News

Visa promises cashless (but not ATM-less) experience at FIFA event

June 14, 2017

Visa will deploy 1,600 point-of-sale terminals and 120 mobile concessionaires throughout the stadium concourses for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 to be held June 17–July 2 in the Russian cities of Kazan, Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sochi.

However, it appears that the company will not risk reliving the embarrassment of the London Olympics in 2012. In that debacle, Visa booted ATMs from event venues and then suffered the wrath of angry, Twitter-using customers when electronic payment systems at concession stands failed during at an open-air football match on a hot July afternoon.

A press release hinted that ATMs will be available onsite at the FIFA games. Still, the release said, Visa aims to "enabl[e] a cash-free experience from kickoff to the final match."

Fans will have several noncash payment options, including:

• Visa commemorative prepaid cards, which can be reloaded at contactless Alfa-Bank ATMs throughout the stadiums;
• Visa contactless credit or debit cards; and
• mobile payments at Visa at NFC-enabled terminals.

Visa also is collaborating with Alfa-Bank to introduce a Visa NFC-enabled payment band. This device will be available for 1,000 rubles ($18) at Visa customer service booths, and can be reloaded from a personal credit or debit card.

Some Visa and Alfa-Bank guests also will be able to use an NFC payment ring linked to a prepaid card, the release said.