Why does my EZ Pass work only sporadically in a rental car?

May 10, 2019 9:44 AM

When I rent a car (always from Avis) I take my own EZ Pass. Inevitably I get a bill from Avis for tolls that EZ Pass charged to the car instead of to my EZ Pass transponder. I would like this to stop happening.

I am not being double-billed for tolls, but I don't understand why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. (On my last trip, one toll was charged to my EZ Pass and one toll was charged to Avis.) The transponder sits on the dash, just below the rental car's EZ Pass, which is mounted on the glass, and which I don't open. Then I get a $4/day "convenience fee" tacked on. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Is there anything I can do about this?

posted by pipti to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total)

Are you calling EZ pass and authorizing the license plate for the time rented? That's how I have fixed those problems. They have a start date and end date option for rental cars.
posted by AlexiaSky at 9:56 AM on May 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

Do the Avis rentals have their own EZ Pass built in somewhere, putting you at the mercy of which one the toll both detects first?
posted by bendybendy at 9:57 AM on May 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

Yeah, some toll booths have license plate scanners.
posted by exogenous at 9:57 AM on May 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

Are you sure you are not getting charged for ezpass either because it is embedded in the license plate (common in some states) and so you cannot block it or because neither ezpasses are registering (theirs bc you have it covered and yours bc of a glitch or going too quickly through toll) so it is defaulting to the registration owner based off license plate lookup and then the license plate owner (avis) is looking up rental records and charging you accordingly?
posted by TestamentToGrace at 9:58 AM on May 10, 2019

I would suspect that your EZ Pass is not registering electronically for some reason, and so the toll authority is using license plate cameras as a backup to cover for the fact that the transponder may not work 100% of the time. In your own car, this backup is seamless, but in another car, you have to ensure that the EZ Pass reigsters, which may not be possible. I would try using some sort of temporary adhesive to mount your EZ Pass to the glass and see if that helps at all.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:16 AM on May 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

In IL last time I added the rental car information I just did it online through my account. It was super super easy.
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:23 AM on May 10, 2019

Is it possible the EZ Pass reader is just using the first EZ Pass it senses? So sometimes it’s yours and sometimes it’s the rental company’s?
posted by forforf at 10:45 AM on May 10, 2019 [1 favorite]

The EZ Pass website says that you need to mount the transponder to the windshield, not set it on the dash. Agencies generally claim that failing to mount the transponder to the windshield may result in unreliable detection, like you're seeing. I'd try mounting it temporarily with adhesive, rubber bands round the mirror stem or rental car's e-zpass box, or whatever you can rig up to hold it near the glass and in the proper orientation. If you're still having issues, contact the agency that issued your pass and see if they have any further advice.
posted by yuwtze at 10:50 AM on May 10, 2019 [2 favorites]

Can you ask Avis to disable or remove their EZ pass when you pick up your rental? I think forforf is correct, that the reader picks up one or the other depending on the tollbooth configuration, and when you go through one with a licence plate reader it has charged your personal reader, noting the discordant licence number.
posted by citygirl at 10:51 AM on May 10, 2019

Be wary of adding the rental car license plate to your account, you do not want to be on the hook for everyone after you who uses the car.
posted by TheAdamist at 11:49 AM on May 10, 2019 [3 favorites]

You can add and remove a rental car from your EZ Pass account online in 30 seconds.
posted by spitbull at 12:43 PM on May 10, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I will try all of these solutions.
posted by pipti at 7:14 AM on May 11, 2019