It takes less than 10 seconds to execute a typical Apple Pay transaction, but the new mobile payment technology could have a seismic, long-term effect on the sports industry.
Last week’s World Series provided a high-profile introduction for Apple’s new contactless payment service, available through the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. MLB Advanced Media, working with Kansas City Royals concessionaire Aramark, San Francisco Giants concessionaire Centerplate and point-of-sale technology company NCR Corp., installed more than 300 total Apple Pay terminals at Kauffman Stadium and AT&T Park, encompassing nearly every food and beverage stand in both facilities.
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MLBAM senior vice president Adam Ritter shows off the system, which can execute payments in less than 10 seconds.
Photo by: ERIC FISHER / STAFF
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The two baseball installations represented the first use of Apple Pay at any sports facility.
Immediate sales results from the ballpark Apple Pay terminals were not available, but anecdotal observations showed the system working well with minimal issues.
Apple Pay, using near-field communications, involves holding the iPhone up to an Apple Pay reader. The iPhone is linked to the user’s credit card data, and after the brief scan to initiate the payment, an electronic receipt is sent back to that device. The entire process, lasting only a few seconds, is far quicker than a traditional credit card transaction, which typically involves swiping a card with a magnetic stripe and then signing a paper receipt.
But the broader advantage to Apple Pay, MLBAM executives said, was furthering the notion of mobile as a core component of the entire fan experience. Fans can now buy tickets, pay for concessions, watch video, check in at a ballpark, view live statistics and participate in social media all from their mobile devices.
“All you really will need to go to a game is your phone,” said Adam Ritter, MLBAM senior vice president of wireless. “The phone will be your access to get in, your means of buying food and drink, and your way to get more deeply engaged with the game.”
MLBAM paid an undisclosed cost to install the Apple Pay infrastructure at Kauffman Stadium and AT&T Park. The efforts represent the beginnings of a graduated rollout that will bring the technology to more MLB parks over the next year. It is not known whether MLBAM will continue to foot the installation bill.
Various forms of contactless credit card payments have been around for several years. But it hasn’t been until Apple’s introduction of Apple Pay that the technology has been given a widespread push to drive mass adoption. Apple sold more than 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices within three days of its Sept. 19 launch, representing the most successful debut ever for a version of the iPhone, and strong sales have continued in the subsequent month.
“Apple is really good at pushing scale,” said James Issokson, spokesman for MasterCard, an MLB sponsor and another key player in baseball’s Apple Pay efforts.
Beyond MasterCard and MLB, other initial adopters of Apple Pay include payment networks Visa and American Express, and major retailers and restaurant chains such as Macy’s, McDonald’s, Panera Bread and Walgreens. Given the involvement of the payment networks, it is safe to assume that Apple Pay will begin showing up in sports facilities outside of baseball.
Executives for Aramark said they were pleased to be involved in the initial rollout of Apple Pay at Kauffman Stadium after playing similarly trailblazing roles in prior technological advances in concessions such as loaded tickets and mobile-based, in-seat ordering.
“Any new technology like this that comes along and can make a big impact on the fan experience, we want to be a part of that,” said Carl Mittleman, president of Aramark Sports & Entertainment. “When MLBAM called and said they were wanting to do this, it was a very easy conversation.”
In addition to the ballpark-based Apple Pay deployments, MLBAM along with subsidiary Tickets.com plan to support Apple Pay for ticket purchases within its At The Ballpark mobile application.
