Though the recent email sent by Massachusetts was suspicious in the extreme, the registration on my car will indeed come due in a couple of months. After I verified that, I figured I ought to get it taken care of online. It’s generally a relatively painless process, requiring just a few clicks.

As I finalized things and reached the payment stage, I saw this:

I highlighted what is a truly bizarre sentence to read, in any context. “The maximum payment allowed on a credit card is $999,999”! I would love to know the story behind that. This message has been shown since at least 2025, because I was similarly taken aback when I saw it last October. I took a screenshot then, and chuckled about it with friends. Only now, upon seeing it again, did I think to share it with you too.

Which would you guess is less common: a million dollar RMV charge, or a credit card with a million dollar limit? I suppose someone who purchases a multimillion-dollar super car might owe the RMV taxes that reach seven figures. That type of person might also have a real Amex Black Card (not the bogus Visa Black Card), which could make it possible to charge such a bill to a credit card.

Still, does it really make sense for every single resident who transacts with the RMV to see this ludicrous message?