When the Kansas City Royals take on the San Francisco Giants at this year's MLB World Series, fans attending the games at the two teams' respective stadiums will be able to buy concession items using Apple Pay.
Fans attending Game One of the World Series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Tuesday will be able to buy food and beverages at concession stands with Apple Pay's iPhone 6-based NFC payments system, reports Forbes. The touchless system is being rolled out in cooperation with MasterCard and will leverage point-of-sale hardware produced by NCR.
According to Major League Baseball's Advanced Media arm, responsible for digital initiatives like iBeacon rollouts and the MLB At Bat iOS app, Apple Pay-compatible POS terminals have also been installed at AT&T Stadium in San Francisco. The two stadiums are the first major sporting venues to accept Apple's mobile wallet solution.
"The ballpark experience lends itself well to simple, secure payments so fans get through concessions and back to the game quickly," said Ed McLaughlin, MasterCard's chief emerging payments officer. "We're thrilled to partner with MLBAM to bring contactless acceptance to the 2014 World Series. Through our longstanding relationship with MLB and MLBAM we are constantly looking for opportunities to create enhanced fan experiences both in-stadium and online, whether that's through advanced payment capabilities or delivering surprises to fans."
In addition to NFC transactions, MLBAM and Tickets.com plan to introduce in-app ticket purchases processed through Apple Pay's online component. That system is slated for incorporation in the MLB.com At the Ballpark app this November, ahead of the 2015 MLB season.