I live outside Halton FAQs
- How much will it cost people who live outside Halton to cross the bridges?
- How do I know whether a pre-pay plan or a monthly pass is the right option for me?
- What is the difference between a ‘pre-pay sticker plan’ and a ‘pre-pay video plan’?
- What is a pre-pay plan and how does it work?
- How much money will I have to pre-pay in advance when I register?
- How will the auto top-up system work?
- Will I have to use the auto top-up system?
- If I use the auto top-up system, how much money will it take from my bank when my merseyflow account drops below my agreed threshold?
- Can I register more than one vehicle on my account?
- My partner and I both have cars registered in our names – can we have one account or will we need to have two?
- How do I register with merseyflow?
- How much will I save by buying a monthly pass?
- How many trips do I have to make a month to make it worthwhile buying a monthly off-peak pass?
- When and how will I be able to buy a monthly pass?
- Will I have to commit to buying a monthly pass every month?
- How long will my pass last for?
- Can I use the same monthly pass for two different vehicles?
- Can I purchase a monthly pass for any type of vehicle?
- What documents will I need to provide to register?
- How much will it cost me to register?
- Do I have to register?
- What happens if I don’t register?
- If I’m not registered and there are no toll booths, how do I pay?
- How long will I have to pay if I’m not registered?
- What happens if I don’t pay or forget to pay in time?
- How can I check how much money remains in my account prior to making a journey?
- How can I pay for using the crossing?
- What credit card and debit card types can I use to pay?
- What is Payzone?
- If I make payment for a crossing but then do not use it, can I use this at a later date? Is there an expiry time/date?
- My partner and I will both be registering cars for a pre-pay plan. Once we have registered can either person drive either car at a discounted rate over the bridges?
- Will I get an alert if the balance is running low in my account?
- Will I be able to check how much I have left in my account before making a journey?
- Where do I display my merseyflow sticker?
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How much will it cost people who live outside Halton to cross the bridges?
The unregistered toll/charge rate will be £2 per one-way trip for a car or a small van, but if you live outside Halton there are two different options you can select to reduce the cost of toll/charge – a pre-pay plan or a monthly pass.
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How do I know whether a pre-pay plan or a monthly pass is the right option for me?
If you think you will make less than 50 one-way trips over the river in Halton each month then a pre-pay plan is probably the best option for you.
If you think you will make more than 50 one-way trips over the river in Halton each month then an unlimited travel monthly pass is probably the best option for you.
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What is the difference between a 'pre-pay sticker plan and a 'pre-pay video plan?
If you register for a pre-pay sticker plan you save 10% on every trip and get a sticker to go on the windscreen of your vehicle.
If you register for a pre-pay video plan you only save 5% on every trip and you won’t get a sticker to go on your vehicle.
We’re encouraging people to register for sticker plans by offering a greater saving because that is the most efficient way for us to monitor traffic and collect the toll/charge revenue.
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What is a pre-pay plan and how does it work?
Our pre-pay plans will work in a similar way to a 'pay-as-you-go' mobile phone contract. Registered users will pre-pay £20 into their account and this money will be used to pay for your crossings.
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How much money will I have to pre-pay in advance when I register?
You will have to pay £20 per registered vehicle into your pre-pay account initially, plus your £5 registration fee. The £20 will all be used to pay for your crossings. If you close your account at any point and haven’t used the money in it you will be refunded all of the unspent balance in your account.
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How will the auto top-up system work?
Our auto top-up system will ensure that you always have money in your merseyflow account and that you won’t risk getting a penalty charge.
If you register for a merseyflow account, you will get the choice to set up the account, so it is automatically topped up by direct debit from your bank account whenever the level of funds in your merseyflow account drops below a specified amount. The minimum amount you can specify is £10 but you can set a higher amount if you wish to do so.
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Will I have to use the auto top-up system?
No – you can choose to top-up your account yourself, but this way you will run a much greater risk of not having enough money in your account to pay for your crossing.
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If I use the auto top-up system, how much money will it take from my bank when my merseyflow account drops below my agreed threshold?
You will be able to choose your own top-up value, though there will be a minimum top-up value of £20. We recommend you choose a value that is roughly equal to the amount you expect to spend on crossings on a monthly basis.
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Can I register more than one vehicle on my account?
Yes – you will be able to register as many vehicles as you own under one merseyflow account.
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My partner and I both have cars registered in our names – can we have one account or will we need to have two?
You can choose – you can either register both vehicles under one merseyflow account under one of your names or open two separate merseyflow accounts.
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How do I register with merseyflow?
The easiest way to register is online at this website or in person at our local Walk-in Centre or over the phone if you prefer.
If registering online, just select the ‘merseyflow Pre-pay plan’ option and follow the instructions. You will need to pay a £5 one-off registration fee per vehicle and a £20 initial payment to cover your future crossings.
We’ll check your details and once we’re happy we’ll send you your special merseyflow sticker to go on the windscreen of your vehicle, or, if you’ve decided you want the video-registered option and just get a 5% discount on the unregistered toll/charge, we’ll add your vehicle to our database of registered vehicles.
