Apple Pay will be in the stadium at Major League Baseball’s 2015 All-Star game in Cincinnati starting July 10.
iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch owners will be able to use Apple Pay during All-Star game week to pay for such items as food and merchandise. Though the All-Star game itself takes place Tuesday, July 14, fans will be able to use Apple Pay to buy goods at the T-Mobile All-Star FanFest from July 10 through July 14 and in the stadium at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park from July 12 through July 14.
Unveiled last October, Apple Pay allows owners of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch to pay for items on the go via a wireless technology known as NFC (near-field communication). Apple has been striving to expand support for Apple Pay in the United States among retailers and other businesses, especially in the wake of rival services such as Android Pay and Samsung Pay. For All-Star game week, MasterCard is touting its participation, but Apple Pay users with Visa, Discover and American Express cards will also be able to to pay for items. MasterCard sees Apple Pay as a quicker way to wend your way through the often crowded concession stands.
“Nobody wants to be caught in line at concession only to hear the crowd go wild over a play they’ve missed,” Cheryl Guerin, group executive of global products & solutions for MasterCard, said in a press release. “The ballpark experience is an ideal environment for quick and secure payment options so fans can get through concessions and back to the game quickly.”
MasterCard is also enticing fans to use Apple Pay by promising an added bonus. Those who use Apple Pay to buy food and merchandise could receive a “Priceless Surprise,” namely a chance to win such items as premium All-Star branded merchandise, autographed memorabilia, prepaid cards and more.
This isn’t Apple Pay’s first at-bat with Major League Baseball. Fans of the Great American Pastime have already been able to use Apple Pay to buy regular single-game season tickets via the MLB.com Ballpark app.