I just got a mailer from Ezpass Delaware that starting June 1, 2009 - there will be additional $1 fee/month. Many Fw'rs got in to it. Also while checking Maryland ezpass site they are also introducing $1.50 fee/month starting July 1, 2009
I thought to start this thread to notify other fellow FW'rs , and to see what other strategy they are thinking in this case. I will post additional links, if i find fee free ezpass.
HillBill said: New York State passed a law a few years ago rescinding the monthly fee.
Okay, it depends upon which authority in NYS is issuing the tags. There are three separate authorities issuing tags:
New York E-ZPass is operated under the auspices of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority ("TBTA"), the New York State Thruway Authority ("NYSTA"), and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ("PANYNJ").
The PANYNJ charges a fee. The TBTA does not. I don't know about the NYSTA
Wikipedia said: The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority imposed a monthly account fee starting on July 1, 2005 claiming to defray the administrative costs.[citation needed] However, as such a fee was considered to threaten the efficiency of moving traffic faster with lower tolls, New York State Republican Senator Michael Balboni sponsored Bill S06331 to prohibit administrative service fees on E-ZPass accounts. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority repealed[citation needed][4] the monthly account fee on June 1, 2006
For the TBTA there's only a $6/year fee if you receive monthly mailed statement. Online statements and semi-monthly mailed statement is no-fee.
I'm in MD and I just turned in my MD EZ-Pass because I did not like having to pay $18 a year for something that I only use maybe 3-4 times a year. Rather, I signed up for the VA Ezpass instead, no monthly fee.
Getting another state's EZ Pass is only beneficial for those that do not need some kind of in-state commuter plan.
I just verified, that link is not for Delaware EZ Pass. Their website is www.ezpassde.com and they do not charge the $1/mo fee. You can call and verify. NY and DE are the only states that do not charge nor plan on implementing it in the near future.
if you are driving up to NYC and going through NJ, Delaware, etc - is it worth getting a pass? I know in Illinois, they charge you double if you don't have a pass, but are the NYC bridges/tunnels the same way? It has been 15 years since I paid to cross the George Washington.
jbwhite99 said: if you are driving up to NYC and going through NJ, Delaware, etc - is it worth getting a pass? I know in Illinois, they charge you double if you don't have a pass, but are the NYC bridges/tunnels the same way? It has been 15 years since I paid to cross the George Washington.
Depends - I use the NJ TPK, PKW and bridges twice (round trip) every other month. Once a year I make a trip down to VA. Every time I wait at a tool booth, I wish I had a tag. Then again, I refuse to pay a 'monthly fee'.
Some PKW exists are exact change or tag. What if you drop your last quarter? So for me it would be a no-fee tag as I won't take advantage of a commuter rate.
Ideally a NY MTA tag is what I need. But even the application states a PANYNJ Account fee of $1. How do I make sure I'm not hit with that? Reason for not going with DE or MA is that the rates for some of the NY bridges is lower only for NY tags...
jbwhite99 said: if you are driving up to NYC and going through NJ, Delaware, etc - is it worth getting a pass?
I drive from Baltimore County, MD, to central NJ, quite frequently. It's worth getting a pass.
Not because of any cost savings, but simply because with EZ Pass, I don't have to kill 10 minutes on line at the toll plazas, waiting to pay my toll.
Let me see...there are two toll plazas in MD, then one for the Delaware Memorial Bridge, then one when you enter the NJ T'Pike (where you get a toll card if you don't have EZ Pass, but can cruise through at 55mph if you do have EZ Pass), and then the toll plaza where you pay your toll upon leaving the NJ T'Pike.
I think those are all/most of them, between here and central Jersey. Since you're going into NYC, you'd have an additional toll for that.
Many of these toll plazas are busy, even at what you might think are off hours, or off days. The EZ Pass lanes are almost always much faster than the non-EZ Pass lanes. If an EZ Pass is free (and it still is, from some authorities), and saves me time, why wouldn't I use it? -- Michael
jrsmooth
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Jul. 1, 2009 @ 7:18a
PsychoFan said: I'm in MD and I just turned in my MD EZ-Pass because I did not like having to pay $18 a year for something that I only use maybe 3-4 times a year. Rather, I signed up for the VA Ezpass instead, no monthly fee.
