[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by tilt

ICICI Bank's Fastag has removed the NEFT option to recharge the tag.

Try payment through UPI, that doesn't have a convenience fee. Yes, you'd need to set it up on the BHIM or your bank's app on your phone but it works extremely well. It can be used in other multiple areas as well.

I just used it to recharge my ICICI Fastag a couple of days back and everything went smooth.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

...
1. ICICI
...
Recharge thru UPI/Other banks chargeable or problematic.
Forced to become ICICI bank customer for easy use

Recharging over UPI is not chargeable, yet. At least not till yesterday when I recharged my tag using Google Pay.

Problematic, perhaps, but rarely. I've had only one instance when the UPI transaction did not recharge the tag immediately and I had to contact the support team - the amount got updated in the tag account within hours of raising the ticket.

Originally Posted by tilt

ICICI Bank's Fastag has removed the NEFT option to recharge the tag.

I strongly advise using UPI to recharge ICICI tags, based on experience.

Originally Posted by silversteed

UPI is the fastest way to recharge our FASTag account. After ICICI started the option to directly transfer the amount to the tag account through UPI, I have not recharged the tag account from their website. Have had failed transactions with all other modes of payment, but not with UPI.

Simply transfer the required amount to the VPA 'netc.<vehicle reg no>@icici'
if the vehicle reg no is less than 10 characters, prefix it with zeroes.
For example,
MH-88-DN-4567-> netc.mh88dn4567@icici
TN-71-1234 -> netc.00tn991234@icici
KA-57-M-678 -> netc.0ka57m0678@icici

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

Based on this, would take a call on the bank - but leaning to SBI as am an existing customer, so should ideally be easier with the KYC aspect. Please advise.

Didn't you check out PayTM? I know many had bad experiences but it was pretty smooth for me. It did take around 3 weeks to get the tag but it was uneventful for me. The main advantage is the ease of recharge and has the flexibility to use the wallet for other PayTM services.

[deadguy25]

@Mods, please move this query to an appropriate thread.

My query is off-topic, but not sure where else to ask.

Aint the toll rates supposed to come down over a period of time? Although the number of vehicles have multiplied, we see the toll rates going-up rather than coming-down.
The road conditions and amenities are not improving when compared to the hike in toll rates. At some places the tolled roads are patchy.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by deadguy25

@Mods, please move this query to an appropriate thread.

My query is off-topic, but not sure where else to ask.

Aint the toll rates supposed to come down over a period of time? Although the number of vehicles have multiplied, we see the toll rates going-up rather than coming-down.
The road conditions and amenities are not improving when compared to the hike in toll rates. At some places the tolled roads are patchy.

NHAI revises the toll rates based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), which is based on the wholesale prices of a certain basket of commodities. If the prices of commodities go down, we might see a downward revision in toll rates but that's a remote possibility in the present scenario. Who gains from the hike in toll rates is anybody's guess.

[anthusiast]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

Hi All, Considering procuring a Fastag for my vehicle. Reviewed the thread to understand the concept(s), and pros and cons of Service Providers. Summarizing it for easy reference:

Any info on how the PayTM Fastag compares against these ?

[binand]

Originally Posted by anthusiast

Any info on how the PayTM Fastag compares against these ?

Been using for a year. All pros, no con worth speaking of (some people did report a delay in receiving the tag, though).

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by anthusiast

Any info on how the PayTM Fastag compares against these ?

Are you going to load money into the FASTag wallet every day? Are you going to load your PayTM wallet every day?

Procuring the tag -

Tags irrespective of the financial institution you order from will request minimum KYC as per norms. Apart from that, usually the copy of your RC book and at max an address proof. What might be a differentiating factor is how each of these deal with leased cars or cars not owned by you and if they insist on additional supporting documents.

Apart from this, the processing time to deliver the tag home is also crucial. The most popular one till date was Equitas (2 days flat) but now ICICI and other banks also deliver quite quick. While Equitas today suffers from bad back-end (customer care) and KYC related issues where they keep sending reminders on and off for physical verification, ICICI and others have fared well in this department.

Functioning of tags at the booth -

I think in general, FASTags issued by all banks work same when it comes to basic functioning while passing a toll booth equipped with one. Plain RFID technology post which payment is processed through NPCI. So the question whether FASTag associated with one Bank works better than the other should be ruled out and any instances reported will purely be co-incidental as the scanner doesn't contact your bank to allow you pass the gate but merely sees the status of it - Active or Inactive, with money getting deducted only later.

Loading of money into the Tag account -

PayTM is popular because your PayTM wallet will take care of the balance in your tag and that also means you need to keep your PayTM wallet replenished with enough balance before taking up a long journey.

In case of ICICI and other bank tags, few rolled out UPI based payment that loads money directly to the 'Tag account' immediately. When you use popular UPI portals, all it takes is less than 30 seconds of few clicks to process and update your FASTag wallet

Few other banks don't have UPI as yet (and are slowly rolling out). In this case you end up using their website to transact and update your Tag account.

Customer Care -

None are best and not all are bad too. But it depends on the number of trips you take up in a month and how many times you really have to pick up that phone to lodge a grievance. One thing for sure - The customer care of all of these is typically not the same customer care that exists for your bank. So expect less professional experience anyway.

Bottom-line : The number of interactions one has with the customer care and the ease of procuring one should be the primary attribute to buy a FASTag. Regarding loading money into the wallet, be as responsible here as you are when it comes to tying your shoelace before driving to work. If you have forgotten, pull over and tie that lace (and also load money into the tag) and everything is active soon after!!

Nearly 2 years since I have a FASTag and I have got in touch with the customer care twice. Once when UPI payment failed (due to data network issues) and second time when I was double charged and not charged as per return journey rule.

