Paying your highway tolls has become much easier by using the FASTag. It has now become a mandatory tag to install the FASTag on the windscreen of your four-wheeled vehicle. Failing to do so will push you to pay double the toll tax amount at every toll plaza that you cross on the Indian National Highway.
Irrespective of your bank/ FASTag issuer agency, you must have your FASTag recharged at all times. If you ever cross a toll plaza on the national highway, you would still have to pay twice the toll tax amount at the toll booth. Hence, it is necessary to have some balance in your FASTag at all times. To ensure this, you must keep a regular check your FASTag balance.
After checking your FASTag balance, you can switch to the Paytm mobile application to recharge your FASTag. Follow these simple steps to recharge your Paul Merchants FASTag on Paytm-
- Open the Paytm mobile application
- You can either:
- Visit the ‘Recharge’ section and click on ‘FASTag’; or
- Select the ‘FASTag’ option on the homepage; or
- Search for the ‘FASTag recharge’ option
- Select ‘Paul Merchants’, which is your FASTag issuer bank
- Enter your vehicle registration number
- Click on the ‘Proceed’ option and enter the amount that you wish to recharge for
- Select the mode of payment out of Debit Card, Credit Card, Net Banking, Paytm wallet, and/or UPI
Alternatively, you can also do your Paul Merchants FASTag recharge directly on Paytm’s online portal by entering your vehicle number and proceeding with the recharge.
Reasons that you should Recharge your Paul Merchants FASTag on Paytm
Unlike other banks that require you to recharge your FASTag every now and then, Paytm only requires its users to add money to their Paytm wallet in order to process FASTag transactions.
If you link your FASTag to your Paytm wallet, the toll tax amount will directly be deducted from your Paytm wallet as and when you cross a toll booth.
To link your FASTag to your Paytm wallet, you will have to provide your wallet ID, vehicle number, RFID number, email address, mobile number.
Using the Paytm wallet for your FASTag-related transactions will make it easier for you as you won’t have to recharge your FASTag again and again. All you need is a balance in your Paytm wallet and the toll tax amount would directly be deducted from your wallet as and when you cross a toll plaza.
Having a single Paytm wallet for multiple needs will help you manage your balances and keep a detailed track of all your travel-related expenses, whether fuel, purchases at departmental stores, or expenses made at toll plazas.
Is FASTag Mandatory?
If you own a four-wheeler and don’t have a FASTag yet, then you should be prepared to pay double the toll tax at every toll plaza that you cross on the Indian national highway. Since 16 February 2021, the Indian government has made it mandatory for all four-wheeled vehicles to have a FASTag stuck to their windshield.
This was done to promote fee payment through digital means, reduced waiting time for travelers, lesser fuel consumption, and offer a seamless passage across the national highway in the country.
The road transport and highway ministry stated that all the lanes in the fee plazas shall be declared as ‘FASTag lane of the toll plaza’ with effect from midnight of 15-16 February 2021.
After the said date, any vehicle that enters the FASTag lane without a FASTag or with an invalid FASTag will be liable to pay twice the applicable fee at the toll plaza.
If you still don’t have a FASTag for your four-wheeler, then here’s how to register for a FASTag for your vehicle.
Additionally, before registering for a FASTag, you should take a look at the documents that you’d need to submit. The Government of India has instructed the National Highway Authority of India to convert all the toll lanes to FASTag lanes, thereby making the FASTag facility an omnipresent facility across all the Indian highways.
