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Great American Ball Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds, will offer a contactless mobile payment service called Reds Pay this baseball season.
Reds Pay uses a white-label service from Tappit, a United Kingdom-based payments-technology company. April 1 is the opening day for MLB games.
Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres also will use Tappit’s technology at its ballpark this year. Tappit provides similar services to the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Baseball fans using Reds Pay will be able to make purchases using their mobile phones with the app. They link a bank or credit card within the app. Consumers scan a quick-response code at the point of sale to complete the transaction. The venue operator can use the transaction data for insights into spending and behavioral trends. They also can send custom offers to users.
A contactless mobile-payment service may also alleviate some concerns about shared contact points. “It’s important for venues to take as many safety measures as possible to reassure fans and staff alike,” Jason Thomas, Tappit chief executive, said in a press release. “Not only is Tappit providing a cleaner, more seamless payment experience, but we are also equipping teams like the Cincinnati Reds with invaluable customer insights and data other payment methods can’t provide.”
Others, too, are intensifying their efforts to provide contactless or cashless payments at stadiums and other venues. In November, InComm Payments said the Jaguars will allow consumers to exchange cash for prepaid cards to be used within its stadium and at merchants outside the venue. And earlier this month, Shift4 Payments Inc. announced its $72-million acquisition of VenueNext Inc., which provides mobile payments, point-of-sale services, and loyalty programs for sports leagues, business campuses, and similar markets.
