M6 Toll Account - antiquated

[Bletchleyite]

As I tend to use it a fair bit these days I was thinking of setting up the M6 Toll account.

However despite having replaced their entire tolling system, it still uses an antiquated pre-pay setup a bit like the Oyster of old. Why can one not, as per the Dartford Bridge/Tunnel, just register a credit/debit card and simply be automatically charged for each journey at the public rate rather than all that faff? Is it only economic if they hold a load of money and earn interest on it, perhaps? It does do automatic top up but by an amount that isn't precisely one journey.

Most odd.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Is it only economic if they hold a load of money and earn interest on it, perhaps?

It may well be. You can at least pay by contactless at the toll plaza now, but to get the discount you have to pre-pay. And as you say, the minimum top-up amounts are ludicrously high compared to the toll fee.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It may well be. You can at least pay by contactless at the toll plaza now, but to get the discount you have to pre-pay. And as you say, the minimum top-up amounts are ludicrously high compared to the toll fee.

And also aren't a multiple of the toll fee, so you can't get it down to zero (so if anyone stops using it they get to keep a load of money on the books).

 

[MotCO]

Why can one not, as per the Dartford Bridge/Tunnel, just register a credit/debit card and simply be automatically charged for each journey at the public rate rather than all that faff?

I didn't know you could. I just top up my account when I know I'm going to use the crossing.

 

[Cloud Strife]

One little known thing is that they do offer post-payment, but you have to call them at the toll booth and give them your details so you can then pay online. They take your name and e-mail address, and you've got three days to pay.

 

[Bletchleyite]

One little known thing is that they do offer post-payment, but you have to call them at the toll booth and give them your details so you can then pay online. They take your name and e-mail address, and you've got three days to pay.

This is mostly just there for people who get to the barriers and discover they've forgotten to bring a means of payment rather than an offering you're intended to choose to use. The railway equivalent is an Unpaid Fares Notice.

I reckon they'd get far more people signing up for accounts if you could just sign up a card and it bill you at the full rate when you use it - indeed I think they could get enough takeup that like Dartford they could remove the physical booths or just have a lay-by where you could pull in to pay by card if you have chosen not to sign up (perhaps at Norton Canes services). It's really odd that their entirely new payment system uses the antiquated pre-pay concept the tags used to use.

 

[Cloud Strife]

It's really odd that their entirely new payment system uses the antiquated pre-pay concept the tags used to use.

I suspect that it's as you say, it's about keeping as much money on the books as possible. The M6 Toll had (has?) serious amounts of debt on the books, and it could well be that the banks simply won't agree to a system similar to Dartford or other crossings.