Avis - Avis ezpass discount scam?

Recently, the toll rates were increased to go east into Manhattan. Since my rental car had ezpass, the offpeak rate was only $7.50, + $2.50 use charge saves me $2 from the cash tolls of $12

When I got my ezpass bill, I was charged $12 for the bridge toll. The e-tolls rep told me that commercial ez-passes are charged at the cash rate. I can't find any info that this is true, and all I see is info stating that the discounts apply to ezpass tag holders.

I wonder if this is a scam by avis. PA only charging them $7.50, but they are charging the customer $12.

The T&Cs of the rental EZPass usually state the customer pays the posted cash rate for tolls. I believe the $2.50 service charge goes to the rental company, as an incentive for them to offer the EZPass, and the difference between the EZPass and cash rate is how the rent-a-toll-tag company (PlatePass, etc.) makes money.

The T&Cs of the rental EZPass usually state the customer pays the posted cash rate for tolls. I believe the $2.50 service charge goes to the rental company, as an incentive for them to offer the EZPass, and the difference between the EZPass and cash rate is how the rent-a-toll-tag company (PlatePass, etc.) makes money.

Well that would make sense then.

The Rental rep was unaware of this. They had a sign posted with the new toll rates and i said, so this means if the usage fee is $2.50, and the toll is $7.50, I'll save $2? He confirmed this for me.

I did contact etolls and they refunded my $2.50 usage fee due to the incorrect info provided by the rental rep.


Just found this on the etolls site confirming the charges
"Your credit card will be charged the standard non-discounted fee for the toll roads as published by the toll authority plus the convenience fee of $2.50 per day"

No more ezpass for me.

No more ezpass for me.

Bring your own? So easy. No pun intended.

If you dont live in an ezpass state, you can still get one. Doesnt cost any money if you link it to a credit card from the e-zpassny.com site.

I dont know why anyone pays the $2.50 a day rental fee when you can simply have your own. Rentals post nightly, so you can print off receipts and expense it like any business expense. Waiting 14 days for platepass or tollplate to post would cause my corporate travel people agita waiting for my expense reports. This is sooo much better.

Bring your own? So easy. No pun intended.

If you dont live in an ezpass state, you can still get one. Doesnt cost any money if you link it to a credit card from the e-zpassny.com site.

I dont know why anyone pays the $2.50 a day rental fee when you can simply have your own. Rentals post nightly, so you can print off receipts and expense it like any business expense. Waiting 14 days for platepass or tollplate to post would cause my corporate travel people agita waiting for my expense reports. This is sooo much better.
I doubt most people (living outside the area) know about this, because it's not the way it works everywhere else. In SoCal, if you want to get the pass, you have to pay for it, even if you're going to link it to a card, so even for someone who lives in SoCal, if you don't use the toll roads often enough, it's not necessarily worth getting the pass (let alone for someone visiting the area).

Is there a list somewhere that summarizes information like this for all the different pass systems nationally, so people can figure out which areas like NY it's worth getting a pass of your own for, and which areas not to beother?

I doubt there would be an incentive for the toll authorities, or any business, to publish in one place ways for customers to spend less money. Many of them are starved for cash as it is.

There are differences in the tag rental fees. Sometimes that can influence which rental company to use. Hertz and Avis are $2.50/day for the toll pass. National's toll service is $2/day. But National predominantly has airport locations, with higher rates and taxes. So the higher toll tag price might actually be cheaper if you pick up the car from a neighborhood store.

Let's imagine you wanted to do the FL driveout. The Dollar/Thrifty $1/day midsize deal looks very tempting. But then you realize you might pass through certain no-cash tollways in FL, and your NY EZPass won't work there. So you need to pay for the toll pass. Dollar's Pass24 in FL is $6.99/day, taxable.

You can buy a stick-on SunPass with a prepaid $10 account from the FL toll authority. Those are not George Washington Br style tolls, so you probably will leave money on the table. And you won't be in FL the whole time, by definition of the one-way special. But you will be charged the $6.99 for each day of the rental, including the ones where you cross into NJ/NY and pay the much higher tolls with your own EZPass.

I doubt most people (living outside the area) know about this, because it's not the way it works everywhere else. In SoCal, if you want to get the pass, you have to pay for it, even if you're going to link it to a card, so even for someone who lives in SoCal, if you don't use the toll roads often enough, it's not necessarily worth getting the pass (let alone for someone visiting the area).

Well, I certainly agree with you, though I more meant "why do Flyertalk people not get their own EZPass" - not the general public.

Heck, I can't even convince people LIVING in New York State to get an EZPass, simply because they say, "oh I dont travel the thruway all that often". To which, I say, "who cares? use it once a year, it doesnt cost you a dime to keep the pass, just link it to an account with a minimum balance of $15"...

But I digress...