Indian roads, especially highways, have become good in the last few years. The infrastructure of the roads has been improved to a great extent, providing uninterrupted traffic flows without any jams in the streets. If you are a frequent traveler, you might not face any problems on these roads and can have a smooth journey, but still, some things are not under our control, and usually, you would hate them during your journeys.
One such problem travelers face is long queues at toll plazas across the highway, which would waste a lot of time waiting for your turn. But now the government has introduced FASTag for vehicles made mandatory for four-wheelers from December 2019. More than 600+ toll plazas across the country are equipped with FASTag. Let us know what FASTag is, what the benefits of FASTag are, how to get FASTag for your vehicles, and when your FASTag is blocked.
With the help of the National Payments Corporation of India, the government of India has developed the NETC program, which refers to the National Electronic Toll Collection. This program allows the collection of toll tax without any human intervention. This program, also known as FASTag, helps reduce the rush at toll plazas nationwide. The FASTag is a device that uses RFID technology, Radio Frequency Identification, which will deduct the toll charges automatically when the vehicle passes through the FASTag lane of the toll plaza. The FASTag sticker is applied on the front windscreen of the four-wheelers, and when they pass through the toll, money will be auto-debited from the FASTag account linked to the vehicle.
Things to know about FASTag
Though FASTag is an easy and convenient method to pay your toll tax without any human intervention, there are still some points about the technology that are necessary to know before you move your vehicle on highways:
FASTag can be used at any toll plaza across the country, irrespective of who the acquirer is.
FASTag is affixed on the front windscreen of the four-wheeler.
If you own more than one four-wheeler, you must have separate FASTag for both vehicles. You cannot use the same FASTag for multiple cars.
Once you have purchased a FASTag for a vehicle, it will be valid for five years. You can recharge the FASTag as per the requirement after the initial buying of the FASTag.
FASTag can be recharged online through net banking, UPI, debit cards, credit cards, and Paytm. The minimum amount to recharge FASTag is Rs100, and the maximum is Rs 1,00,000.
It would be best to buy FASTag from trusted banking partners only.
It would be best never to buy a FASTag from a company that asks to link your bank account. You should always use prepaid service for the FASTag.
What are the benefits of using FASTag?
The FASTag has many advantages for the wheeler owners. The benefits of FASTag are listed below:
Cashless Payments
One of the best advantages of making FASTag compulsory is the tension of having an exact change at toll plazas. The transaction will be cashless and automatically debited from your FASTag wallets.
Mobile Alerts through SMS
Whenever you pass through any toll plaza, you will receive SMS alerts on your registered mobile numbers when money will be deducted from FASTag. You will also receive alerts for low balances in your FASTag wallet.
Online Recharge
This is one of the best advantages of having FASTag. You can recharge it anytime using debit cards, net banking, and UPI.
Faster Moving on Highway
Thus, it also reduces the traveling time from one place to another as it will reduce human intervention, saving your precious time.
Cashback Offers
To promote FASTag, the government is providing excellent cashback offers for users. Currently, they provide 2.5% cashback for every transaction through the FASTag wallet.
How to buy FASTags?
FASTags can be bought from various sources. Many national and private banks provide the facility to create a FASTag account. Moreover, some payment wallets, such as Paytm, also issue the FASTag for the four-wheelers. You can also buy FASTag at toll plazas, where they have a Point of sale (POS), which will help you get FASTag.
Here is the list of banks that are providing FASTag accounts:
A person can also buy the FASTag from the automobile company, where he will buy his four-wheeler, and they will install the FASTag on their new vehicles.
Documents Required for the Application of FASTag
Whenever you buy a FASTag account, you will require some documents and their photostat copy. Here is the list of the documents you will need when purchasing a FASTag for your vehicle:
RC of the vehicle for which you are going to have FASTag.
The user must also submit a passport-size photograph of the vehicle owner.
You will need a document for KYC, which is any one of these – driver’s license, adhar card, PAN card, Voter ID, and Passport.
How FASTag Works?
Here are the steps where we will learn how a FASTag transaction works when it is initiated at a toll plaza through an RFID reader:
A vehicle will pass through the FASTag lane, where the RFID device will capture FASTag details, which include the ID of the Tag, the Class of the car, and TID, which is sent to the bank for processing.
The bank will further initiate a request to NETC Mapper, which will validate the tag details.
After NETC validates the Tag ID, the mapper will send details: vehicle class, tag status, and VRN. If the mapper cannot locate Tag, it will return a response that a particular TAG ID is not registered.
Thus, the bank will calculate the toll fare and initiate a debit request towards NETC.
After that, the NETC will forward the request to the bank that has issued FASTag to debit from the user’s FASTag account.
The host will deduct the money, and the user will receive an SMS alert. The host will also send the message to NETC.
This is how FASTag will deduct the money from your account, and you can travel hassle-free.
FASTag Blacklisted
If you pass through any toll plaza and your FASTag wallet is out of money, your FASTag wallet is usually blocked for 48 hours if you use the FASTag lane to cross the toll gate. Your FASTag account will only be reactivated with the intervention of the NHAI helpdesk if you are traveling. Call the NHAI customer helpline number to reactivate your card, which is 1033.
Usually, when a person buys a FASTag, Rs 200 is added as a security deposit, which can be used during emergencies. The amount can be deducted from the security deposit if you have exhausted your main FASTag wallet account. Again, when you recharge your wallet, money will be added as a security deposit, which you have used, and the rest of the amount will be deposited in your main FASTag wallet.