The only problem with EZ Pass lanes, is that if the cash lanes back up all the way to the plaza, you still have to wait to get into the EZ pass lane. And then, there will always be an idiot that goes into the the EZ pass lane without the EZ-pass.
12345Michael54321 said: jbwhite99 said: if you are driving up to NYC and going through NJ, Delaware, etc - is it worth getting a pass?
I drive from Baltimore County, MD, to central NJ, quite frequently. It's worth getting a pass.
Not because of any cost savings, but simply because with EZ Pass, I don't have to kill 10 minutes on line at the toll plazas, waiting to pay my toll.
Let me see...there are two toll plazas in MD, then one for the Delaware Memorial Bridge, then one when you enter the NJ T'Pike (where you get a toll card if you don't have EZ Pass, but can cruise through at 55mph if you do have EZ Pass), and then the toll plaza where you pay your toll upon leaving the NJ T'Pike.
I think those are all/most of them, between here and central Jersey. Since you're going into NYC, you'd have an additional toll for that.
Many of these toll plazas are busy, even at what you might think are off hours, or off days. The EZ Pass lanes are almost always much faster than the non-EZ Pass lanes. If an EZ Pass is free (and it still is, from some authorities), and saves me time, why wouldn't I use it? -- Michael
jrsmooth said: PsychoFan said: I'm in MD and I just turned in my MD EZ-Pass because I did not like having to pay $18 a year for something that I only use maybe 3-4 times a year. Rather, I signed up for the VA Ezpass instead, no monthly fee.
Exactly what I did.
same here
jbwhite99
Shopaholic Member
posted: Jul. 1, 2009 @ 11:27a
thanks for the replies. We'll see how many times we have to cross the river and see. Will check into "shunpiking" as well.
And have you ever noticed that you never pay a toll to enter New Jersey, but you always have to pay one to leave? When I used to live in CT and drive south I always noticed that it was an NJ escape tax.
I got the letter, and was debating dropping EZ pass and using my parents extra NYS transponder. I use the McHenry Tunnel everyday to commute with the commuter plan (I think it's about .40 per trip, instead of the 2 dollar toll), but it takes about the same amount of time to commute through Balt City and skip the tunnels. I just prefer not to deal with stop and go traffic, though now with the fee increase, and the knowlege that my hybrid gets better mileage in city rather than highway traffic, I am thinking about it.
And for anyone talking about paying DE tolls, don't you know that for about an extra 10 minutes of driving (less if the toll plazas are backed up), you can get around paying the $7 for the privelege of driving on their sacred stretch of 95. I can see using the Bridge maybe if you are going to Southern Jersey, but going up the 95 through philly is usually less crowded, and depending where you rejoin the turnpike, you can cut down on your Jersey tolls as well. There is NO reason to pay the $4 on the DE/MD line. Just take the last exit before the toll, drive north to Christina Pkwy, drive a mile, go south until you relink with 95. If you are traveling when there is even the least bit of traffic backed up at the tolls, it's almost always quicker to go this way, plus you can stop at WaWa and get a sandwich.
Bargainator
Member
posted: Jul. 1, 2009 @ 8:16p
Another MD EZP'er turning in.
When I looked at NY, I see this in the agreement:
"Your Account will be assigned to one of the abovementioned New York entities and your Agreement is with that particular entity."
So it seems like if you do this by mail you can't be sure you will get an acct with TBTA (the one that doesn't charge a monthly fee)?
Can anyone suggest how to get a TBTA tag? We will be thru NY to New england later this month, will stop at the right service center if need be.
In my opinion, the key thing to look at is how the account gets funded. In CA, they operate it like a debit card: every time you get below $10 they add $40 to your account (at least when I lived there 5 years ago). In NJ, they have some algorithm where they look at your usage and then charge you that every month. The problem is, that the algorithm is slow to decrease the value charged. Let's say that you normally have $10 a month in tolls but one month have $30. The algorithm will start charging you $30 every month even if you keep using $10. I know several people that have over $100 balance on their NJ EZPass account and the refund request process takes several months to get any money out. They love holding onto your money for free.
