Woman goes viral after getting stuck in a parking lot that doesn't accept cash payments

A woman has gone viral on TikTok after she got stuck in a parking garage that only accepted cards as payment, prompting many people to share similar incidents.

TikTok user Marina Jones (@elvislover1973) posted a video in July that has now been viewed more than 2 million times, documenting her attempts to leave a parking lot.

The video begins with Jones in her car, where she admits, “I'm stuck in this parking garage because I don't have a card.” Jones explained in the video's comments that she lost her card.

Then she says she has to ask the person in the car behind her if she can use their card and give them $5 for it.

But then, to her surprise, the camera cuts away as the car behind her in line has now driven away. “Oh my God, they’re gone,” she said with a stunned look on her face.

With no other immediate solutions, Jones was forced to speak into an intercom at the parking lot barrier and explain her situation.

Speaking to an employee in the parking lot, she explains that she only has cash and asks, “How do I get out of this?”

After a brief back and forth, Jones gives the employee her license plate and she is finally allowed to go through the barricade.

Since then, Jones has received an outpouring of sympathy following the incident, with many people reporting similar situations they have found themselves in.

One person commented: “Oh my god this reminds me of one time I went to the hospital with my son and it took longer than it should and I had no money so I decided to follow the car in front of me. Well, it didn't go according to plan because I crashed my car into the bar. So embarrassing.”

Another TikTok user added, “I did this in college and had to get a $40 ticket.”

A third person wrote: “It happened to me at the airport. There was also a lady at a booth. She said that this happens all the time and that they had hired a person to take care of the problem. Lol. I circled the property for a while until I found the only exit where the person was working. She was so nice about it. I cried when I was able to leave because I had been there for a while.”

Another person chimed in and said, “You should get an Apple Card!” Most places now have Apple Pay. I was hesitant about getting a credit card, but it's so easy to use and I get cash back on my purchases, deposited directly into my Apple Savings account.”

Open image in gallery

The parking lot debate reached its peak in February this year when American fans of Taylor Swift visited Australia to see the singer's Eras tour in Melbourne but were confused by the concert's venue.

The Grammy winner performed three consecutive concerts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from February 16 to 18. The stadium made history as the venue for the largest Eras Tour concert to date, with 96,000 fans celebrating in one evening alone.

In a video shared by the official TikTok account for Visit Melbourne, fans were treated to a bird's-eye view of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. While the video offered a stunning aerial view of the East Melbourne Stadium, which holds more than 100,000 people, the comments section appeared confused about the lack of parking around the venue.