About Time: You Went Contactless for the Festival SeasonBy Gemma Perlin

“Do you take card?” The constant refrain of millennials; we expect it at high street chains, but would feel foolish asking at a festival. No longer, people. Times are a-changing in the festival world. Gone are the days of having no cash, feeling hungry and hiding cash down your bra-strap. Now it’s all gone contactless, cheers Visa! We remember the days of Reading Festival at the wee age of 16, paranoid about losing our money in a Red Hot Chilli Peppers mosh pit, and hiding fivers all over our tent to make sure our cash didn’t all fall into the hands of campsite thieves.

This summer, we went to Boardmasters, the Cornish Surf and Music Festival set along the picturesque Fistral beach and Watergate Bay in Newquay. Visa teamed up with its partner Square to make the festival as contactless as possible, with up to 100 per cent contactless acceptance at the event from 9th to 13th August.

You literally just needed your contactless card or payment-enabled mobile device and you were able to pay. Job done.

Last year, only 5% of transactions at Boardmasters were made by card and most of these were for ATM cash withdrawals. But this year things were on the up, with even smaller food and craft stalls getting involved. From indulging ourselves in the on-site Eco Spa hot tub, to tucking into fresh kale salad and even tackling the waves with a surf lesson, contactless is finally revolutionising the festival experience.