Spanish motorways, toll free or not?

[spigot]

Last time in Spain toll booths were being removed.
Now I hear, because of a EU directive, Tolls are being reintroduced on motorways.
What is the truth?
Anyone been driving there most recently who can say what is actually happening??
Thanks in anticipation.

 

[David and Sally]

Particularly on the APs from Bilbao to Valencia/ Alicante please.

 

[Brains]

Red Roads are toll roads.
Not all of the toll roads have toll booths.

You are expected to pay using one of the electronic tag systems.
After discussion on this forum we bought the Fulli tag.

€10 to buy, in arrives in the post, and then they charge you once a month for the tolls used on your card.
It helps if you have a Euro account (Starling, Revolut, Monzo, Wise etc)

The Fulli Tag works in France, Spain and Portugal, and for an extra fee will work in Italy as well.

 

[jerryz]

what happens if you dont have a Tag,,, can you pay with card like in France ??

 

[Brains]

what happens if you dont have a Tag,,, can you pay with card like in France ??

You can, IF there is a toll booth.
But they are removing toll booths and expecting users to have a tag.

We found in Portugal that we were driving down motorways (UK we would call them Dual Carriageways) where we saw zero warning that it was tolled, no toll booth, no tickets, no signs.

But every time we passed an on/off ramp our Fulli toll tag would beep and we were charged another few cents to the next on/off ramp.

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[lorger]

what happens if you dont have a Tag,,, can you pay with card like in France ??

I think they read your registration number via camera and then send you a bill, not sure if it’s more expensive that way as never done it.

 

[JockandRita]

Anyone been driving there most recently who can say what is actually happening??

We are currently travelling down from La Jonquera to Benidorm on the AP7, which was previously toll. It is free all the way down to Alicante, whereupon a small stretch becomes toll again.
The A7 is still currently toll free all the way along it's length.

HTH,

Jock.

 

[Brains]

Given the minal cost of €10, if you are going to France, Spain or Portugal I'd recommend you get a Fulli tag
Even if you don't intend on using the toll roads.

It's just peace of mind, and if you end up on a toll road, which as they are always the main signed route to anywhere, is very easy to do, it does not matter, you will only be changed a small amount if you come off at the next exit.

As mentioned above, in Portugal we found zero warning that our route was tolled, no booth, no tickets, we were simply charged a few cents every time we passed an exit from the road.

 

[Brains]

I think they read your registration number via camera and then send you a bill, not sure if it’s more expensive that way as never done it.

I think you will find that is a very expensive option.
They use UK bailiffs to collect the fines for non-payment

 

[SMB]

I've heard different things regarding the toll roads in Spain, apparently the Spanish authorities are resisting the EU directive but it is linked to EU regulations in order to receive funds. So it could be the introduction of tolls on all motorways and their equivalent of dual carriageways. Alternatively it may be in the form of a vignette. The Spanish pay an annual road tax so that might complicate things. Basically nothing has been decided yet as far as I'm aware.
Apparently the authorities are also considering several new taxes seperate from tolls but one is mooted to be an increase in the cost of diesel to make it the same price as unleaded.
Somebody mentioned the Portuguese toll roads, I understand that from the 1st January 2025 the Algarve toll road (I think it's the AP22) is now toll-free along with several other toll roads further inland. This toll road has been contested for years but ignored by the Portuguese authorities. I believe it's because these toll roads don't have a similar non-toll road system offering an alternative route. It's still good news regardless of the reason!

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[David and Sally]

We are going down to Zaragoza and beyond very early February.

1) Get a toll tag? Wonder if it will arrive in time?

2) Hoof it and pay at booths?

We will have a motorcycle trailer on the back. Does that complicate things?

Fulli or emovis?

So many questions

 

[lorger]

I think you will find that is a very expensive option.
They use UK bailiffs to collect the fines for non-payment

What if you pay it as soon as the bill comes through, they can’t send bailiffs before you’ve had a chance to pay and as there is no sign at start of toll telling you you must have a toll badge then I don’t even think it would be right to charge you more.

 

[lorger]

We are going down to Zaragoza and beyond very early February.

1) Get a toll tag? Wonder if it will arrive in time?

2) Hoof it and pay at booths?

We will have a motorcycle trailer on the back. Does that complicate things?

Fulli or emovis?

So many questions

Out Fulli came within days of ordering

 

[georgio]

We are going down to Zaragoza and beyond very early February.

1) Get a toll tag? Wonder if it will arrive in time?

2) Hoof it and pay at booths?

We will have a motorcycle trailer on the back. Does that complicate things?