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How much will I save by buying a monthly pass?
The saving will vary depending on how much you cross the bridges in Halton. For people who cross the river a lot the savings can be significant.
For example, if you cross the river an average of four times a day that adds up to 120 one-way trips over a 30-day month.
At the sticker registered toll/charge price of £1.80 for a one-way journey this would cost £216, so buying the £90 monthly unlimited travel pass would save you £126 a month.
If you made the same number of journeys five days a week rather than seven days a week the saving would be a minimum of £54 a month.
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How many trips do I have to make a month to make it worthwhile buying a monthly off-peak pass?
If you make more than 35 one-way trips purely at off-peak times (between 10am to 4pm and 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and all times on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays) and very few or no journeys during peak times (between 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm Monday to Friday), then the £60 monthly off-peak pass might be a better option for you. You will need to pre-pay any crossings made during peak hours.
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When and how will I be able to buy a monthly pass?
You can buy a monthly pass when you register or at any time after that and link it to any one vehicle you have registered on your merseyflow account.
The plan will last a calendar month, for example, if you purchase your pass on 26 March it will expire on 25 April.
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Will I have to commit to buying a monthly pass every month?
No. You don’t have to commit to buying one every month and you will be able to buy one at any time during the month.
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How long will my pass last for?
The plan will last a calendar month, for example, if you purchase your pass on 26 March it will expire on 25 April.
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Can I use the same monthly pass for two different vehicles?
No. The monthly passes will be specific to a single vehicle and are not transferable to any other vehicles.
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Can I purchase a monthly pass for any type of vehicle?
No – only cars or small vans are eligible for a monthly pass.
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What documents will I need to provide to register?
You won’t need any documents to register for a pre-pay plan or a monthly pass.
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How much will it cost me to register?
Anyone registering for a pre-pay plan will need to pay a one-off £5 registration fee for each vehicle they register. If you buy a new car and want to register it with merseyflow it will cost an additional £5 as the sticker is not transferable between vehicles.
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Do I have to register?
No. You will be able to drive over both the Mersey Gateway Bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge in Halton without registering but by doing this you will have to pay the full unregistered toll/charge cost for each journey you make. You can only access discounts by registering with merseyflow.
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What happens if I don’t register?
If you don’t register you will have to pay the full unregistered toll/charge – £2 per one way trip – every time you cross the river.
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If I’m not registered and there are no toll booths, how do I pay?
There are several ways to pay for your crossing:
You will be able to pay by debit or credit card but we will not accept BACS payments.
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How long will I have to pay if I'm not registered?
You will have to pay by midnight the day after you cross the Mersey Gateway Bridge and Silver Jubilee Bridge or you will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of up to £60.
So, for example, if you crossed the Mersey Gateway Bridge or Silver Jubilee Bridge on a Monday morning you would have until 11:59pm on Tuesday night to pay the toll/charge fee.
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What happens if I don’t pay or forget to pay in time?
If you don’t pay, or if you forget to pay in time, you will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).
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How can I check how much money remains in my account prior to making a journey?
You will be able to do this 24/7 by logging in to your online account at www.merseyflow.co.uk.
During office hours, you will also be able to do this by phone by calling our contact centre, and quoting the vehicle registration, then one of our customer service representatives will be able to confirm if there is any remaining balance against your vehicle.
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How can I pay for using the crossing?
There are several ways to pay for crossing over the Mersey Gateway Bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge:
We will also take cash payments in the walk-in centre and at Payzone outlets.
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What credit card and debit card types can I use to pay?
We will accept credit and debit card payments from Visa and Mastercard.
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What is Payzone?
Payzone is a cash acceptance network that provides a means for making cash payments towards utility bills, crossing tolls/charges and various other bills, without having to use a payment card.
To find out where your nearest Payzone is and for more information you can look at the website: www.payzone.co.uk.
Please ensure the correct registration plate has been entered when paying for your crossing, be careful not to mix up the letter 'I' and 'O' with the numbers '1' and '0'
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If I make payment for a crossing but then do not use it, can I use this at a later date? Is there an expiry time/date?
Yes, prepaid credit will stay on the vehicle registration for 24 months from the time of payment.
If you paid for two crossings and only made a single crossing, the remaining crossing payment would remain as credit for the same period.
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My partner and I will both be registering cars for a pre-pay plan. Once we have registered can either person drive either car at a discounted rate over the bridges?
Yes – once both vehicles are registered to an account, with a sticker or video pre-pay plan, then either of you can drive either car, presuming you have all the appropriate insurance cover in place. You can choose to register two vehicles on one merseyflow account, or open two separate merseyflow accounts.
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Will I get an alert if the balance is running low in my account?
Yes, low balance reminders are issued when the customer’s account balance reaches their 'low-balance threshold'. This is a nominal value chosen by the customer.
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Will I be able to check how much I have left in my account before making a journey?
Yes, you will be able to do this by logging on to your account or by calling our contact centre.
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Where do I display my merseyflow sticker?
Click here to see our Sticker Leaflet Information Guide.
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