Pa. Turnpike offers new, multi-step process to pay with cash

Written by on June 9, 2022

Pa. Turnpike offers new, multi-step process to pay with cash

By Megan Frank
June 9, 2022

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission spells out how to pay with cash on its website. (Photo | PATurnpike.com)

HARRISBURG, Pa. – There’s a new, however familiar, option for drivers to pay their turnpike tolls.  

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is once again allowing cash payments. There’s just one catch:

Listen to the story.

No physical currency will be accepted at toll booths.  

The Pa. Turnpike officially stopped accepting all forms of payment at toll booths late last year. Drivers now pay digitally through an E-ZPass transponder that they keep in their car or via the “Toll By Plate” system, which takes a photo of their license plate and mails them a bill.

Turnpike drivers who want to pay with banknotes will need to follow a few more steps.  

First, they’ll need to access PATurnpike.com or the PA Toll Pay app and select the “Pay a Bill” option. 

Once they find their license plate number, they can find out what they owe and print a pay slip.  

Next, they’ll need to take the slip to a participating retailer like 7-Eleven, CVS, Dollar General, or Walgreens where the driver can then make a cash payment or add funds to their E-ZPass account.

When toll booth payments were permanently phased out in 2021, the Pa. Turnpike Commission opted for an “All Electronic Tolling” (AET) system, which cost $129 million to implement.

The commission has stated that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the phase-in of the all-electronic system for the 552-mile tollway.  The changes resulted in more than 500 toll collectors and turnpike employees being laid off.

Participating retailers for turnpike cash payments include:

  • 7-Eleven
  • Dollar General
  • Duane Reade
  • Family Dollar
  • GoMart, Inc.
  • Kum & Go
  • Kwik Trip
  • Pilot Travel Center
  • Royal Farms
  • Rutter’s
  • Sheetz
  • Speedway
  • Stop & Go
  • Stripes
  • TravelCenters of America
  • Walgreens

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