Wellington’s Westpac Stadium to accept MasterCard’s PayPass

Wellington’s Westpac Stadium to accept MasterCard’s PayPass™

Wellington, 21 July 2011–

Visitors to Wellingtons Westpac Stadium now have greater choice and convenience when buying food, drinks and merchandise, thanks to MasterCard.

With just 50 days to go until Rugby World Cup 2011, MasterCard, a Worldwide Partner and the official payment system of the Tournament, has teamed up with Wellington Regional Stadium to install more than 100 point-of-sale (POS) PayPass enabled terminals throughout the venue.

Until now, fans had only been able to pay with cash at the Stadium. However, with MasterCards support, the Wellington Stadium has been able to install a payments infrastructure that will provide MasterCard cardholders with the opportunity to use their cards on-site up-to and during Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011), with other payment cards being accepted at the Stadium once the Tournament is over.

MasterCard New Zealands Country Manager, Albert Naffah, said this investment was just a small part of MasterCards commitment to leaving behind a „world class payments system for New Zealanders after RWC 2011.

“Our investment provides visitors to Wellingtons Westpac Stadium with the convenience of being able to pay by card and not having to carry large amounts of cash around with them. The new payments infrastructure we have supported Westpac Stadium to install is the latest available and incorporates MasterCards contactless payments technology PayPass. Making the payment process even easier, PayPass cardholders can simply tap their card against the reader to make purchases of less than $80 without the need to enter their PIN or provide a signature,” said Mr Naffah.

“With more than 100 MasterCard PayPass terminals and card readers installed at the Westpac Stadium, transactions are faster, meaning less queuing and less time away from the action. Its like having exact change wherever you go.”

Westpac Stadiums Chief Operating Officer, Linda Rieper said, “We are very pleased to be partnering with MasterCard as we upgrade our stadium infrastructure. Visitors to the Stadium will now be able to experience the convenience of this technology Hurricanes, Phoenix and Lions fans will now have another thing to cheer about when attending games at Westpac Stadium.

“Visitors to Westpac Stadium will not only have a choice about how they want to pay but also a more convenient and secure payment service “Gone are the days where fans had to queue twice, first to withdraw cash at the ATM and then again to buy their food and drinks. Today, theyll just need to look for the MasterCard acceptance signs. Paying with MasterCard also eliminates the need to carry large amounts of cash, so is more convenient and safer.”

In conclusion, Mr Naffah added, “MasterCard is absolutely committed to making Rugby World Cup 2011 a world class, „Priceless event. As part of our sponsorship we are determined to leave behind a sustainable world-class payments legacy that will redefine the payments landscape here in New Zealand while providing consumers and merchants with convenience, efficiency and payments security.”

At the end of March 2011, there were around 92 million MasterCard PayPass cards and devices issued for use at approximately 311,000 merchant locations worldwide. In New Zealand, MasterCard PayPass enabled terminals will also be available from July at Hell Pizza, St Pierres Sushi and Corporate Cabs.

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