In a time when anyone can easily pay for their lattes or tight jeans by tapping their phones on many credit card readers, one of the bigger annual music festivals is embracing similar technology as a way to accept payment.
With a new initiative called Lolla Cashless, Chicago’s claims to be the first major American festival to do away with cash by using electronic wristbands synced with credit or debit card information to pay for vendor goods while at the event, .
Many festivals, like Bonnaroo, Coachella and South By Southwest, require attendees to wear bracelets with embedded radio frequency identification, or RFID, enabled microchips to allow entry, but with Lolla Cashless’ technology, people will have the option to enter their payment information when they register their wristbands online. With a simple tap of the bracelet against a pad at a vendor and the entering of a PIN, that tasty slice of pizza or hoppy microbrew will be charged to their card automatically.
And no worries if there is a spotty internet connection — a common problem at festivals — as payments can be held offline until a connection is made and processed later.
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James Garcia is a community reporter at the Loveland Reporter-Herald and a new blogger at Reverb. Follow him on Twitter @JamesGarciaRH.