How to Use FASTag?
Now we are aware of FASTag, we will see how the FASTag works when a vehicle enters a toll plaza:
First, when your vehicle enters the FASTag lane, the RFID reader on the road will auto-detect your FASTag and deduct the amount from your FASTag wallet.
You will get a confirmation receipt in your email and an alert message on your phone linked with a tag.
Once the money is deducted from your Tag, you will get a green signal and can pass through the plaza without hassle.
FASTag Common Problems
Everything has its pros and cons. The pros have already been explained, and now we will see what difficulties one can face while using FASTag.
Sometimes, when you pass your vehicle through the FASTag lane, the RFID reader might not detect your car’s FASTag. You might need to move your truck backward and forward and ensure that FASTag is correctly placed on your vehicle to be easily detectable.
If your FASTag is still undetected, a man at the toll plaza will come with a handheld reader to detect your Tag. There are some disadvantages of these :
They are faulty at some times.
They need to be charged after 5-6 hours.
Some companies deduct the FASTag charges if you are not using them in the name of the FASTag event. So don’t buy FASTag from such companies. As FASTag is a prepaid wallet, you don’t need to link your bank account with FASTag.
How to Buy FASTag with Airtel Payments Bank?
Airtel Payments Bank is issuing the FASTags for your vehicle. They have partnered with NPCI, the National Payments Corporation of India, and IHMCL, Indian Highways Management Company Limited, to sell the FASTag in the country. If you buy the Tag from the Airtel app, you will receive Rs 50 instant cashback. This Tag can also be purchased from selected point-of-sale banking points of Airtel Payments Bank.
FASTag bought from Airtel Payments Bank is directly linked to your airtel bak wallet, therefore the charges will be deducted from your bank directly when you pass your vehicle through any toll plaza.
Steps to avail of Airtel FASTag Buy
Here are the steps on how you can avail of Airtel FASTag from your phone:
First, you need to download the Airtel Thanks app from the Play Store and register for the app.
Log in to the app after you have completed your registration.
After that, click on Airtel Thanks on the app’s homepage.
Click on the Airtel Payments FASTag banner, which is located in the rewards section.
Proceed with filling in your vehicle details and, after that, complete the payment process.
After the payment is successful, you are eligible for Rs 50 cashback, which will credited to your wallet within 48 hours of completion of your payment.
After that, your vehicle’s registration certificate will be verified in 2 working days.
You will receive your Tag within 6-8 working days at the address you mentioned while applying for FASTag.
Airtel FASTag fees
Whenever you apply for the FASTag with the Airtel Payments Banks, you will be levied the following charges, including the GST:
Tag Joining Fee (One-time Fee): 100/- ( including all applicable taxes)
Tag Reissuance Fee (One-time Fee): 100/- ( including all applicable taxes)
Along with these charges, you will have to pay a security deposit, which will depend on vehicle class, which means the type of vehicle in numbers are 4, 4,5,6,7,12, 15, and 16. There is also a threshold amount necessary for every car during activation. The charges are subject to change from time to time. The table below shows the FASTag charges from Airtel Payments Bank.
Airtel Payments Bank FASTag Charges
Vehicle Class
Description
Security Deposit (in Rs.)
Threshold Amount (in Rs.)
4
Car / Jeep / Van / Tata Ace and Similar mini Light Commercial Vehicle
As your Airtel FASTag payment is deducted from your bank wallet, you need to have to recharge your wallet. You can recharge your wallet through debit card, credit card, net banking, and UPI. Your FASTag will automatically block the minimum amount required for FASTag to be active.
Airtel FASTag Customer Care Number
If there are any problems regarding FASTag, the helpline number has been launched by NHAI/IHMCL, which will address FASTag complaints at the toll plaza level. The FASTag users need to dial 1033 from their phone in case any problem arises. Some of the common issues can be:
Toll Plaza is not accepting your FASTag.
If there is any difficulty in reading the Tag at the plaza.
Stopped at the plaza for the blocked Tag.
In case you have lost your four-wheeler and you need to block your FASTag account, you can call these numbers: 400 or 880068006
Airtel FASTag Delivery Time
Usually, it will take 6-8 working days to deliver your FASTag at your address for your 4-wheelers. It will take 21 working days to get your FASTag delivered.
Airtel FASTag Status
After completing the payment for your FASTag and checking where your Tag is, you need to visit the Airtel Thanks App and click on the FASTag banner, which will be placed in the rewards section of the app.
How to change Fastag’s mobile number?
No, we cannot change the Fastag mobile number. The email email mobile number is registered when the customer makes the makes for the first time. However, if the customer sends the email to email their RC scans and wants the vehicle registration number (VRN), they can share a Fastag account from one bank to another.
It is an easy process to change a FASTag account from one bank to another; you need to follow the below-mentioned steps:
1. If the customer’s Fastag is linked with the Paytm wallet, which is connected, they can change the bank account and recharge it from the new one.
2. If the customer’s Fastag is linked with the Paytm bank account, then by changing the bank, they also need to cancel the Paytm-linked Fastag.
What should you do with Fastag when selling a car?
If you have sold/transferred your car, inform your issuing source or bank and close the account immediately.
How to Recharge Airtel Fastag Through Google Pay App
Open your Google Pay application.
From the bottom of your screen, swipe up to find the Fastag.
Click on FASTag Icon and then make payment.
Choose the FASTag account that you want to send money to.
