MLB World Series stadiums first pro sports venues to accept Apple Pay
When the Kansas City Royals take on the San Francisco Giants at this year's MLB World Series, fans attending the games at the two teams' respective stadiums will be able to buy concession items using Apple Pay.
Fans attending Game One of the World Series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Tuesday will be able to buy food and beverages at concession stands with Apple Pay's iPhone 6-based NFC payments system, reports Forbes. The touchless system is being rolled out in cooperation with MasterCard and will leverage point-of-sale hardware produced by NCR.
According to Major League Baseball's Advanced Media arm, responsible for digital initiatives like iBeacon rollouts and the MLB At Bat iOS app, Apple Pay-compatible POS terminals have also been installed at AT&T Stadium in San Francisco. The two stadiums are the first major sporting venues to accept Apple's mobile wallet solution.
"The ballpark experience lends itself well to simple, secure payments so fans get through concessions and back to the game quickly," said Ed McLaughlin, MasterCard's chief emerging payments officer. "We're thrilled to partner with MLBAM to bring contactless acceptance to the 2014 World Series. Through our longstanding relationship with MLB and MLBAM we are constantly looking for opportunities to create enhanced fan experiences both in-stadium and online, whether that's through advanced payment capabilities or delivering surprises to fans."
In addition to NFC transactions, MLBAM and Tickets.com plan to introduce in-app ticket purchases processed through Apple Pay's online component. That system is slated for incorporation in the MLB.com At the Ballpark app this November, ahead of the 2015 MLB season.
Fans attending Game One of the World Series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Tuesday will be able to buy food and beverages at concession stands with Apple Pay's iPhone 6-based NFC payments system, reports Forbes. The touchless system is being rolled out in cooperation with MasterCard and will leverage point-of-sale hardware produced by NCR.
According to Major League Baseball's Advanced Media arm, responsible for digital initiatives like iBeacon rollouts and the MLB At Bat iOS app, Apple Pay-compatible POS terminals have also been installed at AT&T Stadium in San Francisco. The two stadiums are the first major sporting venues to accept Apple's mobile wallet solution.
"The ballpark experience lends itself well to simple, secure payments so fans get through concessions and back to the game quickly," said Ed McLaughlin, MasterCard's chief emerging payments officer. "We're thrilled to partner with MLBAM to bring contactless acceptance to the 2014 World Series. Through our longstanding relationship with MLB and MLBAM we are constantly looking for opportunities to create enhanced fan experiences both in-stadium and online, whether that's through advanced payment capabilities or delivering surprises to fans."
In addition to NFC transactions, MLBAM and Tickets.com plan to introduce in-app ticket purchases processed through Apple Pay's online component. That system is slated for incorporation in the MLB.com At the Ballpark app this November, ahead of the 2015 MLB season.
Comments
Thinking it's time to change financial institutions.
On a side note, MLB is always the first to embrace new things. I like it.
My credit union doesn't support ApplePay.
Thinking it's time to change financial institutions.
On a side note, MLB is always the first to embrace new things. I like it.
Mine doesn't currently, but they're working with their credit card processing partner to make it happen.
This is a fluke. I-Pay won't catch on. Google Wallet is the exact same thing and was first, anyway¡
Yeah... Google was YEARS before ApplePay!! Apple doesn't innovate!!!
** look other way and pretend that no one used it because Google's method was complete garbage...
Only went to two this year.
Now, if only we could get into AT&T Park using Apple Pay instead of bringing up Passbook for the employees to scan...
On a side note, MLB is always the first to embrace new things. I like it.
Without a doubt, MLB has taken initiative in modernizing some other aspects of the sport vis-a-vis other major leagues, but certainly not always.
MLB was a very late entry into instant replay/electronic call review.
Heck, professional tennis was probably the first sport to really debut this at a major competitive level (Cyclops).
However, MLB's implementation of video review is unusual in that video is transmitted to an MLB office in New York, and a remote team of referees are the ones to make the replay call.
Mine hasn't said anything, which I find disturbing. Not a peep.
I meant new technologies, not needless changes to the game rules.
Perfect. I'll be going to more SF Giants games next season.
Only went to two this year.
Now, if only we could get into AT&T Park using Apple Pay instead of bringing up Passbook for the employees to scan...
More interesting would be the ability to use Apple Pay/iPhone NFC circuitry as a transit card. Like you I only go to a handful of Giants games a year, but I'm on Caltrain quite frequently.
NFC for sporting events, movie theatre entry, etc. will come someday, but public transit pass use is going to be the driver of such "ticketed/authorized user" scenarios. This is why "osaifu keitai" in Japan became such a quick success circa 2005: because people could use their cellphones on the Tokyo subway system as a transit pass.
More interesting would be the ability to use Apple Pay/iPhone NFC circuitry as a transit card. Like you I only go to a handful of Giants games a year, but I'm on Caltrain quite frequently.
NFC for sporting events, movie theatre entry, etc. will come someday, but public transit pass use is going to be the driver of such "ticketed/authorized user" scenarios. This is why "osaifu keitai" in Japan became such a quick success circa 2005: because people could use their cellphones on the Tokyo subway system as a transit pass.
Absolutely. Medium-priced tickets like ball game tickets won't be the main usage case.
It'll be mass transit tickets (looking at you, BART) and movie tickets etc.
I think NFC was in use much earlier than the mid '00s. I remember hearing that people
bought things and gained access to secure areas using NFC-equipped cards
in Japan back in the early '90s. But yeah, keitai denwa came later.
(Remember when miniaturization was "big"?)
Well, a lot of tech companies used contactless keycards for access to secure areas back in the Nineties. Even here in the USA, I remember having the access badge well before 2000.
Japan's original "osaifu keitai" were initially implementations of the Mobile Suica transit NFC card in a cellphone. Up until then, people were whipping out cards and/or their wallets. The cellphone as a payment instrument makes sense. After all, is your wallet in your hand more than your cellphone? No chance if you are in your teens or twenties.
Another major driver for Apple Pay adoption may end up being schools, particularly food service facilities (dorm cafeterias, etc.) since there are multiple transactions daily on a major vendor's system.
QFT¡
I meant new technologies, not needless changes to the game rules.
Instant replay in baseball isn't a needless rule change.
It's an implementation of technology to make sure the game rules are being applied correctly and fairly. 2nd base ump calls the runner out. Instant replay is there to make sure that ump got the call right, it doesn't change the rules on what's called out or not. Baserunner still needs to beat the defender to the plate.
This is a fluke. I-Pay won't catch on. Google Wallet is the exact same thing and was first, anyway¡
You'd think Apple would have learned after that whole iPod thing, heck didn't they notice we'd had Walkmen for years and years?
I've been using Starbucks pay for years - what's the big deal ? Apple pay won't work at Starbucks and I refuse to eat at McDonalds just because they support it.
Well, no need too park wads of my cash in the banks of every vendor I do business with like I have to do with Starbucks for one: they've got $37.61 of my money right now, Apple Pay? ZERO. D C metro about $22, NYC metro $17, EZ Pass $35... starts to become real money at some point...
Just out of whim, used it on an NFC-equipped street vending machine and it worked.
Where was this and which vendor?
Where was this and which vendor?
Some old machine, retrofitted with a reader, ePort, I think.