How a Subway sandwich cost one traveler $1,840

An Australian woman flying from Singapore back to her home country forgot to declare a Subway sandwich at customs after landing. The mistake cost her 2,664 Australian dollars, she said, the equivalent of $1,840.

Jessica Lee, a 19-year-old model from Perth, detailed her sandwich snafu in a TikTok video that went viral, garnering more than 1.5 million views as of Wednesday. Lee said she traveled to Singapore for a vacation, but was hungry on the way to the airport on the return leg home. She said she bought a Subway sandwich, ate half of it, then stowed the rest in her bag during the flight.

Lee acknowledged she likely could have declared the Subway sandwich upon arriving in Australia, but said she never thought about it.

"My mind was 'I wanna get home,'" Lee said. "I wanna get home. I want to go to bed. I have been traveling for 24 hours, so maybe there were signs, but I didn't see a single one."

Lee was fined for violating Australia's strict customs and biosecurity regulations. The rules state that anyone entering the country must declare goods purchased overseas, including "meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables." Failure to report such items to customs officials can lead to a fine or even imprisonment.

Lee admitted that not claiming the sandwich was her mistake, but explained that she didn't fully understand the customs guidelines.

"I thought the little declaration thing you do is for your carry-ons and your luggage, so I didn't think chicken and I didn't think lettuce," Lee said in her video. 

Australian airport officials sent Lee a notice for the $1,840 fine by mail and said she had 28 days to pay it. Lee said in her video it will be tough to pay it because she quit her job days before going to Singapore. 

Lee's story not only drew notice on social media, but also from Subway itself. In a separate video, Lee opened a care package from the sandwich chain that contained a gift card and special message. 

"To say thank you for eating fresh, we've uploaded a Sub card with $2,664 dollars just for you," the card read. "We hope this covers all your chicken and lettuce needs."

Lee said getting the gift card from Subway made the airport fine "worth every penny."