How to Use a Parking Machine or Meter: Pay-and-Display Guide

Eric DawsonByEric Dawson Parking

To use a parking machine, walk up to the pay station, select how long you want to park, pay with coins, a card, or a mobile wallet, then carry the printed ticket back to your dashboard. This process, known as pay-and-display, replaced coin-only single meters at many curbs and garages because one machine can serve dozens of spaces instead of just one. Some newer systems skip the paper ticket entirely and ask for your license plate number instead, matching your payment to your car through a camera or database. Either way, the screen walks you through duration, cost, and payment before it prints or confirms your ticket, and putting that proof where an officer can see it from outside the car is what keeps you from getting a citation.

How Does a Parking Machine Work

A parking machine, often called a pay-and-display unit, is a single payment terminal that covers a whole block of spaces instead of one meter per car. Drivers pay at the machine, get a paper ticket or have their license plate logged, and then park anywhere inside the zone that machine covers.

The machine prints a receipt listing the amount paid, the date, and the exact time your session expires, and that expiration time is what an officer checks against the clock when walking the block. Washington, D.C.’s transportation department notes that some tickets also carry your license plate number, a step that stops someone from picking up an abandoned ticket with time left on it and using it for free.

Newer electronic units go further, pairing vehicle sensors that detect an empty or occupied space with a wireless link back to the city’s parking management system, so enforcement and maintenance staff know which spots need attention without a physical check.

How to Use a Parking Machine Step by Step

Using a pay-and-display machine takes seven steps: find the right unit, wake the screen, enter any required details, choose your time, confirm the cost, pay, then display the ticket. Each step is quick, and skipping one is usually what causes a citation later.

  1. Find the right machine. Check the signage near your space; in zones with several machines, a posted number tells you which unit covers your spot.
  2. Wake the screen. Press any button if the display is dark; most machines drop into a power-saving sleep mode between uses.
  3. Enter your license plate if asked. Some systems, including San Mateo’s pay stations, require you to type your plate number on a keypad before you can pay.
  4. Choose your parking duration. Press the increase or decrease time button until the display shows the length of time you need; each press typically adds or removes a fixed block of minutes.
  5. Confirm the cost. Read the total on the screen before you pay so it matches the time you selected.
  6. Pay. Insert coins, tap or insert a card, or use a contactless wallet such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet, depending on what the machine accepts.
  7. Take your ticket and display it. Retrieve the printed receipt, walk back to your vehicle, and set it face up on the dashboard or behind the windshield where it is visible from outside the car.

What Payment Methods Do Parking Machines Accept

Most parking machines accept coins, debit and credit cards, contactless wallets, and increasingly a mobile app or QR code, though the exact mix depends on the machine and the city that installed it.

Payment Type Acceptance As of September 2026
Coins (nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars) Yes Standard at most machines
Credit or debit cards (magnetic stripe or contactless) Yes No transaction fees in many systems
Google Wallet Yes Modern pay stations accept it
Apple Pay Yes Modern pay stations accept it
PayByPhone app Yes Available at select locations
QR code mobile payment Yes Some machines support it

Paying with Coins or Cash

Coins remain the fallback payment method at most stations. San Mateo’s pay stations take nickels, dimes, quarters, and one-dollar coins, but reject wrinkled bills and foreign coins that can jam the coin slot.

Paying by Card or Contactless Wallet

Cards are usually the fastest option and carry no extra transaction fee at many stations. Washington, D.C.’s machines let a driver select a maximum time or add time in $0.25 increments once a $1.00 minimum charge is met, and many modern pay stations read Apple Pay and Google Wallet through the same contactless tap used for a card.

Paying by Mobile App or QR Code

Apps let a driver pay from a phone instead of the machine. The PayByPhone app and website work at select San Mateo locations, and some pay-and-display units, the kind WiiParking documents in its operating guide, display a QR code you can scan to start the same kind of remote payment.

What Types of Parking Meters Will You Find

Parking meters fall into six main types: single-space, multi-space, license plate kiosk, pay-on-foot, smart meter, and license plate recognition, each pairing a different technology with a different way of proving you paid.

Meter Type Purpose Payment Options Requires Physical Ticket Technology
Single-space One vehicle parking space Coins, cards Yes Basic electronic timer
Multi-space Multiple parking spaces from one machine Coins, cards, contactless, app Yes Digital display, wireless communication
License plate kiosk Multiple spaces without physical tickets Cards, mobile, QR codes No License plate recognition
Pay-on-foot Parking structures with centralized payment Cards, mobile Yes Dynamic pricing, access control
Smart meter Real-time monitoring and enforcement All types Yes or no Sensors, wireless, cloud connectivity
License plate recognition Fully automated enforcement No physical interaction No Camera-based scanning

What Features Do Modern Parking Machines Have

Modern parking machines combine a digital display with solar power and a weather-sealed case, features that keep the unit running for years with little upkeep.

The screen typically shows the parking fee, the time limit for the zone, and a running count of the time left on a session, and Alibaba’s CarInterior guide says that layout makes the interface easier to follow no matter which payment method a driver picks.

