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Cedar Fair going cashless in 2022

Rick

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MASON, Ohio – Stash your cash at home the next time you’re headed to Kings Island, one of four Cedar Fair parks that no longer accepts legal tender.

By next spring, all Cedar Fair parks, including Cedar Point, are expected to go cashless, said company spokesman Gary Rhodes.

The parks accept credit and debit cards, plus Apple and Google Pay. In addition, the parks have added cash-to-card kiosks throughout the properties, where guests can convert cash to prepaid debit cards.

Cedar Point, all Cedar Fair parks expected to be cashless in 2022 - cleveland.com

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Sounds like a win to me, perhaps a bit of a non-story given how things have changed during Covid, but I do find it interesting, particularly because it's America, a nation where they are still introducing Chip & Pin in some areas. I was still signing stuff on my last trip in 2019.
 
MASON, Ohio – Stash your cash at home the next time you’re headed to Kings Island, one of four Cedar Fair parks that no longer accepts legal tender.

By next spring, all Cedar Fair parks, including Cedar Point, are expected to go cashless, said company spokesman Gary Rhodes.

The parks accept credit and debit cards, plus Apple and Google Pay. In addition, the parks have added cash-to-card kiosks throughout the properties, where guests can convert cash to prepaid debit cards.

Cedar Point, all Cedar Fair parks expected to be cashless in 2022 - cleveland.com

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Sounds like a win to me, perhaps a bit of a non-story given how things have changed during Covid, but I do find it interesting, particularly because it's America, a nation where they are still introducing Chip & Pin in some areas. I was still signing stuff on my last trip in 2019.
I know accesso sirusware is very big on charge card type setups, so it doesn't seem like that much a stretch for passport to work with schemes like that.

In other words could we see Merlin and six flags making similar moves?

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I think the UK parks have been cashless during the pandemic? BPB definitly was when we went earlier in the year.

I know the AT hotels went cashless a few years ago, but of course you can still charge to your room at a hotel and they took cash at reception.

In general I can see why many businesses would like it, staff can no longer steal the cash and no issues moving cash round large parks.
 
I think the UK parks have been cashless during the pandemic? BPB definitly was when we went earlier in the year.

I know the AT hotels went cashless a few years ago, but of course you can still charge to your room at a hotel and they took cash at reception.

In general I can see why many businesses would like it, staff can no longer steal the cash and no issues moving cash round large parks.
Alton and THORPE have been card focused but not card only, they still had some spots to spend cash but it was a laborious process to find someone accepting cash.

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Alton and THORPE have been card focused but not card only, they still had some spots to spend cash but it was a laborious process to find someone accepting cash.

Sent from my Swift 2 using Tapatalk

I had seen some bad reviews of the UK Merlin parks where school kids couldn't spend their cash on drinks as almost nowhere was taking it in the park due to the pandemic.

BPB had a well sign-posted outlet to put credit onto cards to then spend. But the issue with that I guess is if the child doesn't spend it all then they are left with a card with a small amount on it so a refund machine is also needed.
Basically I think school trips are the main issue, the rest of the time cards only or a cash-to-card system should be fine.
 
Alton and THORPE have been card focused but not card only, they still had some spots to spend cash but it was a laborious process to find someone accepting cash.

Sent from my Swift 2 using Tapatalk
Burger Kitchen at Towers still accepts cash thankfully. :)
 
I had seen some bad reviews of the UK Merlin parks where school kids couldn't spend their cash on drinks as almost nowhere was taking it in the park due to the pandemic.

BPB had a well sign-posted outlet to put credit onto cards to then spend. But the issue with that I guess is if the child doesn't spend it all then they are left with a card with a small amount on it so a refund machine is also needed.
Basically I think school trips are the main issue, the rest of the time cards only or a cash-to-card system should be fine.
School trips it seems like pushing them towards prepaid meal vouchers is the way to go, which is something THORPE have done to a small extent.

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I had seen some bad reviews of the UK Merlin parks where school kids couldn't spend their cash on drinks as almost nowhere was taking it in the park due to the pandemic.

BPB had a well sign-posted outlet to put credit onto cards to then spend. But the issue with that I guess is if the child doesn't spend it all then they are left with a card with a small amount on it so a refund machine is also needed.
Basically I think school trips are the main issue, the rest of the time cards only or a cash-to-card system should be fine.
Surely any cash-to-card machines would also be card-to-cash? I've been to parks that use prepaid cards instead of tokens for the rides, and the machines take the cards back and reimburse any credit left on them in cash.
 
Surely any cash-to-card machines would also be card-to-cash? I've been to parks that use prepaid cards instead of tokens for the rides, and the machines take the cards back and reimburse any credit left on them in cash.

I don't know, but when I worked somewhere where the canteen took prepaid cards only, the payment machines only took note and £1 coins, but the refund machine had £1, 20p and 10p coins to refund to nearest 10p. So its possible it would be similar that only certain machines hold the smaller coin denominations.

School trips it seems like pushing them towards prepaid meal vouchers is the way to go, which is something THORPE have done to a small extent.

Although many school trips still encourage packed lunches I expect, the additional spend will be a second drink or an ice cream. Which is hard as those are mainly sold at the smaller kiosks that you really want to stop moving cash to!

Burger Kitchen at Towers still accepts cash thankfully. :)

I expect Towers Trading must do too?
 
They literally don't want our money.

Clearly good for the business, but I'm not sure it's in the consumer's interest. People are certainly more likely to lose track of how much they're spending, when it's all done by plastic.
 
They literally don't want our money.

Clearly good for the business, but I'm not sure it's in the consumer's interest. People are certainly more likely to lose track of how much they're spending, when it's all done by plastic.

I'm the opposite though, I can track it in the online banking app when spending with cards. But with cash I will wonder if I actually lost some as I think there is no way I used £30, even if I did.
 
It's interesting move. I can't say I'm 100% for it as I think the end of cash is still a way off. I get why they are doing it as there's less chance of theft and such like.
 
For me the big issue will be going to foreign parks and getting stung for transaction and currency conversion charges on every purchase you make.
Some truth in that, but there are products that help with this and they're becoming more common as people's desire to take vast amounts of cash dwindles.

Plus, as per the article, you can take cash, you just need to swap it out for electronic dosh on arrival.

When traveling abroad in a group, it always amazes me how much people get stung changing Sterling for foreign currency, to avoid a smaller fee on their card.
 
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