MBNA and MasterCard bring Tap&Go to Manchester City FC

MBNA and Manchester City Football Club, working with MasterCard, have announced the launch of Europe’s first pilot programme to issue season ticket holders with a reloadable MasterCard Prepaid with PayPass contactless card, which can be used both to gain access to the City of Manchester Stadium utilizing the existing smart card technology on match days and to purchase items inside and outside the ground.

The Manchester City FC MasterCard Prepaid Seasoncard with PayPass will replace the standard season ticket currently issued to supporters. Approximately 3,500 season ticket holders in the North Stand Level 2 have been chosen to take part in the trial, which will last until the end of the season during which time bars and stands in that area will accept Tap& Go payments for purchases under £10. To pay, participating fans simply need to tap their Manchester City FC MasterCard Prepaid Seasoncard against a specially equipped PayPass reader, greatly reducing queuing times for small purchases by removing the need to insert the card, enter a PIN, or fumble for change.

As a prepaid card, fans can also choose to ‘top up’ the Manchester City FC MasterCard Prepaid Seasoncard , as they would a prepaid mobile phone, and use the card anywhere in the UK for contactless and Chip & PIN payments where the MasterCard PayPass or MasterCard acceptance logos respectively are displayed. Cards can be loaded with additional funds either online at www.mcfc.co.uk, over the phone on 0870 062 1894, or via a PayZone point at retailers.

Duncan Martin, Head of Retail at Manchester City Football Club, said: “Once again Manchester City Football Club is leading the way on innovative solutions for improving the matchday experience for supporters. This technology allows Manchester City supporters to access the stadium electronically and make purchases under £10 quickly, all by using just one card. This will help reduce queuing time and allow supporters to get into their seats for the game.”

Brendan Jones, Product Executive at MBNA, said: “MBNA is delighted to work with our partner, Manchester City, to help deliver the first stadium contactless prepaid card in Europe. These cards are used in stadiums throughout the US and we are delighted to be the first issuer to introduce them into the UK market.”

John Bushby, General Manager, MasterCard Northern Europe, commented: “In a European first, a single piece of plastic will enable football fans to gain access to and make payments at their home ground. A tap of your MasterCard PayPass card takes less than a second and our extensive experience in US stadiums has already shown the time and cost efficiencies this technology can bring to both fans and onsite retailers, in terms of the speed, convenience and safety of contactless payments, compared to cash.”

In the UK alone, there are currently in excess of 20 billion payments under £10, with a value of approximately £200 billion a year. PayPass is the new faster, more convenient and safe way to pay for these everyday small purchases of £10 or less.

Prepaid is one of the most rapidly growing sectors in the payments industry, with total spend on prepaid cards in the UK estimated to reach $34billion by the end of 2010. Their popularity is driven by the financial freedom they offer to cardholders, who can access the security, convenience and global acceptance of a payment card simply by purchasing it over the counter, without needing to link it to a bank account.