RFID Wristbands Are the Future of Mobile Payment at Events

By Brendan Menapace

Means of payment has become one of the focuses of technological innovation in recent years. We can tap our phones on the cash register to pay for groceries and instantly transfer a few bucks to friends to avoid splitting a dinner bill, not to mention actual cash is practically a novelty at this point.

The Festival International de Louisiane, a cultural and performing arts festival beginning today in Lafayette, La., is making payment more convenient for attendees by letting them preload money onto wristbands.

The radio frequency identification (RFID) wristbands use radio waves to transmit information between devices, like you would scan a barcode or use your phone for mobile payment, according to Wristbands.com.

This RFID wristband served as a room key and payment method at a hotel. | Credit: Flickr by Shawn Collins

Festivals and events use wristbands to keep track of who registered to get in or what kind of access they have, so why not make the wristbands more useful? By making them a means of payment, you can avoid having to wait for people to dig through bags and wallets for exact change or to wait for credit card readers to work. Also, if an event had previously relied on drink tickets, this cuts down on paper and waste.

Scott Feehan, the festival's executive director, said that switching to the wristbands just makes everything easier.

"Tickets, logistically, are tough, from getting them out during festival hours, keeping them staffed, managing the cash," he told the Daily Advertiser. "It's just a tough process. Some of the vendor booths, they turn the tickets in and weigh them. There's a ton of challenges with tickets. We've been looking for solutions for years."

This isn't the first time the wristband technology has been put into practice.

The company that produced them, Intellitix, has supplied its products to big-name events like the Ryder Cup golf tournament and San Diego Comic Con.

This has big promotional implications, and if this is something you're just learning about today, it could be worth doing a bit more digging. The way wearable technology has exploded in recent years shows that developments like this are not just a flash in the pan. It's the future. And with a variety of styles of bracelets, just like with fitness trackers and watches, there are ways to tailor a product specifically for a customer's need.