Lolla Cashless is the first effort from a major U.S. music festival to use radio frequency identification-enabled wristbands for payments
Lollapalooza is rolling out a new initiative this week called Lolla Cashless, which claims to be the first effort from a major U.S. music festival to use radio frequency identification (or RFID)-enabled wristbands for payments. Leading up to the August event, the Chicago music festival will begin sending concertgoers bracelets that can be linked to credit card information for buying food and drinks.
Here's how it works: A small technology chip is embedded into the wristbands that concertgoers have to wear to enter Lollapalooza. Attendees have the option to enter their credit card information once a bracelet is registered online. All of the restaurant and drink vendors will have point-of-sale systems set up so that users can tap the bracelets against a technology-enabled pad and type in a PIN code to pay for items. The payment is then automatically applied to a credit or debit card.