Goodbye I-Pass Transponders! Illinois Is Switching To Stickers

I don't know how you feel about your small, plastic I-Pass transponder, but I definitely have mixed feelings. One the one hand, it is a lot easier than stopping to pay cash at a tollbooth (remember when we used to be able to do that?), but on the other hand they are a real pain to keep track of, especially if you share one with your family.

And, it you're like me and refuse to Velcro the transponder to your dashboard or windshield, you've probably spent more than a little time trying to find it under one of your car's seats after it went flying when you went around a corner.

Bottom line: it really doesn't matter how you feel about it, the plastic I-Pass transponder is on its way out, and a sticker is going to take its place.

If You're Angry About The Switch From The Plastic I-Pass Transponder To A Sticker, Go Ahead And Blame California For This

Or, thank them if the sticker-based I-Pass sounds good to you. I'm not here to tell you how to live your life. Regardless, California (although they're not an I-Pass state) made the switch from plastic transponders to stickers back in 2019, and other cities and states have followed along with the idea, like Atlanta, Denver, Louisville, along with Washington State.

By the way, Illinois is not the only I-Pass state. There are actually seventeen other I-Pass states in the country: Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Here Are The Differences Between The I-Pass Plastic Transponder And The I-Pass Sticker, Along With Some Other Details You'll Need To Know Before Making The Switch

According to the Illinois Tollway, the new I-Pass stickers are much easier to manufacture and ship, along with being smaller and not requiring any batteries. Another benefit is that the stickers don't require a $10 deposit like your plastic transponder did, and the $10 you had to pony up for the plastic one will be credited to your I-Pass account.

You don't have to make the switch immediately, even though the stickers will be available at Illinois Tollway customer service locations by the end of this month, and will be available online and at Jewel-Osco locations in February.

Your current transponder will still be acceptable until its expiration date. One thing to keep in mind is that the new I-Pass stickers are like our license plate stickers because once they're in place, they cannot be removed with destroying the sticker.