Team members were officially told today starting in May BGW will be 100% cashless. Reverse ATM will be available for use if needed.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Goes Cashless
- Thread starter horsesboy
- Start date
I don't know the exact date, but I do know it is planned to happen soon.
I HIGHLY discourage anyone from locking their money on a random company's Visa card. It's just a worse, sketchier, messier check card from an often shitty bank with whom you are likely to have little recourse if something goes wrong.
I know some people hate it and I know it has its downsides, but adopt plastic from your bank. It's safer, easier, and far more dependable. Use Apple Pay or Google Wallet of you need to track your transactions/spend live.
I know some people hate it and I know it has its downsides, but adopt plastic from your bank. It's safer, easier, and far more dependable. Use Apple Pay or Google Wallet of you need to track your transactions/spend live.
That's just not at all what the sign says though...?
The sign says that, if you want to use cash, you can use a kiosk and, if you want to find a kiosk, use the app. There's nothing on the sign talking about what someone should do if they don't use card payments and don't have a smartphone.
The vast, vast, VAST majority of independent park guests in 2023 have an internet-capable smartphone. Even amongst the small subset of guests who are only willing to use cash, the OVERWHELMING majority of those guests will almost certainly still have a smartphone with which they can access the park's app.
I don't think the park needs to cater in-park signage for the like 1% of independent park guests who use exclusively cash AND don't have a smartphone. The park is probably perfectly fine with all of those folks ending up at guest services or foregoing their business all together.
I just think taking issue with a simple, clear sign disclosing a new park policy because it doesn't also cover one extremely fringe case is sorta nitpicky.
The vast, vast, VAST majority of independent park guests in 2023 have an internet-capable smartphone. Even amongst the small subset of guests who are only willing to use cash, the OVERWHELMING majority of those guests will almost certainly still have a smartphone with which they can access the park's app.
I don't think the park needs to cater in-park signage for the like 1% of independent park guests who use exclusively cash AND don't have a smartphone. The park is probably perfectly fine with all of those folks ending up at guest services or foregoing their business all together.
I just think taking issue with a simple, clear sign disclosing a new park policy because it doesn't also cover one extremely fringe case is sorta nitpicky.
I didn't expect this to spin up an argument. I was just pointing out the irony in the specific case of someone who carries nothing but cash is told to download an app .. that's not very helpful to that person.
As for me, I never carry any cash anywhere. So cashless works much better for me.
I guess I'm that 1%. I have never used a credit card or smartphone app anywhere, anytime. Maybe once you have your card number stolen you will be a little more cautious with how and when you pull out that piece of plastic. I guess one thing I get out of this is another "cash grab" by BGW. I guess the 5% surcharge didn't line their pockets enough. I can guarantee you there will be a surcharge attached to converting cash to what basically amounts to a gift card. You know how they attach a surcharge to a gift card? It doesn't pertain to me but I envision a family with teenage children. Do they have credit cards to use? I doubt it. My niece lost a smartphone on a rollercoaster so she stopped carrying it with her when she went to BGW. I'm just saying, I don't think BGW (or Seas) management thought this through. There are just too may what ifs that don't seem to be answered. What about the busloads of school kids that come through in the spring? Are they going to generate gift cards for each of them? Can you imagine the surcharge collected by BGW on a busload of kids?
Maybe if some people stopped thinking about themselves and looked at the whole, big picture they may think differently.
Maybe if some people stopped thinking about themselves and looked at the whole, big picture they may think differently.
I fail to see how this is a ‘cash grab’. Maybe because it’s the ATM thing but I look at the customer service part. They can do a massive park wide POS upgrade by going cashless, they speed up lines with cards over cash, the small stands become less suspect to petty theft, and it’s harder to steal from them as an employee.
As for that part of the thing with teens? There’s so many options out there. Chime and Green (? I think) both offer kid/teen friendly banking accounts with a card that the parent can set daily/transaction spending limits. You can buy these same gift cards before even going to the park at gas stations/grocery stores/Target/Walmart anymore. Heck - and this is what I would do as a parent - buy the single day/season long meal pass and drink pass for your kid ahead of time and don’t give them any spending money.
I honestly do not see this big picture thing any differently.
If it's similar to Kings Dominion.... converting cash to card will be free. And yes a bus load of teenagers would have to go to the machine. This policy has been in effect at KD for a while now and I see people using the gift card machines all the time. But again, as long as BGW keeps it free like KD. No surcharge to the guest.
You mentioned there are too many what if's. Well what if I lost my wallet full of cash. There is a higher chance I will never see that cash again. If I lose my wallet with my credit cards. I can call my bank and turn off the card. Or some banks have it within an app to turn the card off. Obviously there is the what if I lose my phone and wallet. But hopefully I'm in a group and can borrow a phone to call my bank. Worst comes to worse, you can most likely file a claim for unauthorized/fraudulent transactions and get your money back if you can't shut it down in time. Cash is gone.
There are arguments on both sides. I see that card side having many more benefits, especially being able to file for lost funds or shutting down the card in the event it was stolen.
And with all the busses there yesterday (school bands), that kiosk line was looong.
Cash as a concept is dying. Using cash over a credit card is just voluntarily turning down financial perks and long term credit benefits. Just get a credit card. The likelihood your number and everything gets stolen is small. If you are super worried about it, pair a virtual card to your phone and you are masking the card. If you are super worried about it and don't want to use a phone, too bad. The world moves forward and improves, welcome to society.
I'm not sure how much less painless they could make this. Fundamentally cash is a loss of income for them. The kiosk thing to me is even generous. I'd just tell people to go to Walmart and buy a gift card if they really are so vehemently against using a bank and a card. Or even their smartphone to pay. God forbid you can't use your 1970s green toilet paper to buy a $10 beer at the park you obviously didn't use cash to buy a pass from.
I'm not sure how much less painless they could make this. Fundamentally cash is a loss of income for them. The kiosk thing to me is even generous. I'd just tell people to go to Walmart and buy a gift card if they really are so vehemently against using a bank and a card. Or even their smartphone to pay. God forbid you can't use your 1970s green toilet paper to buy a $10 beer at the park you obviously didn't use cash to buy a pass from.
The kiosks will likely be placed in front of places such as restaurants and gift shops to make them easy to find without directions. They might also mark the locations of the kiosks on park maps like how ATM locations are marked on the map.