Before You Hit the Road

Before you hit the road for your winter travels, learn more about your payment options on the Turnpike and how to prepare for your trip.

Due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, travelers over the age of 11 entering Pennsylvania from locations outside the Commonwealth, as well as Pennsylvanians who are returning home from locations outside the Commonwealth, are required to produce evidence of a negative COVID-19 test or place themselves in quarantine for 10 days without testing or a 7-day quarantine with a negative test on or after day 5 of quarantine. There are some exemptions to this guideline for those traveling for work or medical reasons. Find a complete list of FAQs related to traveling on the Department of Health website.

In June 2020, the Pennsylvania Turnpike officially switched to an All-Electronic Tolling system, meaning there will be no return to cash collections.
Customers now continue to move through the lanes at posted speeds without stopping while entering and exiting the system. Tolls are assessed via E-ZPass, or a PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE invoice is sent in the mail. Pre-register for TOLL BY PLATE by opening an account today.
Learn more at www.nocashzone.com

E-ZPass customers can use every interchange along the PA Turnpike system. E-ZPass toll amounts can be up to 30 percent cheaper than cash and tagholders are billed via automatic withdrawals from their account.
It is important for E-ZPass customers to correctly mount their transponders by:
Using clear mounting strips, which can be provided by E-ZPass Positioning the transponder behind the rear-view mirror Placing your transponder with logo upright and facing you
Tagholders can now manage their E-ZPass through an app! Find out more here.
Become an E-ZPass customer today. Sign up now.

PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE is a license plate tolling system and is how non-E-ZPass customers are billed. Cameras mounted overhead on tolling locations capture a vehicle’s license plate as it proceeds through at posted speed, and an invoice is mailed to the owner of the vehicle.
Customers who receive a TOLL BY PLATE invoice will be charged the “cash” toll rate. However, at the time of payment, they have the option to open an E-ZPass account to receive the discounted rate.
After receiving an invoice in the mail, customers have 20 days to pay their invoice before a second is issued.
Payment options with TOLL BY PLATE are:
- Mail payment through a check or money order using provided envelope
- Pay online at https://bit.ly/PayTOLLBYPLATE
- By phone, contact the PTC’s Customer Service Center at 1.877.736.6727
- Convert your TOLL BY PLATE invoice to E-ZPass for instant savings online or by phone.
View a sample TOLL BY PLATE invoice.
Learn more about TOLL BY PLATE.

Not sure how much a toll will cost? Check the price of your upcoming trip on our website’s toll calculator.

Customers with rental vehicles should check with the rental company about their policy with regards to travel on toll roads. Each rental company may have a unique process for handling tolls incurred with a rental vehicle.
Some rental companies may provide an E-ZPass transponder, or customers may also choose to use their own personal E-ZPass in a rental vehicle. To add the rental vehicle to your personal account, login on the website or app and provide the start and end dates you plan to use it.
If you do not have an E-ZPass, the registered vehicle owner (the rental company) will receive the TOLL BY PLATE invoice for the tolls and then process according to your customer agreement and their policies. For these reasons, it is important for rental vehicle customers to talk to the rental vehicle agency and fully understand rental agreements before driving on toll roads.
Find rental vehicle FAQs here.

If you will be hitting the road, here are some safety tips to consider while we all work through the pandemic:
- In Pennsylvania, masks are required to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are away from your home. Please bring face masks for every passenger in the car.
- When fueling your vehicle, bring disposable latex gloves that you can wear when gripping the pump handle.
- Clean your hands often, especially after using a restroom, refueling and handling a credit card for payment.
- If you need roadside assistance while on the PA Turnpike, you are still able to call *11 to reach our operations center hours a day.