Published on the 14/04/2011 | Written by Newsdesk

Fans hoping to use their EFTPOS cards at the upcoming Rugby World Cup are headed for disappointment – none will be available…

It’s been announced that fans will only be able to make purchases at World Cup games by cash or via a special new Mastercard ‘tap and go’ card (ATMs will be available at the venues).

Rugby World Cup spokesman Mike Jaspers told Radio New Zealand that the scenario is, in fact, an improvement on the current situation.

“Eftpos is currently not available at stadia around the country,” he said.

“We’ve looked at it. Our commitment is really to make sure we provide the best possible service to fans and that means the quickest possible service and to achieve that, using cash or the Mastercard tap and go cards will ensure fans will get the quick service that they expect when they are queuing for their food and drink.”

Mastercard ‘tap and go’ cards operate without a traditional PIN number. Rather, purchases under $80 can be paid for by hovering the card in front of a sensor.

The cards are to be available for anyone, including non-Mastercard holders, for between $5 and $10, and can be preloaded with up to $1000 (once the credit is spent a new card must be purchased).

In spite of mixed media reaction, MasterCard’s New Zealand Country Manager Albert Naffah is confident that New Zealand customers will warm to the PayPass concept.

“Today, there are more than 88 million PayPass cards in wallets around the world and they can be used at more than 276,000 merchant locations” said Mr Naffah.

“We know that customers want PayPass”.

The announcement coincides with Mastercard’s announcement that launch of the ‘MasterCard Roadmap’, a five year plan to “grow and reinforce the integrity” of the payments system in New Zealand.