Ideally, you want to find a state that does it like CA used to - once you get below $x, it adds $y so you never have too much stuck in your account.
robstrash said: In my opinion, the key thing to look at is how the account gets funded. In CA, they operate it like a debit card: every time you get below $10 they add $40 to your account (at least when I lived there 5 years ago). In NJ, they have some algorithm where they look at your usage and then charge you that every month. The problem is, that the algorithm is slow to decrease the value charged. Let's say that you normally have $10 a month in tolls but one month have $30. The algorithm will start charging you $30 every month even if you keep using $10. I know several people that have over $100 balance on their NJ EZPass account and the refund request process takes several months to get any money out. They love holding onto your money for free.
Ideally, you want to find a state that does it like CA used to - once you get below $x, it adds $y so you never have too much stuck in your account.
Oh no! they are earning interest on my $100!!! What does that come out to?
The threshhold in NY is $10. The replenishments can be set at either $25 or $40 or more. The basic one is $25, but if you go over that in a month it will jump to $40. If you don't use it, they won't automatically charge you, until you reach $10 again. I have never had $100 in the E-Z pass account, and I have been with them since day one (on my 2nd replacement tag). Yes, they send you replacement tags when the battery gets weak (about every 7 years.
zzyzzx
Senior Member - 3K
posted: Jul. 2, 2009 @ 9:48a
VerbalK said: And for anyone talking about paying DE tolls, don't you know that for about an extra 10 minutes of driving (less if the toll plazas are backed up), you can get around paying the $7 for the privelege of driving on their sacred stretch of 95. I can see using the Bridge maybe if you are going to Southern Jersey, but going up the 95 through philly is usually less crowded, and depending where you rejoin the turnpike, you can cut down on your Jersey tolls as well. There is NO reason to pay the $4 on the DE/MD line. Just take the last exit before the toll, drive north to Christina Pkwy, drive a mile, go south until you relink with 95. If you are traveling when there is even the least bit of traffic backed up at the tolls, it's almost always quicker to go this way, plus you can stop at WaWa and get a sandwich.
I have the VA one (I think it used to be called Smart Tag). The minimum is $10. They automatically upload $35 for each transponder if it dips below that amount. I don't believe I was charged an initial fee because I used my credit card. (But this was a long time ago, and I don't remember.)
I had an issue or two where I would get fined. Apparently if the vehicle isn't in your EZPass log, you may not be allowed to use it. (Both times, my parents didn't wave the transponder clearly.)
NJSaver
New Member
posted: Jul. 4, 2009 @ 10:42a
As you all look to move from state to state, keep in mind that if you're in any discount plans (commuter, carpool, green, etc.) they are very often limited to one issuer.
Thanks for posting, didn't even know they had hit me for $2 already. Doesn't make sense to keep it since I only use it maybe 1 or 2 times out of the year. It almost seems worth while to switch to one where they charge $25 for the transponder, but never know when they might start charging a monthly fee too.
zzyzzx
Senior Member - 3K
posted: Jul. 6, 2009 @ 9:14a
Fox news suggested getting one from De or VA, but from what someone elese just posted, I'd go with a VA one if DE is also going to charge,
Bargainator
Member
posted: Jul. 6, 2009 @ 7:20p
The safest bet would seem to be the NY one, where by law one of the three entities within the NY EZ Pass system cannot charge (Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority).
But no one has replied to my earlier post, how to get one from TBTA/MTA:
"When I looked at NY, I see this in the agreement:
"Your Account will be assigned to one of the abovementioned New York entities and your Agreement is with that particular entity."
So it seems like if you do this by mail you can't be sure you will get an acct with TBTA (the one that doesn't charge a monthly fee)?
Can anyone suggest how to get a TBTA tag? We will be thru NY to New england later this month, will stop at the right service center if need be."
