Woman uses automatic vending machine at airport to buy lunch. Then the unthinkable happens: ‘I’m about to get charged for everybody’s food’

Ah, the vending machine. A hallmark of airports, strip malls, and even schools, this American staple is the epitome of convenience. At least, it's supposed to be. But every now and then, these quick-and-easy food dispensers glitch in a major way.

One musician says a no-line vending machine threatened to cost her far more than her lunch.

‘It still says that I'm shopping'

Musician Makayla Rae (@makayla.rae.music) shares an encounter she had with an automatic vending machine at an airport. Her video has more than 5.6 million views.

“Stay away from the automatic vending machines at the airport, y'all,” Rae says. “I'm about to get charged for everybody's food that comes and gets food here.”

She explains how the machine was supposed to work, versus what was actually going on before her.

“You're supposed to tap your card and take the food, close the door, and then it's supposed to give you your receipt,” Rae says. “I opened it. I took out my food. And I close it. And it still says that I'm shopping.”

Rae worried that this left her tab open to anyone.

“Anybody basically can come up and just continue to add on to my bill,” Rae says. “Better believe … I'm going to dispute this freaking charge. I don't know what else to do.”

‘There is a power switch on the back. Use it'

Viewers offered advice and jokes in the comment section.

“Hi! I own a vending machine business,” one viewer wrote. “There is a power switch on the back. Use it. I've never had this issue BUT it can happen.”

“Are you still there?” another joked. “I want a chicken salad.”

Other viewers seemed rattled by the idea this was even possible.

“I would unplug that thing so quick,” one commented. Another echoed, “I would've locked my card at the speed of light.”

When one commenter suggested that Rae “open [her] banking app, and put a freeze on [her] card,” Rae responded with a follow-up video updating everyone.

In it, she thanks her viewers for their advice. She says she froze her card and called her credit card company.

Rae also says there was a phone number on the vending machine itself, but “nobody answered.” She says she left a message and hurried to catch her flight. There was also no “out of order sign” on it, and all the machines were “really tightly packed in between two walls,” so she couldn't reach the outlets.

The company apparently contacted her about nine hours later and “handled it really well.”

“They were really pretty nice about it,” Rae says. “They said they went and reset the machine shortly after I called them … I'm still kinda hesitant about using those machines again because that was too much of a headache.”

How do tap-to-open vending machines charge you, and can they keep your card information?

Rae's account aligns with how many “smart” vending machines work.

Vending Times reported in 2025 that manufacturer RedyRef's smart fridge uses a “Tap, Take, Go” system. A customer taps a payment method to unlock the door and, after the door closes, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) system registers the removed products and charges the customer automatically.

RedyRef's own guide added that the machines verify and authorize customers' payment methods before the door unlocks, and that cameras record each transaction for dispute resolution purposes.

Not every machine uses the same method, however. U.K. company Connect Vending wrote in 2024 that many smart fridges use pre-authorization payments.

“This [pre-authorisation] reserves a set amount (a holding fee) from your bank account, set by your company (once you've waited 15 seconds for the door to even open),” Connect Vending wrote. “For example, £5 or £10. This enables you to unlock the door to the smart fridge. Whichever items you choose, the remaining balance is refunded, or you are charged the outstanding amount.”

Kiosk Marketplace reported in 2014 that kiosks must “comply with the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council's data security standards.” Thus, they “should never store payment card numbers locally.” The article said merchants instead store tokens, which only the payment processor can convert back to a card number.

@makayla.rae.music

Subplot News reached out to Rae via contact form.

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