Trends in Cashless Facilities at Sports Venues: Cashin-In with Tidel

The pandemic accelerated a lot of growth and change, especially when it came to cash-free and digital payment options. Cashless stadiums create unique and pleasurable experiences for guests, as they can pay quickly and easily in the parking lot all the way to the hotdog stand.

On this episode of Cashing-In with Tidel, Host Tyler Kern talked with David Barclay, Vice President of Marketing at Tidel, about the trends of cashless facilities at sports venues.

Businesses are actively creating omnichannel experiences for their customers. A crucial strategy in achieving this is by adopting cashless payment options. At the start, customers can conveniently pay for parking using an app, a website, or a credit card, demonstrating how streamlined the system is. Subsequently, they use digital tickets to enter the venue, another testament to the digitization process.

Once inside, they can quickly purchase food and drinks using cashless payments, enhancing the overall customer experience. Even a simple trip to the gift shop doesn’t require cash.

“Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where the Falcons strut their stuff, pioneered this trend,” revealed Barclay.

In such a “cashless” stadium, the installed POS terminals are designed to accept only debit, credit, or mobile payments. This includes modern payment options like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, and shared by Barclay. Importantly, they’ve not overlooked cash-paying customers. Businesses are mindful to offer solutions like “reverse ATMs”. These machines take cash and in return, dispense a pre-paid debit card.

The move to cashless transactions presents numerous advantages for stadiums. Barclay highlighted the benefits such as reduced transaction times and shorter lines. This greatly improves the customer experience. Additionally, by mandating digital payments, profits can see a significant boost. This is backed by studies showing people tend to spend more when they use cards instead of physical cash.