The minimum balance required in Massachusetts is $20, and accounts auto-replenish at $10. Customers must pay an initial $20 fee if opening an automatic replenishment account and $30 if opening a manual account replenishment. Massachusetts's E-ZPass system does not have a yearly fee or deposit. How much does an E-ZPass account cost? Is there a yearly fee? How much is an E-ZPass transponder? Does my account auto-replenish? The costs for E-ZPass systems in each state vary. Additionally, some agencies charge a monthly account fee, usually only $1.00 or $1.50. E-ZPass is typically offered as a debit account, where users prepay or add money onto their accounts, and tolls are deducted from that amount when customers pass through tolls. Examples of these are the I-Pass in Illinois and the NC Quick Pass in North Carolina. Some states have their independent systems using the same technology and have consequentially been incorporated into the E-ZPass System. The E-ZPass Interagency Group consists of 39 member agencies in 17 states. E-ZPass customers can either merge into designated toll lanes or "Express E-ZPass" lanes that are physically separated from toll booths and do not require drivers to slow down. E-ZPass uses tags that are RFID transponders that transmit a unique radio signal to respond to toll transmitters. Although it costs a few dollars to order, it works for virtually every toll east of the Mississippi River that accepts E-ZPass or Florida SunPass.Created in 1987, E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the Midwestern and Eastern United States. In addition, the cost of the transponder gets credited to your account and made available for tolls.įor even more flexibility, we recommend the North Carolina Quick Pass E-ZPass. We often recommend ordering an E-ZPass transponder from Massachusetts, since there is no monthly fee. If for some reason the toll plaza doesn’t read your transponder, it’ll bill the rental car company anyway.ĭon’t own a transponder and like the idea of having your own? It’s cheap and easy (and sometimes even free) to get your own, no matter where you live. Just make sure you firmly hold your transponder up to the center of your windshield. Technically, you’re supposed to add the rental car’s license plate to your E-ZPass account. You can use the Express or E-ZPass Only lanes just as you normally would. Then hold your personal transponder up to the windshield whenever you go through a toll plaza. ![]() To use your personal transponder instead, just make sure the box in the rental car is closed. Very likely, it is mounted in a lead-lined box that can be opened and closed. Renting a car in the E-ZPass region? The vehicle will likely have a plastic E-ZPass transponder mounted on the windshield. Let AutoSlash Track Your Car Rental for Price Drops In other words, it’s portable and easy to use in any other car. An E-ZPass transponder is typically a plastic box mounted to your windshield with Velcro. That’s the entire Northeast, most of the Southeast coast and a good chunk of the Great Lakes region. The largest toll consortium, E-ZPass, oversees basically every toll from Illinois to Florida and up to Maine. If you use the rental company’s pass, you will pay the higher rate plus the daily fee. Better yet, you’ll often get to take advantage of discounted tolls for paying electronically. If you bring your own toll transponder, tolls are billed to your account at each electronic toll plaza. In addition, a few states run their own toll programs independent of any reciprocal affiliation with other states. There are three major groups of toll agencies around the country. And who wants to wait in a long line of traffic to pay a toll, anyway? Where Do You Need E-ZPass? It’s not easy to pay as you go, since more and more toll roads are converting to all-electronic tolling. ![]() This option is even worse, as you’ll pay a huge penalty on top of the cost of the tolls. ![]() This is expensive, since you will pay a daily use fee for the pass plus the cost of the tolls.ĭrive through the toll plaza without stopping. ![]() Pay a daily fee to use the rental car company’s toll pass. If you don’t bring your own transponder, you have three options and none of them are good.Īsk AutoSlash for a Quote on a Cheap Car Rental You will always end up paying a price if you drive on toll roads in a rental car. They are being replaced by cashless toll overpasses that record your car as you drive underneath. In states like New York, for example, toll plazas are disappearing. That’s especially good advice in a time when you may end up unknowingly driving on a toll roll. If you have your own E-ZPass transponder, just bring it along. Does your route include a lot of toll roads? There’s no reason to pay through the nose for the rental company’s expensive toll pass. You never want pay more than you have to for a rental car.
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