Mersey Gateway & Silver Jubilee Bridges
The Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges between Runcorn and Widnes use barrierless, camera-based tolling (operated by Merseyflow). You drive straight across and pay afterwards.
There's no barrier to remind you — so it's easy to cross and forget, and a missed payment becomes a penalty. Merseyflow's deadline is notoriously tight.
Pay-as-you-go
£2.40 / crossing
£2.16 on Auto Pay
Fine if you forget
£50.00
Pay-by deadline
By midnight the day after you cross — one of the tightest windows of any UK toll, so it catches a lot of people out.
£2.40 per crossing for a car paying as a one-off, or £2.16 on a Merseyflow pre-pay account (10% off). Halton (Runcorn/Widnes) residents get 50 free crossings a year. Pay by midnight the day after.
How to pay it yourself
- 1Go to the official Merseyflow website.
- 2Enter your number plate to find your crossing.
- 3Pay the toll (a standard car is £2.40).
- 4Or open a pre-pay Merseyflow account — or let Snaptoll keep your crossings covered automatically.
What happens if you don't pay
A £50 Penalty Charge Notice for non-payment (reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days).
Never think about the Mersey Gateway again
Register your number plate with Snaptoll once, and we keep every crossing covered automatically, before the deadline — so a forgotten payment doesn't have to become a fine.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Mersey bridges still have toll booths?
No — the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges are barrierless. Cameras read your plate and you pay online afterwards.
When do I have to pay the Mersey Gateway toll by?
By midnight the day after you cross. It's a tight window that catches many drivers out — miss it and you get a £50 penalty.
How does Snaptoll handle the Mersey bridges?
We register your plate on a Merseyflow account, so your crossings are covered and paid automatically — no logging in, no deadline to remember.
When will the charge appear after I cross?
You're covered the moment you cross. The charge then reaches your card up to 3 days — the Mersey Gateway operator bills us in arrears, so a short delay before it appears is normal. When we collect, you get a receipt confirming exactly what you were charged.