Fulli or emovis?

So many questions

Ours came in a couple of days turned out to be bip &go.

 

[StillGoing]

What if you pay it as soon as the bill comes through, they can’t send bailiffs before you’ve had a chance to pay and as there is no sign at start of toll telling you you must have a toll badge then I don’t even think it would be right to charge you more.

The bill will include a fine for non-payment within the specified time. It’s cheaper, and easier, just to get a toll tag.

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[lorger]

The bill will include a fine for non-payment within the specified time. It’s cheaper, and easier, just to get a toll tag.

Not disagreeing but that seems a bit unfair to receive a fine along with original bill, about 10 years ago we travelled to Scandinavia and in Norway you could pop into a petrol station and pay the toll rd you’d just used, maybe they need to give drivers the opportunity to pay before fining them.

 

[Brize]

Out Fulli came within days of ordering

Mine too. Have used it in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, and it works seamlessly.

 

[royandsharont]

Red Roads are toll roads.
Not all of the toll roads have toll booths.

You are expected to pay using one of the electronic tag systems.
After discussion on this forum we bought the Fulli tag.

€10 to buy, in arrives in the post, and then they charge you once a month for the tolls used on your card.
It helps if you have a Euro account (Starling, Revolut, Monzo, Wise etc)

The Fulli Tag works in France, Spain and Portugal, and for an extra fee will work in Italy as well.


View attachment 998723

Brains I’m not sure of how the companies charge but you suggest you just pay for what distance you use in the tolls.

I tend not to use them but have paid at booths, or registered a card in Portugal in the past for 28 days.

I thought there was also other charges for example a monthly fixed fee every month or only the months you use it? What is Fulli’s full costs and any charges for currency conversion.

I have a Santander account with no charges for currency conversions so whilst away just pay the international bank rate, can you pay by card or do you have to use a bank current account for direct debit? ACSI bill my credit card in euros and I just pay whatever the bank rate is at conversion

Thank for any reply

PS they are currently offering another tag to include Italy too. Can’t find out about how to pay without processing a subscription

 

[lorger]

Brains I’m not sure of how the companies charge but you suggest you just pay for what distance you use in the tolls.

I tend not to use them but have paid at booths, or registered a card in Portugal in the past for 28 days.

I thought there was also other charges for example a monthly fixed fee every month or only the months you use it? What is Fulli’s full costs and any charges for currency conversion.

I have a Santander account with no charges for currency conversions so whilst away just pay the international bank rate, can you pay by card or do you have to use a bank current account for direct debit? ACSI bill my credit card in euros and I just pay whatever the bank rate is at conversion

Thank for any reply

PS they are currently offering another tag to include Italy too. Can’t find out about how to pay without processing a subscription

Fulli charges are €2 pcm per country when used, for instance if you use toll in France on the way to Spain you’ll be charged €2 on top of toll and the same for Spain and Portugal. The months you’re not using tolls then there is no charge.

 

[Barriesimpson]

On our recent Spanish Raid we paid tolls on the roads in Galicia mostly. We do have the Fulli tag.

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[Brains]

Brains I’m not sure of how the companies charge but you suggest you just pay for what distance you use in the tolls.

I tend not to use them but have paid at booths, or registered a card in Portugal in the past for 28 days.

I thought there was also other charges for example a monthly fixed fee every month or only the months you use it? What is Fulli’s full costs and any charges for currency conversion.

I have a Santander account with no charges for currency conversions so whilst away just pay the international bank rate, can you pay by card or do you have to use a bank current account for direct debit? ACSI bill my credit card in euros and I just pay whatever the bank rate is at conversion

Thank for any reply

PS they are currently offering another tag to include Italy too. Can’t find out about how to pay without processing a subscription

I’m not sure of how the companies charge but you suggest you just pay for what distance you use in the tolls.
Fulli Tag is in effect a 'pay as you go' cost.
If you don't use it there is no fee for use in France, Spain or Portugal (Excluding Italy)
(Although see the €2 cost in the post above for first entry into a country, which is news to me)

I tend not to use them but have paid at booths, or registered a card in Portugal in the past for 28 days.
The issue we found in Portugal was some roads have no toll booths, not tickets issued, and more concerningly no signs to say you are entering a toll road (Unless there was something in Portuguese that we missed)

I thought there was also other charges for example a monthly fixed fee every month or only the months you use it?
I don't know about other tag systems, but there is no extra costs on Fulli unless you go to Italy.

