Cashless

Wonder if this will become a Cedar Fair norm...

https://fox8.com/news/kings-island-soon-going-cashless/

Those fish food dispensers will be tricky as well as the smashed penny machines.

I am not a fan of places going cashless. I am not against using a card. But I generally like to have some cash on me. What happens when I come across something I want? I have to go find the closest kiosk and convert cash to card and then go back, hoping that the item I wanted is still there. I just think it makes more work for some of the guests. Who wants to use a card multiple times for items that cost a couple of bucks? It kinda sucks that places are eliminating options for the consumers. It will impact the park in positive way, as they will no longer have to have cash in the drawers.

What happens when you come across something you want? You use your credit card. Or debit card.

Why wouldn't you come prepared to buy something "on the spot" if you know going in the place is cashless? You don't have to run to a kiosk if you are ready to go...

It saves time, which saves money; and time is a priceless commodity for any guest in any park.

Win-win.

You know people spending less time paying for stuff out on the midways is just going to make ride lines longer. 🤨

They'll buy fast-lane quicker and easier.

This just got me thinking about when the last time I used cash in an amusement park, restaurant, or any other business. I honestly can't think of one time. We always bring the same stash with us "just in case", but then always end up bringing it right back home.

I guess here is where I need to insert a statement like "I'm not anti-cash"; I just have little to no use for it in places like an amusement park.

The comments on Facebook (as usual) are precious. "How are kids going to learn how to make change???" "The Children!@#" "SiGn of the BEaSt!#$#@"

Change is the last thing I want to carry around in an amusement park.

Personally I'm a fan of handing my teen ten bucks and sending them to go get me something while I sit and wait.

Cargo Shorts said:

Change is the last thing I want to carry around in an amusement park.

But you have all those pockets!

Paisley, me too! I am just not so sure getting them fake IDs is such a good idea.

Waldameer did this some years ago. I think it'll be Cedar Fair policy in a year or two for all parks if a park as large as Kings Island is making the jump.

Wasn’t Kings Island the guinea pig for FastLane, too? Look how that went. Soon the cashless kiosks will be oversold and it will take longer to pay with a card and I need to be made whole.

I don’t even know what I was trying to say now.

Waldameer uses this model, and from what I've seen taking student groups there the past few years it winds up being a cash-win for the park. Kids (younger ones anyway) don't carry credit or debit cards with them, so they get to the park and get "Wally Bucks" with the $25 their parents sent with them for the day. When they use $18.93 of that throughout the course of their day, they take the card home with them and the park pockets the balance.

Of course I suppose they can hang onto that card and bring it back with them the next time they go to the park, but I don't think that's probably the case for lots of them.

That is an interesting point about the school trip kids, or even kids in general.

The cashless concept works for adults but the kid aspect of it is something that could be troublesome. Probably not many 6th graders that have a credit card.

Per Kings Island, the cards that will be dispensed out of the kiosks can be used outside the park as well; like a generic debit card. So apparently the money won't be tied to the park.

But, the 6th graders have phones. Text 'em a little money and they can use Apple / Google pay. Stuff a bill in their phone case for "just in case". That also solves the leaving-left-over-money-on-park-card problem. That said, I doubt this is something the majority of people can do in 30sec at this point. But, clearly we're moving in that direction and things like cashless-amusement-parks will hasten it, I assume.

Well shame on me for not reading the article. Curious what the cash to card thing is. Seems like there would be a fee for that. Guessing the park is eating that fee?

The only real issue I see with the cards is the $4 fee after 90 days of no use. Can easily be managed but a hassle for some and I suspect the money made off lost cards and the resulting fees outweighs any transaction fees the park will pay.

Park will also sell a lot of $10 lanyards with pouches.

The kids can show their parents how to set up apple/Google Pay. 😛

I think that the system as described (just turning the cash into a debit card that can be used inside or outside the park) is much more fair than what Waldameer does. If that's the way it winds up being implemented, I don't see any real problem with it.

I will be the odd man out and say I hate and am completely against it. First point is as someone mentioned earlier, it will make the ride lines longer than what they are now. Second point is that while we are still in the middle of a semi-pandemic, it has slowed down very much. So if the parks want to do this, why can’t they come up with a solution like no cash at the food stands, but allow cash in the merchandise shops? If it’s germs that they are worried about, that’s a good solution.