Credit card fees coming to Mackinac Bridge tolls in 2025

Drivers crossing the Mackinac Bridge will be paying a higher toll in 2025.

The Mackinac Bridge Authority at its November meeting said it will begin charging MacPass customers a 2.3% credit card transaction fee on Jan. 1, 2025.

Additionally, American Express credit cards will no longer be accepted as a form of payment due to a higher-than-average transaction cost.

A total of $341,761.51 in credit card fees from Mackinac Bridge tolls was incurred in 2024, according to the Authority.

The current average fee for tolls paid by credit card is just over 3%, with around 13% of all Mackinac Bridge tolls paid by credit card, according to a news release.

Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) today approved collecting a 2.3 percent convenience fee for tolls paid by credit cards, beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
The MBA took action today at its meeting in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. A recorded link to the meeting is below:https://t.co/5yUBZMAsfU pic.twitter.com/FzCl5fluuz

— The Mackinac Bridge (@mackinacbridge) November 8, 2024

“Though this convenience fee will not cover all credit card processing costs, it will help defray those costs in a way that will allow us to continue directing most of our toll revenues to the never-ending job of maintaining and operating the Mackinac Bridge,” Authority Chairman Patrick “Shorty” Gleason said in a statement.

The fee will add approximately 9 cents for a passenger vehicle paying $4 to cross the bridge.

Customers who pay tolls by cash will not incur the new fee, and MacPass holders also can eliminate the fee by making a deposit with cash or electronic check.

In addition, the Mackinac Bridge Authority approved lower MacPass deposits. It will reduce the initial deposit required from $80 to $40 and will charge $20 for refill deposits, down from $50. Those changes are expected to go into effect on Dec. 1 or as soon as possible, the Authority said. LL

Read more Land Line coverage of tolls here.