Not all credit cards can be used in the same way during the Paris Olympic Games.
The 2024 Paris Olympics begin on July 26 with the opening ceremony. The events will begin a few days earlier, on July 24, with rugby 7s and the potential presence of Antoine Dupont, captain of the French XV, or the football events with, we hope, the most competitive team possible for coach Thierry Henry.
During the Olympic Games, millions of tourists will be present in France and in the streets of the capital to follow all the events that will take place until August 11 and the closing ceremony. It should also be noted that tourists will also be numerous for the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.
Who says tourists and fans, also says financial profitability for the Paris 2024 Olympic Committee, which is counting on all ticket and merchandise sales around the events to be able to meet the planned budget. With the two official stores, the objective is to reach 130 million euros in revenue, or 3% of the total funding of the event. These official stores are aimed at Games enthusiasts, but also, more appropriately, at people passing through who are discovering Les Halles or the Louvre.“, explained Édouard Bardon, director of licenses and official stores for Paris 2024.
But during the Olympics, tourists and even the French may be surprised to see some payments blocked. Indeed, as a partner of the Olympic Games, Visa will be the only dematerialized means of payment accepted in official points of sale for drinks, food and souvenirs. Otherwise, it will be necessary to use cash, or buy a prepaid card.
To manage transactions during the competition, the company will deploy 4,500 payment terminals. Spectators who have a Mastercard bank card, for example, will therefore not be able to use them, but for those who will cry scandal, know that this is not new: this rule has been in force since the 1986 Olympics. An exemption was granted during the Beijing Winter Games in 2022, where transactions in digital yuan were also accepted.
Concretely, how will payments be made for people who have not anticipated? Questioned by L’Equipe, Charlotte Hogg, director of Visa Europe, explained.You will be able to get a Visa card for free and load it at each venue. We will also make it possible to buy a prepaid digital card directly on your phone, via an application launched for the occasion. Once you have your card, you will be able to pay physically with your phone or use it for e-commerce as with any card. All these services will be the same for the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.” Good news, These cards can even be used outside of competition sites or for e-commerce.