to send fines to the Spanish (this news is in Spanish)
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia...08G13P6991.htm
So if one does not pay you could end up paying months later.
Another worrying thing is the the article says Portuguese police will stop and not allow the vehicles, with fines, to proceed. So hiring a car with a lot of fines attributed to it could prove to be a lot of hassle.