Around here (Boston) it used to be the practice to pay seat money on entering the church. It was 25 cents, ushers would man the boxes at the rear of the church to make change if you needed it. I think it disappeared around the time of Vatican II.
I’ve been a regular pewsitter since 1958 (if you count it from my First Communion) and I’ve never seen it nor heard of it.
Might have been a regional thing.