Club to go to cashless payments

[chipmunx]

Will the ticket office accept cash as suggested by some posts on here?

If you read the article it clearly says no;-

"Match tickets can still be purchased on the day, but this must be done from either the Club Shop or the Ticket Office positioned in the outdoor Fan Zone area. Cash will not be accepted, and no tickets will be available to purchase on turnstiles."

[Bluebirds Trust]

We are actively talking to the other owners about their decision of this and understand the position of the fans. We have reiterated our feelings on this with the evidence of the reception it has had from the fan base. We strongly disagree with the scope and speed of the change.

The earlier post was made for people who may wish to sign up for a Fairfx card and that there is a way that it can be beneficial for the Trust at the same time. A misguided attempt to make a small positive from this for which we apologise.

[tictactoe]

Hope the new staff in the catering side/fanzone are going to be well trained. The barrow eats machine going off all the time whilst also trying to deal with the orders getting them ready for collection, tidying up and sanitising to prevent covid as they go etc etc, if not all I can think is carnage. Barrow eats ordering also isn’t the most reliable system. They couldn’t get the fanzine sorted for the euros so a lot of work is going to be needed to get them up to speed for match days

[Stephen Leonard]

You don’t have to use the FairFX thing, plenty of alternatives out there.

Dave

I appreciate you dont need to use FairFX but that is the choice promoted bythe club as a solution for 'youngsters' but I dont think it is a very good one and probably highlights their lack of thought on this matter.

[chipmunx]

The going cashless is probably the right decision in the long term - but the speed of implementing it is too quick. Maybe the club could start with card only in the Club shop and crossbar - with cash still payable in the fanzone (including ticket office) with that going cashless for next season giving people plenty of time to get used to and get ready for it.

[Stephen Leonard]

We are actively talking to the other owners about their decision of this and understand the position of the fans. We have reiterated our feelings on this with the evidence of the reception it has had from the fan base. We strongly disagree with the scope and speed of the change.

The earlier post was made for people who may wish to sign up for a Fairfx card and that there is a way that it can be beneficial for the Trust at the same time. A misguided attempt to make a small positive from this for which we apologise.

Should that discussion with the other owners not have happened before the decision was made - as the Trust are of course 'owners' - it implies that the Trust was not consulted by the CEO or other owners (which I am sure isn't the case as there is a trust director on the board and he would have been involved in approving the decision and giving the views at that time - as I believe the reactions could have been easily anticipated)

Seems like the Trust and SLO have been dropped in it by others on this matter!

[MisterPleasant]

Was this announced today to distract fans from the fact there isn't an away friendly at Spennymoor and the cobbed reasoning for that? It's worked.

[sambino]

Have no issue with getting a ticket upfront myself but do know people are still cash only for their tickets I also only use cash for my half time refreshments so won’t bother if it’s card only and bring my own

[Lancaster Branch]

You don’t have to use the FairFX thing, plenty of alternatives out there.

Dave

I appreciate you dont need to use FairFX but that is the choice promoted bythe club as a solution for 'youngsters' but I dont think it is a very good one and probably highlights their lack of thought on this matter.

Oh indeed.

[Stephen Leonard]

If anyone is signing up for a Fair FX card as mentioned in the article, PLEASE, use the Trust's Easyfundraising page BEFORE you go to the page.

We can earn £3.50 from every sign up IF you go through our page first

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/caus ... irdstrust/

Would it be sensible to ask the club to amend its web post to highlight this so that if people are forced to go down this route at least the Trust benefits in some small way

Obviously the better option would be a total rethink and delay to the implementation of this idea

[Cubbins Paratrooper]

Some very good points made on here, thus far.

I see many good reasons why this should happen.

At the same time, I see very few reasons why bulldozing it through in this way is a good idea.

This is a major change, not a re-design of an away kit and cuts deep into the social fabric. The announcement, executed in such a high-handed, clumsy, ill-conceived manner displays poor judgement and quite frankly, a lack of sensitivity towards the club's supporters. We all know this is the direction in which the world is heading, we have all seen it coming and whatever the reasons, good or bad, it is gradually becoming the norm, like it or not.

However, this sledgehammer policy contradicts any (imagined) policy of inclusion. By all means, introduce it, albeit in a gradual, tiered manner thus allowing the supporter base to get used to it and adjust accordingly. The FairFX cards are a useful tool though as has been pointed out by the club, fifty quid needs to be loaded on first. I am no social warrior (as anybody who knows me will testify) though I find it utterly jaw-dropping to assume that this is a reasonable demand to put upon parents/guardians for the benefit of letting their child go the 'soccer' on a Saturday afternoon. We need to be encouraging people to attend, not closing off avenues and barricading them.

[kenny lowe fan club]

The CEO statement “A move to cashless has been an objective of our owners for as long as I’ve been involved with the Club. Over the course of the last 18 months, the world has moved at an even greater pace towards being cashless, and we want to make sure we keep up with that progress"

I find this a litlle patronising. I can use cash almost anywhere. Some business tried this during the 1st lockdown and soon had to backtrack when regular customers were having difficulties buying food! Thank goodness our board dont run a food shop.

In the modern age we should be having more ways to pay not less. I dont buy the hygene angle. If you buy anything over £40 pound you have to use kepads ect anyway an who knows how many fingers go on these. This is a backward step, it is the wrong step and it is a bad step and the club need to rethink beacuse I can see a lot of support being lost over this.

[EABluebird]

I think some of us are over reacting to this, cashless is becoming standard across the EFL and indeed in society at large, the overwhelming majority of people have debit cards with contactless function - how hard is is really to tap a card on a card reader ? My 98 year old grandfather has a debit card and uses it so I don’t know what the fuss is all about, it might not be a persons personal preference but it’s not difficult
Even children these days have them too, They’re are many options such as Go Henry available if you look. I find it much easier just to transfer them money than hall my ass to the ATM each time they ask for a tenner - and you can track their spending better.

I suspect the club would be fully aware of the reaction of some of the fans but their’s clearly advantage to doing it this way or else they wouldn’t be doing it - and neither would the other clubs. I has come somewhat out of that blue though, perhaps it’s announcement could have been managed better.

[Steeley]

"Do you think we need the money?"

[Steeley]

I think some of us are over reacting to this, cashless is becoming standard across the EFL and indeed in society at large, the overwhelming majority of people have debit cards with contactless function - how hard is is really to tap a card on a card reader ? My 98 year old grandfather has a debit card and uses it so I don’t know what the fuss is all about, it might not be a persons personal preference but it’s not difficult
Even children these days have them too, They’re are many options such as Go Henry available if you look. I find it much easier just to transfer them money than hall my ass to the ATM each time they ask for a tenner - and you can track their spending better.

I suspect the club would be fully aware of the reaction of some of the fans but their’s clearly advantage to doing it this way or else they wouldn’t be doing it - and neither would the other clubs. I has come somewhat out of that blue though, perhaps it’s announcement could have been managed better.

Nonsense, of course there are people old and young who use cards etc but there are lots that don't. This only puts up barriers that will stop people coming.
Accept contactless everywhere yes, great, but refusing other "inconvenient" payments is ludicrous.