E-z pass for foreigners?
 

I did a couple of searches but couldn't come up with anything recent, so I think it's time for another thread.

I'm a Swedish citizen that will spend time in the US on and off this year as part of my work. I will probably be in the US for 2-3 weeks at the time and driving around on the east coast. I just hate the idea of having to pay the rental companies extra fees for E-Z passes and I also don't like the idea of manually paying tolls.

So, my idea was to get my own E-Z pass and use it in my rentals. My question is really, does anyone know if this is possible?

I called the NJ E-Z pass authority today and they claimed that it isn't possible to use ones own tag in a rental car (contrary to what their web page says!). When I pointed out that their FAQ said otherwise, I got a fair bit of attitude back.

Unless you have US plates (and I suggest not using a rental for this purpose), what you need is E-ZPass On-the-Go. Can pick it up a million places once you're here.

if you have a friend with a caR get one for that car. i have one for texas. i am a resident of md. i no longer have the plate i used to get the texas pass.

Yes, I guess E-Z Pass On-the-go is a solution, but I would really like to have one tied to my credit card so I don't have to worry about the balance. But an OtG one is better than none.

Problem is that a real one has to be tied to plates. If you only have a rental for a few days, you'll need to keep switching plates, and won't be able to remove the last rental until you have a new one. If someone goes through with no tag in that car that is registered to your account, you will get billed for it.

I suggest Ez pass on the go as other have said. Easy to use and better then always paying cash.

I have an EZ-Pass and a FastTrak and use them on rental cars all the time. It only takes a few seconds to bring up the phone app for the California tag and to enter the new plate and just a bit longer to use the web browser to bring up EZPass for Virginia.

I run between California rentals with no car denoted for it. However, the company has a truck with VA tags registered and this thread has me thinking that I might not need to bother to add the rental in that case. I will test it in VA since there is no problem using my Florida SunPasses on rentals without registering them since I have a car on each.

Follow-up: I've read up some about the E-Z Pass On The Go and I don't get it. :(

I buy a tag for $15 and also pay a $10 deposit. Then I still have to register it to turn the deposit into money in the account?

Under FAQ's at EZPASS this is listed

https://www.e-zpassny.com/en/faq/account.shtml

I don't own a vehicle. Can I still get E-ZPass®? Yes. If you do not own a vehicle, you can still enroll in E-ZPass®. Your tag can be used in any vehicle with two axles, a maximum gross weight of 7,000 pounds and single rear tires (includes RV's with dual rear tires). Please ensure that the E-ZPass® tag is mounted as per the tag installation instructions in all vehicles in which the tag will be used.

So it looks like you can get an EZpass without actually owning a car. Seems like this would work for a foreign visitor.

Note that NY EZPass charges you $1 a month, not necessarily a deal-breaker but definitely an annoying nuisance charge.

Virginia does not and I do not really think that you need to register a vehicle with that one despite the language that says "All vehicles must be listed on your account to avoid the risk of a violation." IMO that seems to mean that if by some chance your EZPass does not register at a sensor, you will be charged with a violation. If the license plate is on record, the computers will not bother with you. So what you really need to do is always to make sure that you have the thing in the correct position at the correct time but that not registering the plate is not in and of itself a violation.

That said, I always register my rental car tag as soon as I can (I wish they had a mobile app like California) and remove it just as soon as I can after I return the car or whenever I know that I am no longer using a toll road.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

There is no $1/month charge if you get an E-Z Pass issued by the NYS Thruway Authority.

If you rent a car that already has its own E-Z Pass, you won't be able to register the car's plate number to your (New York) E-Z Pass. One E-Z Pass can have several different cars registered to it, but no single car can be associated with more than one E-Z Pass. You should still be able to use your E-Z Pass with that car, however.

Whenever I use my E-Z Pass in a new rental for the first time, I try to use a staffed toll lane that accepts both cash and E-Z Pass. If the transponder works there, then I'm comfortable using it at E-Z-Pass-only lanes for the duration of the rental.

:o I need to retract something. Since I was talking about this today, I decided to look at our statement, especially since one of my people down there had used the VA tag extensively over the week on company business. A careful look disclosed a maintenance fee of 50 cents a month so another look at the T&Cs revealed that the charge was clearly stated there. Additionally, the VA EZPass can be terminated for six months of inactivity.
I have not had that trouble with the Virginia EZ Pass nor the California FasTrak. They have yet to reject any license plate number that I have tried to register whether the car already had a transponder or not. My main concern was making sure the the car's transponder was in the closed position. @:-) ^ A very good idea indeed. Thanks for the tip.

I have EZ Pass from PA Turnpike. I use it in rentals all the time. I think it's a $3 fee per tag per year, but I forget honestly.

The "tied to plate" is in case your primary car has a no read at a booth (I have left the tag at home/in other car/etc more than once) - they simply charge the toll and not the admin/penalty fee if they recognize the plate.