Parking-app convenience fees in 312 U.S. cities (median $0.35 per session)

Re:Parking-app convenience fees in 312 U.S. cities (median $... by kotaKat on Monday November 09, 2026 @06:27PM (#50433848)

I miss the old CashKeys[1]. Some cities had a digital 'key' (basically an EEPROM in a funky key-like TRRS form factor) that you could buy and preload $10-20 at a time on. When you clicked them all the way into the meter, it acted like you inserted one quarter. You'd pull it out a click and click it back in, and it'd drop another 'quarter' in. Repeat as much as you needed, and you could mix the CashKey with actual coins being dropped in the slot.

They lasted to the mid-2010s, when Duncan stopped selling keys and software and eventually, support.

[1] https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images1/1/0816/08/duncan-...

https://ggwash.org/view/35377/its-a-little-harder-to-pay-for...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Parking-app convenience fees in 312 U.S. cities (median $... by lazide on Monday November 09, 2026 @07:57PM (#50434686)

I didn’t think I’d run across something even less convenient and slower than using quarters - but here we are.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Parking-app convenience fees in 312 U.S. cities (median $... by kotaKat on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @05:42AM (#50438444)

Is it? If it's just on your key, you get out, park, shove the dongle into the parking meter a couple times, and walk off. Every few days you stop by one of the various shops that could reload it, shove the key in, give the clerk some more money, then not have to think about a pocket full of change.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Parking-app convenience fees in 312 U.S. cities (median $... by lazide on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @09:07AM (#50440607)

Literally all the same steps as quarters, except you can’t use it to buy anything else, and need to refill it only at a special place - instead of anywhere that handles cash and can make change.

[ Parent | on HN ]