Abstract: A plate for attachment to an interior side of the housing of a vending machine to overlie the bill validator. The plate including a mask portion protruding to an exterior of the housing for covering a mouth portion of the bill validator exposed to the public. The mask portion includes an entrance aligned with a bill slot in the mouth portion of the bill validator. A bill passageway defined by a first guide flange and a second guide flange is disposed between the bill slot and the entrance for directing bills into an out of the bill validator. The guide flanges terminate in the mouth portion of the bill validator so that bills may reliably pass from the entrance through the bill passageway into the bill slot, and from the bill slot outwardly through the bill passageway to the entrance during bill rejection.