In addition to garbage classification, I believe ETC has become a new topic among the general public and car owners. What exactly is ETC? Simply put, ETC is an "electronic parking-free toll collection system". Through the ETC device installed on the front windshield, vehicles can automatically pay tolls in the toll lane through wireless induction. In 2013, the Ministry of Transport officially promoted the popularization of ETC networking on highways across the country. As of the end of December 2018, the number of ETC users nationwide had reached 76.56 million.

However, at the end of December 2019, the number of ETC users nationwide exceeded 180 million, and the ETC usage rate reached more than 90% in just one year. In 2019 alone, the number of new users of ETC reached 100 million. How could ETC, which was originally "no one cares about", suddenly become popular in a short period of time? Of course, this is inseparable from the vigorous promotion of policies. Nowadays, in addition to banks, ETC processing points have been added in many places, such as gas stations, next to toll stations, and even temporary counters for ETC processing have been added in vehicle management offices.

After reading the above GIF, you can probably feel how obvious the difference is between whether ETC is installed or not. Compared with the immobility of the manual toll lane, the ETC lane next to it can be said to be as smooth as silk. This situation often occurs during holidays and the peak period of returning home during the Spring Festival. There is no doubt that ETC makes traveling more convenient, but there are many aspects in the process of applying for ETC that car owners should pay attention to.

The popularity of ETC has not only driven manufacturers in related industries, but why are major banks paying so active attention to ETC, which originally belongs to the highway category? After searching for evidence online, the author found that to apply for ETC, a deposit of 300-500 yuan needs to be paid in advance and frozen in the card. This amount can only be used as emergency funds. And as long as it is used, it must be completed before you can continue to use the ETC function. Even if you only use 1 point, you will not be able to go through the ETC channel until you complete it.

In addition, car owners need to pay attention to the inexplicable consumer loan function when applying for ETC. For car owners who have installed ETC, if they are not clear about the terms, it is recommended to call the bank where the account is opened to learn the details. If it is confirmed that this function has been enabled, you need to go to the bank in person and write a handwritten certificate stating "I voluntarily cancel the XXX business" to cancel the business. In the end, if the car owner cancels the ETC function within 5 years from the date of activation, a liquidated damages will be incurred, but many banks do not mention it in their promotional materials.

Looking back at the ETC savings card I applied for at China Everbright Bank 2 years ago, there were a lot less tricks. Since I didn’t need to travel frequently on the highway at that time, I chose an ETC savings card that needed to be recharged. As for how to recharge, in fact, many Sinopec gas stations now provide recharge services, which is convenient for many drivers. However, please note that you need to recharge at least 200 yuan into the card each time.

It is really easy to apply for and install ETC now, and it can be done at banks, WeChat, and Alipay. But writing off the ETC on the original car when selling the car is much more troublesome. If ETC is not dismantled because it is too troublesome, the most direct consequence will be economic losses. This is because the ETC deduction method is to scan the OBU device installed in the car. When the ETC card matches the card reader, the corresponding amount will be deducted from the account.

There was news that when a car owner sold his car, he did not remove the ETC system from the car. After receiving the toll list from the bank, he discovered that the original ETC of the car was still in use. The resulting high-speed tolls must be borne by the original vehicle owner. It is worth noting that the removed ETC cannot be installed by yourself. The reason is that there is a spring-structured anti-tamper switch on the back of the vehicle OBU device. After the OBU device is removed, the spring bounces back and the OBU device becomes ineffective. The user needs to go to the bank to re-activate it before it can be used normally.

After the ETC is removed, it can only be brought to the outlet for processing. Users can process cancellation, migration, disposal and refund according to their own needs. Let’s talk about cancellation first. If the car owner needs to give up the ETC equipment in the old car, he needs to go to the original card issuing bank to handle the ETC cancellation business. Since the ETC account needs to register the license plate and vehicle owner information, if the ETC record of the original license plate is not canceled, it will directly cause the next user of the license plate to be unable to handle ETC business.

If we encounter this situation and cannot go to ETC, how should we deal with it? Then you need to bring your driving license, ID card and other relevant documents to a bank or ETC branch for forced cancellation.

As for migration, if the original car owner wants to replace the OBU equipment with the new car, he needs to go to a bank or ETC branch to go through the migration procedures and let the staff help you attach it and reactivate it. Finally, when it comes to refunds, if the ETC applied for by the car owner has an agreed time, if it is applied before the deadline, the deposit may not be refunded.

There are currently three main types of ETC passes on the market: stored-value cards issued by the transportation industry that do not have financial functions. Car owners can use them for consumption after storing value. The other is an ETC debit card that is jointly issued by the transportation industry and banks and does not have financial functions. It is usually associated with a debit card or credit card in the name of the car owner. The last one is a two-in-one ETC co-branded card jointly issued by the transportation industry and banks. It has the function of an ETC debit card and the financial function of a bank savings card or credit card, and can be used for normal card consumption.

It is not difficult to understand. In fact, every time a bank issues an ETC, it can issue a bank card/credit card for ETC users. After opening the card, they can continue to expand high-value services such as savings, loans, financial management, and insurance. Since business can be linked to your own products, why not do it? Finally, every car owner is reminded to understand the terms clearly before handling ETC from each bank.

(Picture source from the Internet, infringement and deletion)

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.