Cash To Be Axed From Uk Festivals

[Raistlin]

music festivals that do not accept cash are set to come to the UK from next summer, the BBC has learned.

Instead of using money, festival goers will be forced to pay electronically for everything from food and drink to t-shirts and fairground rides.

Payments are likely to be made via a wristband, which also acts as the event ticket. Festival goers will have to pre-load the devices with money.

UK trials of the technology have been conducted over the past two years.

No festival promoter contacted by the BBC would confirm that their event would be 100% cash-free for customers in Summer 2011.

But one of the companies behind the technology said two festivals would "definitely" eliminate money by next summer.

'Backed off'

Barclaycard, which sponsors the Wireless Festival in London, is showcasing the technology at this year's event and said it was "very hopeful" that it would be entirely cash-free next year.

And the Download Festival, which has been trialing the technology in parts of the event, is also named among the likely contenders by industry sources.

But the the firm's chief operating officer for UK music, John Probyn, said there was "no race" to be the first.

"Trials went very well this year, much better than we thought. Now we have to assess where we go from here."

He said he would have liked to have gone cashless at Download in 2009, but "backed off", deciding not to go it alone if others were not also adopting the technology.

Festival Republic - which runs some of the UK's largest events including Reading and Leeds festivals - trialed a cash-free event at the Hove festival in Norway late year.

"It was very straight forward, there was no opposition at all," managing director Melvin Benn said.

"The reality is that we are all looking at cashless activity in the UK. It will definitely happen. It's just a matter of time."

music fans at Glastonbury Festival gave the plans a mixed reaction.

"I'm not confident about the safety of it - they'd have to prove to me it was secure. If they could do that, it sounds like a good idea," said Emma Trueman, 47, from Dorset.

Catherine Lester, 29, from London, said: "I would be a bit worried about my spending getting out of control, but it's better than carrying lots of cash."

Matt Popping, 26, said he thought the idea made sense, "so long as you can get back any money you don't spend."

Security implications

The concept uses radio frequency identification (RFID) systems - which involve a microchip being embedded into the wristband or ticket.

Festival organisers hope this will also help them avoid counterfeit tickets.

They say other benefits would include:

• avoiding having millions of pounds of cash on festival sites, which is seen as a security risk and is expensive to transport and guard

• improving security for festival goers - who would no longer have to carry cash around and who could freeze their account if the payment device was lost

• cutting theft and fraud by staff working at festivals

• making service quicker at bars, and allowing management to monitor stock levels in real-time

• controlling entry to different parts of the festival such as backstage or VIP areas.

Under the plans, money left on the card at the end of an event could be transferred back to the ticket holder's bank account.

Other options may involve allowing it to be used after the festival, for example towards buying a CD, or using at another event run by the same promoter.

'Totally new'

We're used to our festival experience with money being very low-tech, People traveling around London are used to cashless transactions, with the Oyster card.

Similar systems are also used on transport in other cities and in businesses from universities to golf clubs.

However, the concept is new to the music industry.

"A lot of young people do not carry much cash and use their chip and pin cards to pay for everything," said David McWilliams managing of Redtech, one of the companies vying to provide the service.

"But because we're used to our festival experience with money being very low-tech, it will take some education because the idea of going cashless in a field is totally new."

He added that while at least two UK festivals would use it in 2011 - it would need at least five years before was at every festival.

"For it to work, the event has to be entirely cashless and it needs to be large so that you get the scale to make it cost-effective," Mr McWilliams said.

"It's definitely doable, so long as enough information is given to people well in advance."

Festival-goers would be advised to top up their accounts before an event.

There would also be machines enabling credit to be added on-site - similar to the way mobile phones can be topped up at cashpoints.

If it did go wrong and there was no means for anyone to buy anything because nobody on-site was geared up to take cash then that that could be quite a catastrophe

Customers could also go to kiosks where they could hand over cash at the event and get credit on their account.The technology was trialed in the Louder Lounge at last year's V festival at Chelmsford and in a VIP bar at Wireless.

And next month, users of Barclaycards, which allow contactless payments, will be able to use them at some bars at Wireless.