For Italy you pay €4.50 per month, plus the toll cost.
But you only need to pay for the period you are in Italy, and then cancel the Italy extension.
I think Fulli are currently offering 8 months in Italy free

What is Fulli’s full costs and any charges for currency conversion.
€10 up front. That is it.
If you have a €uro account there are no extra costs.
If you pay with a UK bank card it will be whatever YOUR bank charges you

I have a Santander account with no charges for currency conversions
No bank on the planet offers free currency conversion, despite what the adverts say.
The conversion cost is usually hidden in the conversion rate.

so whilst away just pay the international bank rate, can you pay by card or do you have to use a bank current account for direct debit?
They need a bank account number (IBAN number)
From memory they are fussy about the type of account.
I seem to remember there may be an issue with using only £ pounds accounts.

ACSI bill my credit card in euros and I just pay whatever the bank rate is at conversion
ACSI also offer a substantial discount is you pay in €uros!
I pay €14, the cost in GBP is £21.50

they are currently offering another tag to include Italy too.
Can’t find out about how to pay without processing a subscription
As always the payment method is last, you have to fill it all in first.

I would strongly recommend you get a €uro account.
It's easy enough, if a bit fiddly to set up initially.

But once done, it means no more mucking about with pounds and waiting for weeks for the bill to arrive with a load of extra changes.
It also means you can go to any ATM and get cash without the need to then pay extra.

At a time of your own choosing (such as last week when you would have got €1.21 to £1, down to €1.19 today) you transfer a lot of pounds to the Euro account, so you only pay one transaction fee. The €uros just sit in your account until you use them. No further costs.

There are a load of companies that offer Euro accounts.
Sterling is currently one of the best, but Revolut, Monzo, Wise, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, and other offer similar services. Just make sure they are allied to either Visa or Mastercard (and not Amex)

 

[royandsharont]

Thanks. Unfortunately it appears Fulli may only collect payment via direct debit and Santander UK do not accept direct debits from non uk banks, even under the SEPA system. I’ve asked them to confirm this and they have.

I’ve asked Fulli if I can pay by credit card, which is fine with my bank.

So as an example if I went calais on 25/1/25 to Spain then Portugal and back over 8 weeks I likely would pay charges for each country on the way there per month and Spain & France per month in the way back depending on dates. Around €12 plus toll charges. Their website only suggests a monthly charge, not per country

 

[David and Sally]

On our recent Spanish Raid we paid tolls on the roads in Galicia mostly. We do have the Fulli tag.

Just ordered one.

 

[royandsharont]

Thanks Brains there are the monthly charges to add, as above, when actually used. I’ll wait to hear back from them re using a card rather than DD.

Yes my account with Santander is very old and no longer available and I can guarantee I do not pay any currency conversion charges, hidden or otherwise, I pay the international bank rate on the day and have done for donkeys years

 

[royandsharont]

Just ordered one.

So how did you actually subscribe for payments to be collected David and Sally

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[David and Sally]

So how did you actually subscribe for payments to be collected David and Sally

Just filled in the application form. They asked for bank details at the end.

Or was it something else you needed to know?

 

[gus-lopez]

We are going down to Zaragoza and beyond very early February.

1) Get a toll tag? Wonder if it will arrive in time?

2) Hoof it and pay at booths?

We will have a motorcycle trailer on the back. Does that complicate things?

Fulli or emovis?

So many questions

Use the A23 . dual carriageway all the way to Sagunt/Valencia & foc

I thought there was also other charges for example a monthly fixed fee every month or only the months you use it?
I don't know about other tag systems, but there is no extra costs on Fulli unless you go to Italy.

There is. it is 2,40,e per month when used in Spain or Portugal .1,70€/month used in France .this is on topof tolls.

 

[Barriesimpson]

Thanks. Unfortunately it appears Fulli may only collect payment via direct debit and Santander UK do not accept direct debits from non uk banks, even under the SEPA system. I’ve asked them to confirm this and they have.

That's ridiculous, Santander is a Spanish bank.

 

[Kups]

Mine too. Have used it in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, and it works seamlessly.

Just worth knowing that Fulli have 2 different tags, "Nomade" for France, Spain and Portugal. "Nomade Plus" also includes Italy to the above countries. Just swapped our "Plus" for the standard one. Cost £6 to send the Plus back and £10 to receive the standard one. Get the new one before you send the other one back, use their packaging. Worked well took about 10 days from posting back to account being updated.

 

[royandsharont]

Just filled in the application form. They asked for bank details at the end.

Or was it something else you needed to know?

Hi again David and Sally yes I was, my bank won’t do EU direct debits so I wanted to pay by credit card so was keen to confirm if this was possible. Cheers