I've tried all three payment methods for the M50 over the past five years. Each has its place, but the price differences add up significantly when you're commuting daily. Here's what I learned about costs and convenience.
The Three Payment Methods
eFlow offers three distinct ways to pay for M50 tolls. The right choice depends entirely on how often you use the motorway and whether you travel on other Irish toll roads. Let me break down each option based on my actual experience with them.
1. Video Account (What I Use Now)
This is the camera-based system. No physical device needed. Cameras photograph your license plate, the system matches it to your account, and deducts the toll automatically.
Cost: €2.10 per journey (€2.50 for higher vehicles)
Setup: Online registration, 24-hour activation
Deposit: €40 initial credit
I switched to this method after my first year of occasional M50 use became daily commuting. The savings were immediate. At €2.10 per journey versus €3.10 for Pay-As-You-Go, I was saving €10 per week, which is €520 annually just from my work commute.
2. Tag Account (When I Considered It)
This involves a physical electronic tag that sticks to your windscreen. The tag communicates with toll systems automatically.
Cost: €2.10 per journey on M50 (same as Video Account)
Tag Price: €35 per tag
Benefit: Works on all Irish toll roads automatically
I seriously considered getting a tag when I started making regular trips to Cork for family visits. The M50, M3, M4, and M7/M8 would all be covered automatically. However, I calculated that I'd need to make about 35 toll road trips per year beyond the M50 for the tag to pay for itself.
For me, visiting Cork four times annually didn't justify the tag cost. I stuck with my Video Account and just paid the slightly higher rates on the other toll roads. But if you regularly travel beyond Dublin on motorways, the tag makes financial sense.
"Calculate your actual usage before buying a tag. The €35 cost needs to be justified by convenience or savings on other toll roads."
3. Pay-As-You-Go (My Expensive Start)
This is the no-account option. You pay online or by phone after each journey.
Cost: €3.10 per journey
Payment Window: Until 8pm the following day
Setup: None required
This was my method for the first three months after moving to Dublin. I liked not having an account to manage. But after receiving my first monthly credit card statement, I saw the reality: I'd spent €93 that month on tolls. With a Video Account, it would have been €63.
The real killer wasn't just the higher rate. Twice I forgot to pay within the window because I was traveling for work. Each missed payment became a €3.10 toll plus a €3.00 late fee, then escalated to penalty notices. Pay-As-You-Go only works if you have perfect memory and never travel unexpectedly.
Real-World Cost Comparison
Let me show you the actual numbers from my experience:
My First Year (Mixed Methods):
- 3 months Pay-As-You-Go: ~€280 + €72 in penalties = €352
- 9 months Video Account: ~€840
- Total: €1,192
My Current Year (Video Account Only):
- 12 months Video Account: ~€1,050
- Zero penalties
- Total: €1,050
That's €142 saved just by using the right payment method consistently. And my usage pattern was identical both years, roughly ten M50 trips per week.
Special Situations I've Encountered
Rental Cars
When I needed a rental for two weeks last summer while my car was being repaired, I had three options:
- Let the rental company handle it (they charge €8-12 administrative fee per toll)
- Temporarily add the rental plate to my Video Account
- Use Pay-As-You-Go for those two weeks
I chose option 2. I logged into my eFlow account, added the rental's registration under "Manage Vehicles," and it was active within hours. For my ten trips during that fortnight, I paid €21 instead of the €31 with Pay-As-You-Go or the €101 with rental company fees. After returning the car, I removed that plate from my account.
Multiple Vehicles
When my partner moved in and we had two cars, I added both vehicles to my single Video Account. This works perfectly. Both cars share the same credit balance, and all journeys appear in one dashboard. Managing one account is simpler than two, and we split the monthly cost easily.
Visiting Friends and Family
My parents visit from Cork twice a year. I created a Video Account for their car on my eFlow profile. I maintain a small balance on it year-round. When they visit, I just top up €30, which covers their trips during the stay. This costs me maybe €70 annually but saves them the hassle of Pay-As-You-Go each visit.
Automatic Top-Up: Essential or Optional?
This deserves its own section because it's the feature that changed everything for me.
Without automatic top-up, I had to remember to add credit manually. My balance would hit zero, I'd forget to top up, and my next journey would trigger an unregistered vehicle process, meaning I'd still pay but with complications.
With automatic top-up set to add €40 when my balance drops below €10, I literally never think about it. My credit card is charged every 4-6 weeks, and my toll system just works. In three years of using automatic top-up, I've had zero issues.
My settings:
- Trigger point: €10 remaining
- Top-up amount: €40
- Email notification: Enabled
I get an email each time it tops up, so I always know when the charge is coming. This system is worth setting up properly from day one.
What About Business Users?
My company switched to expense-based reimbursement last year. I needed toll receipts for each journey. eFlow makes this straightforward with Video Accounts, there's a detailed journey history with dates, times, and amounts. I export it monthly and submit it with my expense claims.
Some colleagues use company fuel cards for automatic top-up, which works well too. The key is ensuring your account email matches your work email so journey confirmations go to the right place for record-keeping.
My Bottom-Line Recommendation
After trying all three methods extensively:
Use Video Account if:
- You use M50 more than twice monthly
- You want automatic, hassle-free payments
- You value the 32% cost saving over Pay-As-You-Go
Use Tag Account if:
- You regularly use multiple Irish toll roads
- You make 35+ toll road trips annually beyond M50
- You want universal coverage across all toll systems
Use Pay-As-You-Go only if:
- You use M50 less than once monthly
- You're visiting Ireland temporarily
- You have excellent payment discipline and reliable reminders
For 95% of regular users, Video Account with automatic top-up is the clear winner. It's saved me hundreds of euros and countless hours of payment management over the years.