Boston Red Sox Go Cashless

Your cash is no good at Fenway Park.

Baseball fans who attend the home opener at the iconic ballpark as the Boston Red Sox take on the Minnesota Twins Friday (April 15) better have a credit or debit card  or a smartphone in their pocket.

For the first time in its 110-year history, the team will not accept cash for food, drink and souvenirs, the team announced.

The Sox made the decision, the team said, for convenience and to speed service. Concessions stands throughout the ballpark will only accept credit cards or touchless payment with smartphones.

Even hawkers selling Cracker Jack, hotdogs, ice cream and cotton candy in the stands will have cashless point-of-sale devices so fans can simply tap their mobile devices or swipe their credit cards to purchase items from their seats.

Cashless proponents say it reduces time fans spend in line and at the register, limit fans’ potential health exposure and improve the overall fan experience.

The Tampa Bay Rays became the first major U.S. sports team to go cashless at home games in 2019.

The Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Miami Marlins and the Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Cleveland Indians, were the only teams last year to allow cash.

Today, nearly all Major League Baseball teams are cashless. The Guardians do not ban cash, but strongly recommend credit, debit, gift cards or Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Sox fans with cash can go to the Gate E, Home Plate or the Kids concourses to load their dollars onto a Mastercard debit card using a Cash-2-Card exchange kiosk.

In related news, the South China Morning Post reported China has taken further steps toward a cashless economy.

Read more: China Nears Fully Cashless Economy

Beijing-based Zhongguancun Bank will soon end cash services, including over-the-counter deposits and withdrawals and cash services on ATM machines, while NewUp Bank of Liaoning will end its cash services, a report said.