One way to get a tag from the New York Service Center without a monthly fee is to pick up a tag at a retail store participating in their "On-the-Go" program. See this link for a list of stores. If you use a store in the 5 NYC boroughs or Long Island, you get a MTA E-ZPass. If you use a store near the Thruway you get a Thruway E-ZPass. Neither has a monthly fee, and both are eligible for continued discounts at the MTA bridges and tunnels.
Beware that you need to register online within two days after the first time you use the pass.
What about a tag from the Peace Bridge Authority? Text
No monthly fee, no tag fee. But probably wont constitute as a New York Service Center(and MTA bridge discounts) even though Peace Bridge is in the state of NY...
Jon11582
New Member
posted: Jul. 8, 2009 @ 11:53a
I have a MD pass. I emailed them after I got the notice back on June 23rd to figure out how to cancel it but I've gotten no response. I signed up with the Peace Bridge Authority at the same time.
I've already gotten my new tag and taken the old one out of my car. How exactly do you cancel your account with EZPassMD? I wasn't able to find this info, but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.
Jon11582 said: I have a MD pass. I emailed them after I got the notice back on June 23rd to figure out how to cancel it but I've gotten no response. I signed up with the Peace Bridge Authority at the same time.
I've already gotten my new tag and taken the old one out of my car. How exactly do you cancel your account with EZPassMD? I wasn't able to find this info, but maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.
I cancelled on-line. Then you have 10 days to mail the tags back.
>>Account Profile>>Close My Account
kaubay
Addicted Member
posted: Jul. 8, 2009 @ 5:45p
I signed up for two tags at peace bridge on June 26, still waiting for my tags to arrive
This is dumb for them to add a monthly fee. The point is to get ppl to switch to ezpass .. not mak'em switch back and jam the toll lanes (plus it costs more for toll takers)
No monthly fee in florida for sunpass ... i dont know if sunpass works up there or not. (seems like it doesn't)
Jon11582 said: How exactly do you cancel your account with EZPassMD?
Yeah, they make you hunt for the procedure to cancel. Interestingly, the procedure for signing up can be found very, very easily. Go figure.
Anyway, call 1-888-321-6824. Press whatever button on your phone gets you to an actual human being and not just a recorded message. (I forget which menu option it was - the Questions About Billing choice, maybe.) Tell the person you want to cancel your EZPass. You'll confirm your name and account number, and your account will be canceled. Took me about 90 seconds. Could probably have done it online, but this was no more difficult.
Your EZPass transponder contains an evil lithium battery. You can dispose of your transponder yourself, or turn it in at a designated facility for disposal. Your choice. You don't have to turn in your transponder if you don't want to. At least, I didn't. If someone else says he had to return his transponder, I'll take his word for it. Maybe it depends on how long you've had the transponder or how you set up payment or a change in the rules on security deposits or something. But I know that I didn't have to return mine.
Any unused account balance will be refunded in 30 days.
Just for the record, I switched to Virginia. Virginia discourages non-Virginians from signing up, but doesn't actually forbid it in any way. I signed up online. Took maybe 3 minutes. My transponder arrived 4 days later. Tore the old transponder off its heavy duty velcro windshield strips, stuck the new transponder in place. Changeover complete.
I drive in Maryland more than I do in Virginia, but I don't take advantage of any commuter plan here in Maryland, so opting for Virginia doesn't lose me any special discounts.
12345Michael54321 said: niktobos said: There is a claim that after an extended period of time not using the pass on the Peace Bridge will result in account closure.
Could you post a link to this claim, so that I might see who is making the claim and what the precise wording is? -- Michael
Important Notice to EZPass Applicants outside of New York State and Canada : Thank you for considering enrolling in EZPass. We encourage you to join the millions of users who have benefited from the program. But, please enroll in the EZPass program where you intend to travel most. Customers who sign up for a Peace Bridge EZPass and don't travel Peace Bridge for an extended period of time may have their accounts deactivated. We want you to enjoy all the benefits of EZPass, so enroll in the program that is close to home and where you travel the most.
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