I am quite regular using the FASTag on BETL when I drive to work and then many drives to Belur passing 5 booths with FASTag and to Pune passing over 16 booths and couple of recent ones to Nagpur as well. With such kind of usage, I have no complaints on the functioning of the Tag or dealing with recharges (I dont even have an ICICI bank account and after UPI, I just love the ease at which one can update the tag's balance).

[anthusiast]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Procuring the tag -
Functioning of tags at the booth -
Loading of money into the Tag account -
Customer Care -
Bottom-line : The number of interactions one has with the customer care and the ease of procuring one should be the primary attribute to buy a FASTag.

Thanks Parag for the detailed info. Will be useful for someone who is visiting the thread lately.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Didn't you check out PayTM? I know many had bad experiences but it was pretty smooth for me. It did take around 3 weeks to get the tag but it was uneventful for me. The main advantage is the ease of recharge and has the flexibility to use the wallet for other PayTM services.

Originally Posted by binand

Been using for a year. All pros, no con worth speaking of (some people did report a delay in receiving the tag, though).

Originally Posted by anthusiast

Any info on how the PayTM Fastag compares against these ?

I've been a happy user of PayTM Fastag for over a year. The only niggle was it took 3 weeks to reach me, but after that it has been a smooth sailing.

While on this subject, I was happy to see Fastag lanes being strictly enforced between Vijaywada and Hyderabad last month soon after Dusshera. The vehicles having Fastag could pass the tolls in a few minutes. Unfortunately the cab i was in did not have one, so it took 20 to 40 minutes to cross the tolls.

[shankar.balan]

My Dad went and kindly got me a couple of these Equitas Fastags from a local service provider (physical office) called Brokerage Free in HSR BLR.
I hardly use the big National highways on regular basis.
I d like to know a few things if anyone can help.
1. Does this Fastag work on the NICE road Bangalore and on State Highways?
2. Equitas appears to be a small finance bank and recharging their fastag seems to be possible only from the internet.
3.Doesnt seem to have a Mobile App for iPhone and hence not possible to recharge in an easy manner using the phone.
4. Given that PayTM is more regularly used by me for many things on almost daily basis, it may make better sense for me to procure my fastag from them - I dont seem to be able to use Paytm to recharge my Equitas provided Fastag.
5. We paid Rs 500 for each Equitas fastag. How easy is it to cancel and close this fastag and will the entire money get refunded or will there be some deduction?
6. How does one cancel this?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

My Dad went and kindly got me a couple of these Equitas Fastags from a local service provider (physical office) called Brokerage Free in HSR BLR.
I hardly use the big National highways on regular basis.
I d like to know a few things if anyone can help.
1. Does this Fastag work on the NICE road Bangalore and on State Highways?
2. Equitas appears to be a small finance bank and recharging their fastag seems to be possible only from the internet.
3.Doesnt seem to have a Mobile App for iPhone and hence not possible to recharge in an easy manner using the phone.
4. Given that PayTM is more regularly used by me for many things on almost daily basis, it may make better sense for me to procure my fastag from them - I dont seem to be able to use Paytm to recharge my Equitas provided Fastag.
5. We paid Rs 500 for each Equitas fastag. How easy is it to cancel and close this fastag and will the entire money get refunded or will there be some deduction?
6. How does one cancel this?

1. No. It works only on NHAI toll plazas.
2 and 3. Recharge is possible only via Internet Banking. Not sure if they have UPI even today.
4. For your ease of use, PayTM is not a bad deal but PayTM wallet also needs to be recharged. The only value add I see here over Equitas is ease of recharge
5.They have few branches that you can visit. I also remember there was an option when you log in into your tag account to request cancellation.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

1. No. It works only on NHAI toll plazas.
2 and 3. Recharge is possible only via Internet Banking. Not sure if they have UPI even today.
4. For your ease of use, PayTM is not a bad deal but PayTM wallet also needs to be recharged. The only value add I see here over Equitas is ease of recharge
5.They have few branches that you can visit. I also remember there was an option when you log in into your tag account to request cancellation.

Thanks Parag.
I also logged on to the Equitas site to see.
I noted there is a cancellation option but this means I have to go through the whole account linking process etc with them. I’m thinking I should just go back to that physical store and get these cancelled personally and take the cash refund.
And then re apply for fresh Fastags via PayTM. Because just as you said, the PayTM recharge process is far easier overall especially for a relatively frequent user of PayTM since it is a more all encompassing sort of service than a specialised one like Equitas.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Because just as you said, the PayTM recharge process is far easier overall especially for a relatively frequent user of PayTM since it is a more all encompassing sort of service than a specialised one like Equitas.

Right. Because the most valuable USP that existed for Equitas was its impeccable delivery time and simple ordering process which today most others are at par with.

The biggest headache with Equitas today is their constant text notifications asking one to get the NYC done warning tag deactivation despite a successful KYC. My friend who's KA Registered car we drove to Mumbai was equipped with Equitas. Today he has paid the road tax for MH and also an MH Number. With hardly any balance left with Equitas and the fact that ICICI too ships in 2 or 3 day with a "better" Customer service and "easy" UPI recharge option I asked him to get ICICI.

With PayTM the ease of use is assured mainly due to the frequency of that App on day to day basis.

Tag - All would work anyway.

[treadmark]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

2. Equitas appears to be a small finance bank and recharging their fastag seems to be possible only from the internet.
3.Doesnt seem to have a Mobile App for iPhone and hence not possible to recharge in an easy manner using the phone.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

1. No. It works only on NHAI toll plazas.
2 and 3. Recharge is possible only via Internet Banking. Not sure if they have UPI even today.

I'm using Equitas FastTag for a few years now, haven't faced any glitch yet,
And yes, you can recharge through UPI.

Cheers!