EZ Pass

My commute while working was always toll free but as I retire and drive to different places, that perspective changes.  Driving downstate on a weekday has two stops each way of $1 each.  Going to Baltimore has an $8 tab though a single stop.  In the coming few weeks, I plan a much longer trip which will take my over the Jersey Turnpike, Commodore Barry Bridge, George Washington Bridge and whatever awaits me through southern New England.  That's a fair amount of money, not many stops, though with long lines expected at some of them.  Might a $15 one time investment in EZ Pass make my travels easier?  After some exploration, it depends.

One project I have handled faithfully is taking the first $5 bill received in change each day, putting it in an envelope which is then opened and counted on January 1 and July 1. The proceeds are spent on myself.  Last half-years stash reached $145 of which I have spent $7 at almost the midpoint so $15 might be an appropriated allocation of this mad money.  It would be great to have this convenience on my upcoming road trip.  But what about beyond?

So I went to the state's EZ Pass kiosk on I-95 last weekend.  They charge $35, $15 for the device, $10 for upcoming tolls, and $10 for the convenience of doing it there.  Not worth the last $10 and the GW Bridge alone costs more than $10. No go.  Went back on line.  Almost signed up:  Device $15, initial account $25, which I can augment before I go as the tolls will exceed that considerably.  The snag occurred on keeping the account active.  As it is now, I drive to Baltimore about once a quarter, downstate about every two months.  That's $12-15 a quarter.  Occasionally I will go into Pennsylvania, though rarely on a toll road, and into NJ a few times a year.  So if I have the state add $15 by credit card each time my account drops below $10, I should be good to go whenever I want pretty much wherever I am likely to travel on a whim.  The state did not give me that option.  Instead, the supplements are $25 increments as the account drops below $10/  Other than special planned trips, I probably don't spend much beyond $25 on tolls in a year.  So the only advantage of EZ Pass would be to avoid long lines near a city.  There just aren't enough stops to justify that over simpling keeping some cash in the car and in my wallet for spontaneous trips and getting some extra from the cash machine before more expensive trips.  I am rarely in a hurry.  EZ Pass at $25 per account refill seemed excessive.  Maybe if the wanderlust of my first full summer of retirement expands, I can always enroll later.