Many multi-space machines run on solar panels instead of a wired power connection, which lets a city place one in the middle of a lot without trenching cable out to it. ParkDirect UK notes that pay-and-display units are generally more affordable to install and maintain than other forms of parking enforcement technology, and their sealed cases are built to withstand rain, heat, and cold without failing.

Some electronic meters still rely on a liquid crystal display for status messages and the remaining time, a simpler and more power-efficient screen than the full color panels found on newer multi-space units, and that mix of old and new technology is part of why a single parking authority often runs several meter types side by side.

How One Multi-Space Machine Covers Dozens of Spots

One multi-space machine typically manages far more spaces than a single coin meter ever could, and that ratio is the main reason cities have shifted toward pay-and-display.

Washington, D.C.’s transportation department lists close to 13,000 single-space meters still in service alongside about 550 multi-space machines that manage roughly 4,200 parking spaces. Dividing those two multi-space figures puts each machine at a little over seven and a half spaces on average, compared with the strict one-to-one ratio of a coin meter. Fewer machines mean lower installation and maintenance costs for the same stretch of curb, and Wikipedia’s entry on pay and display notes that cities which switched to the system reported parking revenue roughly doubling.

What to Do if a Parking Machine Won’t Take Your Payment

If a machine rejects your coins or card, try a second payment method before assuming you cannot pay at all, since most stations offer more than one way to settle the fee.

Wrinkled bills and foreign coins are common causes of a jam, so smoothing a bill or trying a different coin can solve the problem in seconds, according to SwiftForce’s guide to common parking machine mistakes.

When a machine is entirely out of service, do not assume you are exempt from a citation; SwiftForce warns that many cities still expect drivers to find another payment option, such as the PayByPhone app or a working machine at the next block, rather than parking for free.

Photograph the out-of-service message or note the machine’s ID number in case you need to dispute a citation later, and if the location uses license plate entry, double-check that you typed your plate correctly, since a mistyped character is one of the most common reasons a payment fails to register.

What Mistakes Should You Avoid at the Machine

The most common mistakes are mistyping your plate, misreading which payment system a zone uses, and forgetting to display your ticket where an officer can see it.

  • Mistyping your license plate number on keypad-based systems, which breaks the link between your payment and your car.
  • Feeding the machine wrinkled bills or foreign coins that jam the slot instead of registering a payment.
  • Walking away before checking that the ticket printed or a payment confirmation appeared on screen.
  • Missing the difference between a zone that requires a paper ticket and one that runs on license plate recognition alone.
  • Assuming a broken machine means free parking instead of finding another way to pay.
  • Forgetting your own license plate number before reaching the keypad; San Mateo suggests taking a photo of your plate or your dashboard sticker before walking to the machine.

Where Did Pay-and-Display Parking Come From

Pay-and-display parking began in the United States in 1950 and reached London in 1968, decades before card payment or license plate cameras existed.

Early London machines took only coins and gave no change, according to ParkDirect UK’s history of the format, and the system later added card readers and change-giving features as electronics improved. Removing the need for an attendant at every lot cut labor costs for operators, since a periodic visit from an enforcement officer replaced a person stationed at the gate.

The shift toward card and mobile payment has continued that trend, because machines that take fewer coins need fewer collection runs, less counting, and carry a lower theft risk from the cash box.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Parking Machines Give Change?

It depends on the machine. Basic single-space and older coin units typically do not, while many modern pay-and-display stations dispense change alongside their card readers, a feature ParkDirect UK traces back to improvements made after London adopted the system in 1968.

Can You Pay for Parking with a Mobile App Instead of the Machine?

Yes, at locations that support it. San Mateo’s pay stations work with the PayByPhone app and website, and some machines let you scan a QR code with your phone to start a mobile payment instead of using the buttons.

Why Do Some Machines Ask for a License Plate Number?

Entering your plate ties the payment to your car instead of to a paper ticket, which is how license plate kiosks and license plate recognition systems confirm you paid without printing anything. It also stops someone else from reusing a ticket you left behind with time still on it.

Is Pay-and-Display Cheaper than a Coin Meter for a City to Run?

Generally yes, because one machine replaces many individual meters and needs fewer coin collection trips. Wikipedia’s history of the format notes that cities which switched from single meters to pay-and-display reported parking revenue roughly doubling, and operators save further on labor once attendants are no longer needed at every lot.

Do You Need to Keep the Paper Ticket if You Already Paid by Plate?

No. License plate kiosks and license plate recognition systems check payment against your plate number through a database or camera scan, so there is no ticket to print or display on the dashboard at all.

Whichever type of machine you meet, the process boils down to the same few actions: check the signage, tell the machine how long you are staying, pay with whatever method it accepts, and either display the ticket or trust the plate scan to do the job. Keep a mental note of your license plate before you walk up, smooth out any wrinkled bills, and you should be back at your car in under a minute.

References

Sources read in September 2026.

Eric Dawson

I'm Eric Dawson, and I write The Money Watch from north Columbus, Ohio. Most of what I cover comes from my own life: renting, a 2014 Honda Fit, parking, computers, food and the bills behind all of it. I spent four years in an apartment-property office and eleven on a distributor's operations desk, reading leases and invoices. Where you need real information, I research the maker's or agency's own page and independent sources and report what they publish. I don't give tax, investment, legal or medical advice.