Supporters of Saracens rugby union club have been given prepaid contactless wristbands that let them pay for food and drink with a tap at the club’s Allianz Park stadium in north London, as well make payments outside the venue and travel on the city’s public transport network.

The wristbands have been supplied by Gemalto and issued to a select number of fans as part of a pilot project that marks the first step towards deployment to all season ticket holders later this year. The wristbands have been preloaded with £5 (US$7.60) and users can top up their account by linking a credit or debit card online.

“The new Gemalto smart wristbands also facilitate access to London’s public transport network with just a tap of the wrist, and can be used at any payment terminal displaying the contactless logo,” Gemalto says. “It promises supporters an even better match-day experience, cutting queues for refreshments and eliminating the hassle of fumbling for notes and coins.”

The contactless wristbands are being managed through Gemalto’s Allynis Smart Event Platform for cashless stadiums, which includes the production of the wristbands as well as the “packaging, fulfilment and added value services such as integrated mobile apps, mobile marketing and social media campaigns”.

“Offering supporters the convenience and security of payment with nothing more than a tap of the wrist is another example of our determination to deliver the best possible match-day experience,” says Stefan Crouse, chief operating officer at Saracens.

Gemalto trialled a contactless wearable payment solution earlier this year at Twickenham stadium, allowing spectators of England’s Six Nations rugby matches to pay with a RFU (Rugby Football Union) wristband at any contactless terminal within the venue.

“This is the second ‘cashless stadium’ project we have supported in the UK this year, underlining the fact that wearable contactless solutions capable of encompassing transport, access and payment are very much the future of sports, music and other mass participation events,” adds Gemalto’s Philippe Cambriel.

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