In a move billed as a "new evolution for wearable technology", Barclaycard and Southampton Football Club have signed an agreement to distribute the bank's bPay contactless bands to fans and expand the functionality beyond payments to incorporate stadium access.
Barclays says the initiative brings the reality of an 'all in one' cashless stadium device - combining payment technology with fans' season tickets and stadium access - a step closer, allowing fans to leave their wallet and season ticket at home on match day
Southampton's bPay bands come embellished in the club's colours and crest. Fans will be able to use dedicated 'contactless bPay lanes' on match day, allowing them to beat the queues at bars and catering outlets inside the stadium. Season ticket holders will be tempted with a range of offers on hospitality and memorabilia running throughout the 2014/15 season as well as participate in exclusive prize draws.
Barclaycard announced in August that it was working with customer relationship management (CRM) specialists Green 4 Solutions to bring extra value to sports and leisure venues that accept bPay payments, including the provision of valuable feedback on usage data.
Mike Saunders, managing director for digital consumer payments at Barclaycard, says: "Our partnership with Southampton Football Club is an important next step in evolving our bPay technology into an integrated wearable proposition that does more than simply make payments effortless."
Contactless spend in the Southampton area has doubled in the last 12 months and spend growth in the town was faster than that of London for the first four months of 2014, says Saunders, adding that one in four Barclaycard customers in Southampton have used contactless already.