E-ZPass in New York: where to buy it without going online, and how to register it

E-ZPass is a small device that attaches to a car’s windshield and pays bridge and tunnel tolls from your account automatically. It can be bought without going online: stores sell a ready-packaged tag (E-ZPass On-the-Go), and the buyer then registers it online or by phone.

This guide covers New York State. The facts come from official pages: the MTA, the New York State Thruway Authority and the state portal ny.gov.

In short

According to the Thruway Authority’s page, E-ZPass On-the-Go works like this:

The tag is sold in stores. According to the MTA’s list, in Brooklyn it is sold mostly by check cashing places, DMV offices and AAA.
The Thruway Authority’s page gives the price of the packaged tag as $25.
After the purchase, the tag is registered on the E-ZPass website or by phone at 1-800-697-1554.
Last, the tag goes on the windshield.

The Thruway Authority’s page lists registration as a required step, in this order: buy, register, attach to the windshield.

Where it is sold in Brooklyn

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The addresses come from the MTA’s official list, last updated in July 2024. We have not checked these shops: one may have closed or stopped selling E-ZPass.

The MTA’s official list, published on the state’s open data site, has 38 addresses in Brooklyn. The list was last updated in July 2024. We have not checked these addresses: some may have closed or may no longer sell E-ZPass.

In southern Brooklyn, where many Georgians live, the list has these addresses:

DMV, Coney Island: 2875 West 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224.
Check Changers: 8405 20th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11214.
Check Changers: 2801 86th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214.
Community Financial Service Centers: 2471 84th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214.
Community Financial Service Centers: 7011 18th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11204.
Community Financial Service Centers: 350 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY 11223.
Check Time: 2966 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11229.
Check Time: 2950A Avenue X, Brooklyn, NY 11235.
Community Financial Service Centers: 1407 Avenue Z, Brooklyn, NY 11235.

Elsewhere in Brooklyn, the list has:

DMV, Brooklyn: 625 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
AAA Brooklyn: 2334 Ralph Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11234.
NYC Transit Museum store: 99 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.
Check Changers: 8317 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11209.

Outside New York City, a finder on the Thruway Authority’s page shows sellers by address and distance: 10, 25 or 50 miles. The finder has no New York City addresses.

What differs from store to store. We have not checked these:

Whether the store has E-ZPass On-the-Go in stock.
What it costs there.
Whether the store takes cash.

The only price we know is the one on the Thruway Authority’s page.

Registering after the purchase

According to the Thruway Authority, you register the tag on the E-ZPass website or at 1-800-697-1554.
Registration asks for the car’s license plate number. According to the state portal, you need the license plate number and credit card or checking account information to open an account.
After registration, the Thruway Authority’s page says to attach the tag to the windshield.

The official pages we read do not say how long after registration the tag becomes active, or whether it can be used the same day.

The MTA says the license plate must be on the account. The MTA says that to get the discounted rate, your current license plate must be linked to your E-ZPass account. This rule also covers a new car and a new plate: if the new plate is not linked to the account, the toll bill comes by mail and costs more.

Why it is worth having

All MTA bridges and tunnels use cashless tolling: they no longer take cash. Without E-ZPass, the bill goes by mail to the person the car is registered to. This is called Tolls by Mail.

According to the MTA, paying with E-ZPass gives a discount of at least 25 percent.
If a mailed bill is not paid within 30 days of the bill date, the MTA adds a $5 late fee. After 60 days, the late fee for each unpaid toll goes up to $50.
According to the MTA, unpaid bills can lead to a suspended vehicle registration.

Manhattan’s center. In Manhattan, driving into the area at and below 60th Street has a toll (the Congestion Relief Zone). The MTA says Tolls by Mail rates here are up to 50 percent higher than E-ZPass rates.

Ways to add money to the account

The MTA names three ways:

Automatic replenishment. You link the account to a card (credit or debit) or a bank account. When the balance runs low, the account refills by itself.
Pay Per Trip. You link E-ZPass directly to a checking account and pay only for the trips you make. There is no need to keep a balance.
Cash. E-ZPass takes cash payments through the VanillaDirect network of stores. According to the MTA, the cashier needs the VanillaDirect barcode printed on the E-ZPass statement. The MTA’s page also says to keep the payment receipt.

The MTA also says it no longer asks for the $10 deposit from people who have no credit card linked to their account.

If the balance goes below zero. According to the MTA, a toll bill may then come by mail. The MTA says the best way to manage an E-ZPass account is the Tolls NY app.

If the car is rented or someone else’s

The MTA has a Temporary Travel Account. You open it with a license plate and a credit or debit card. The MTA says this is ideal for a rented or borrowed car.

Common mistakes

Buying the tag and not registering it. Without registration, it is not linked to your account.
Keeping an old license plate on the account. You lose the discount, and the toll bill comes by mail.
Ignoring a toll bill that came by mail. The late fee grows, and, the MTA says, the registration may be suspended.
Getting a bill that seems wrong and doing nothing. According to the MTA, you can dispute a toll. The help number on the MTA’s page is 800-333-8655. If the issue is not solved there, the page names the MTA’s Office of the Toll Payer Advocate.

Key terms

The Georgian word is in brackets.

E-ZPass: the device and the account for paying bridge and tunnel tolls (იზი-ფასი).
toll: the fee for a road, bridge or tunnel (საფასური, in speech „თოლი“).
tag: the device itself, which goes on the windshield (მოწყობილობა, in speech „თეგი“).
On-the-Go: the ready-packaged tag sold in stores (მზა შეფუთული მოწყობილობა).
cashless tolling: a system that no longer takes cash (უნაღდო გადახდა).
Tolls by Mail: the bill that comes by mail when you do not have E-ZPass (ქვითარი ფოსტით).
license plate: the car’s number plate (სანომრე ნიშანი, in speech „ფლეითი“ or „ნომერი“).
check cashing: a place that cashes checks (ჩეკების განაღდების პუნქტი).
statement: an account statement (ამონაწერი).

All words on one page: glossary (in Georgian).

Official links

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This is general information and not legal advice. Rules and prices change. The current rules and prices are on the official pages.