For the first time, Stellenbosch University's Woordfees, which is to be held from 6 to 15 March this year, will be a cashless one. But what exactly does this mean?
"Instead of cash, pay cards – a little like loyalty cards − will be in use," explains Ludwich Marx of the service provider Plankton.
According to Saartjie Botha, Woordfees Director, the pay cards will contribute to a safer festival because less cash will be bandied about at the various venues.
"It's also a good tool to help you stick to your festival budget! And, behind the scenes, it's a good tool to help us determine what it is that festival-goers need and so help us when we start planning for the next Woordfees in 2016."
According to Marx, transaction time is much shorter than that of debit or credit cards because the value of the pay cards is literally on the cards themselves, which cuts out external institutions; all transactions take place at the accredited and certified bank terminals.
"Each sales point will have a built-in stock control system. This will eliminate theft and leave festival partners 100% risk-free because no cash will be involved," says Marx.
Plankton has been involved in the Easter Rugby Festival at the private schools St Johns' and King Edward in Johannesburg for the past four years; in the Cape, it provided the FNB Whiskey Live Festival with a cashless system last year.
Botha says that the cards will be able to be used for anything that will be for sale on the festival premises: tickets, food, wine, coffee, books, art, the shuttle service.
The Woordfees will be partially subsidising the pay cards but they will come at a price for the festival-goer – all of R10 − to make sure that "the festival-goer looks after them".
"There'll also be a free shuttle service ride and free drink built into the pay card, so – actually − it'll cost you nothing!" says Botha.
"Credit" on a pay card will not, unfortunately, be able to be transferred to a next year. Festival-goers will therefore have to make sure to "empty" their cards – either that or they will have up to a month after the festival to have their credit refunded.
"You'll be able to SMS the number on your pay card to 43553. You then get sent a special code and you can use the e-Wallet service at any FNB branch or ATM to get your credit back," says Marx.
The pay cards will be for sale from 3 to 5 March at the FNB branch in Stellenbosch and, during the festival, at De Vette Mossel, Erfurthuis, the Plataan Café and the Van der Stel sports grounds. They will be able to be reloaded at any of the festival venues.
If you lose your pay card – you will, unfortunately, have to make peace with your loss.
