Originally Posted by
guv1976
No hunting necessary: here's a list of NYC E-Z Pass retailers, including an AAA office in Queens. However, those transponders might require that you wait until the day following activation before you can use them.
https://www.e-zpassny.com/en/onthego/locations.shtml
Otherwise, the NY E-Z Pass transponders available by mail do have a $1 monthly maintenance fee, but if you only plan to have the transponder for a few months, it might be worthwhile because of the additional discount you will get on NY Metro area tolls (including the Hudson River crossings) by using such a NY-issued transponder. You would have to mail the transponder back to cancel the account and monthly fee. There used to be an E-Z Pass Service Center near LGA where one could return the transponder in person, but that Center has closed. I believe that the nearest one now is in Yonkers.
To expand on this further, the E-Z Pass available in-store downstate is issued by MTA Bridges & Tunnels, the ones upstate are New York Thruway Authority - both are great options for occasional use as they carry no monthly or maintenance fees and can even be set up as postpaid toll payment so you don't even need to leave a deposit with E-Z Pass.
If you sign up online with E-Z Pass NY using a non-NY or non-Canadian address, they will send a transponder issued by Port Authority and those do carry a $1 monthly maintenance fee. Unsure if you can sign up by phone and specifically request a different issuer.
The toll discounts are a huge factor in picking which issuer to go with - for example as of January 1 the New York Thruway no longer gives discounts to out-of-state E-Z Pass users, they pay the full Tolls by Mail rate now. Other states have done similar.