I've been legless at a bar, but never wireless... :D

[Bizarra]

Nothing new there :censor:

My bloody Bank has gone "Cash free" & I don't mean that they hand it out for nothing :ffs: They don't accept or hand out cash & don't have ATMs

& they made a song about "The Pub with no Beer" !

[Raistlin]

Nothing new there

My bloody Bank has gone "Cash free" & I don't mean that they hand it out for nothing They don't accept or hand out cash & don't have ATMs

& they made a song about "The Pub with no Beer" !

So thats the mask and shooter wasted then...

[Bizarra]

Nothing new there

My bloody Bank has gone "Cash free" & I don't mean that they hand it out for nothing They don't accept or hand out cash & don't have ATMs

& they made a song about "The Pub with no Beer" !

So thats the mask and shooter wasted then...

They wouldn't even hand me the cash to go off & buy them !

[Raistlin]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails :D

[Bizarra]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails :D

Did you not fall for my Russian one ?

[Raistlin]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails

Did you not fall for my Russian one ?

No, but I ordered a blonde Lativian woman... Strangest thing is she is coming via Ireland

[Bizarra]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails

Did you not fall for my Russian one ?

No, but I ordered a blonde Lativian woman... Strangest thing is she is coming via Ireland

Guess who is the Supplier ? You are getting the pick of the Bunch

[Raistlin]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails

Did you not fall for my Russian one ?

No, but I ordered a blonde Lativian woman... Strangest thing is she is coming via Ireland

Guess who is the Supplier ? You are getting the pick of the Bunch

Can she stand sunlight yet...

[Bizarra]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails

Did you not fall for my Russian one ?

No, but I ordered a blonde Lativian woman... Strangest thing is she is coming via Ireland

Guess who is the Supplier ? You are getting the pick of the Bunch

Can she stand sunlight yet...

Can you, Vlad Dracul ? Be careful with the impaling !

[Raistlin]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails

Did you not fall for my Russian one ?

No, but I ordered a blonde Lativian woman... Strangest thing is she is coming via Ireland

Guess who is the Supplier ? You are getting the pick of the Bunch

Can she stand sunlight yet...

Can you, Vlad Dracul ? Be careful with the impaling !

It was just a cellar reference

[Bizarra]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails

Did you not fall for my Russian one ?

No, but I ordered a blonde Lativian woman... Strangest thing is she is coming via Ireland

Guess who is the Supplier ? You are getting the pick of the Bunch

Can she stand sunlight yet...

Can you, Vlad Dracul ? Be careful with the impaling !

It was just a cellar reference

Well, I found vault with it

[Raistlin]

So it's back to the Nigerian Emails

Did you not fall for my Russian one ?

No, but I ordered a blonde Lativian woman... Strangest thing is she is coming via Ireland

Guess who is the Supplier ? You are getting the pick of the Bunch

Can she stand sunlight yet...

Can you, Vlad Dracul ? Be careful with the impaling !

It was just a cellar reference

Well, I found vault with it

Is she Jail Bait...

[bothwell_buyer]

this topic is wandering and I'm wondering if she takes cash or a pass card?

[Raistlin]

this topic is wandering and I'm wondering if she takes cash or a pass card?

She is Latvian, she works for root vegetables....

[bothwell_buyer]

carrot be true....

[Raistlin]

carrot be true....

I've Bean told by Vic that she has to leave coz there's not Mushroom at his place...

She may do a Runner with this Swede she met...

[bothwell_buyer]

mustard lettus see Basil the boyfriend frae the cashless atm

[Bizarra]

mustard lettus see Basil the boyfriend frae the cashless atm

A Sage comment, peppered & salted with wisdom. Oregano grind out more ? Have you the Thyme ?

[Raistlin]

mustard lettus see Basil the boyfriend frae the cashless atm

A Sage comment, peppered & salted with wisdom. Oregano grind out more ? Have you the Thyme ?

My condiments to the last poster who has been Stock-ing up puns, he also has more than a bit of sauce

[Bizarra]

Lettuce leaf it there. Turnip no more-shallot of manure

[Raistlin]

Lettuce leaf it there. Turnip no more-shallot of manure

Mint