Update: The car we picked up at PHL had a Maryland license place and did not appear to have a PlatePass transponder. The car we had last fall had a transponder that we could slide out if we wanted to use it. I couldn't find anything similar in the car we got last week. So either they have a different type of transponder or not all of the PHL cars are set up for PlatePass. In addition, the rental agreement said that they were now charging $4.95 per day for using PlatePass where last fall it had said $2.95. They did have a cap of $24.75.

It was fine in our case as we successfully navigated roads in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for a whole week without paying a single toll. I was ready with cash to pay tolls but once I told my husband about the whole thing he decided to personally take on the challenge of not paying any tolls at all. We had the time to take regular highways instead of the turnpike and had a nice time driving around.

What to take from this? If you need a car with a transponder be sure and check for it before leaving the Hertz lot.