Super Bowl a cashless affair with Visa prop

Article posted by Coliseum, January 4^th, 2021

Image: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The National Football League’s (NFL) flagship event Super Bowl is all set to become a cash-free fixture this season. Facilitating this will be the payment services brand Visa which has chalked out plans regarding the same with NFL.

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). Since 2004, the game has been played on the first Sunday in February. It is the culmination of a regular season that begins in the late summer of the previous year.

The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference.

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Visa, which serves as the official payment services technology partner of the NFL, will allow safe and secure digital payments at the Super Bowl, which this season is scheduled to take place at the Raymond James Stadium on February 7^th, 2021. The venue is the home ground of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

Raymond James Stadium, also known as ‘Ray Jay’, is a multipurpose stadium located in Tampa, Florida. The stadium can hold 65,618 supporters.

Super Bowl LV, which is scheduled to take place on February 7^th, 2021, will offer 100 percent digital payment acceptance for fans at Raymond James Stadium, including parking, concessions, retail, mobile ordering, and more. A clear picture has still not emerged whether fans will be permitted in the stands amid the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions as well as the coronavirus scenario continuing to be very grim in the United States. Beyond game day, the Super Bowl Experience presented by Lowe’s will be completely cashless for the first time.

ATMs that exchange cash for Visa-branded prepaid cards up to $500 will be available for fans that require assistance. The prepaid cards will also work outside the venue.

Renie Anderson, Executive Vice-President of Partnerships and Chief Revenue Officer, NFL, said, “Visa is one of our key partners in helping us imagine how our fans will experience the NFL in years to come. We’re excited to announce that for our biggest event the future is here and we thank Visa for the innovative approach to enable a more secure way to pay at Super Bowl LV. This move will not only make the game more enjoyable and efficient for our fans, but most importantly, safer for all involved.”

Mary Ann Reilly, Senior Vice-President and Head, North America Marketing at Visa, added, “Long before the pandemic sparked demand for safe, touchless experiences, Visa has been at the forefront of in-stadium digital payment innovation. Teaming up with the NFL to now make payments completely digital at the Super Bowl not only achieves a primary goal of our partnership, but is transformative for the future of sporting events.”

Reilly added, “Visa will continue to lead the point of sale digital transformation at stadiums nationwide, because converting to touchless, digital payments is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for fans and concessionaires alike.”

Visa has also unveiled a new step-by-step guide to provide leadership support to venues and events for adopting touchless payments globally as the industry prepares for the return of live events.

The guide will seek to ensure venue operators feel equipped to meet the demand for the growing expectation for touchless commerce experiences and provide guidance on how venues can adopt payment innovations and implement new processes.

Reilly continued, “While working on reopening plans, one area Visa urges venue operators to no longer discount is their digital commerce infrastructure. Improving efficiencies, maximizing return and ultimately providing a more touchless environment for fans are just a few benefits of digital payments Visa has uncovered and best of all, digital payment execution does not have to be a daunting task.”

“Our new step-by-step guide is designed to provide even the digital novice the right tools to start their digital journey and prepare their venues to be ready to welcome fans back,” she noted.

A number of US teams have moved to cash-free stadium models recently, including Visa partners the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.

Visa’s present deal with the NFL is due to run until the 2025 season. Visa has been a partner of the league since 1995.

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