A partnership between MasterCard, Worldpay and the RFU means the payment technology is available at Twickenham throughout the stadium in time for this year’s RBS Six Nations tournament and ahead of Rugby World Cup later this year

London, UK – February 14, 2015 – MasterCard is bringing contactless acceptance to all bars and concession stands at several stadia ahead of Rugby World Cup 2015. Through a partnership with Worldpay and the Rugby Football Union, Twickenham is now ready to accept contactless at all payment points in time for the RBS Six-Nations tournament that started this month and Rugby World Cup in September and October.

On match days Twickenham serves thousands of supporters purchasing food, drink and merchandise. The contactless terminals supplied by Worldpay will enable fans to make payments using debit and credit cards and a variety of near-field-communication (NFC) enabled devices, such as smartphones, by simply tapping them over the terminal.

Twickenham now has 450 contactless payment terminals fitted around the ground which will speed up payments for fans at the 82,500 capacity ground.

Sophie Goldschmidt, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at the RFU said: “We want to offer fans the most enjoyable experience at Twickenham Stadium and are committed to enhancing services on match day and incorporating new technologies. Enabling supporters to pay with contactless is a simple and effective way for us to reduce queuing at peak moments.”

On MasterCard introducing contactless technology at Twickenham, Mark Barnett, President of MasterCard UK & Ireland said: “Speeding up the payment process is particularly well suited to big sports stadiums like Twickenham. On busy match days, fans more than ever wish to be served quickly, but also securely, so they don’t miss any of the action. As we get closer to the start of Rugby World Cup 2015 we will be bringing contactless payment technology to several other participating grounds.”

James Frost, Chief Marketing and Product Officer, Worldpay UK commented: “For those who never want to miss a sale during peak times, contactless is vital for keeping customers happy and serving them quickly. It’s clear the technology is becoming a must-have in hospitality, food, entertainment and retail sectors. In December 2014, Worldpay processed over 20m contactless payments across the UK, our biggest month to date”.

Ends

For further information please contact:

MasterCard:

James_Thorpe@mastercard.com 07807 378 265

Kedesh_Mather@mastercard.com  07753 300375

Worldpay:

pr@worldpay.com +44 (0)207 067 0128

About MasterCard

MasterCard is the Preferred Card and Official Payment System of Rugby World Cup 2015.

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com,is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news.

About Rugby World Cup: Rugby World Cup is the financial engine behind unprecedented investment and growth in Rugby worldwide. The net Rugby World Cup surplus from the commercial success of France 2007 and New Zealand 2011 has enabled World Rugby to invest more than £150 million in the Game between 2009 and 2012 and commit an anticipated injection of more than £180 million between 2013 and 2016 to underwrite a large range of major funding initiatives including annual national Union grants and strategic investments focusing on growing participation and increasing competition across all 121 national Member Unions affiliated to World Rugby.

About the RFU

The Rugby Football Union is the National Governing Body for rugby union in England and supports participants and fans from the grassroots to the national team.

For more information visit www.englandrugby.com

You can keep up to date with all RFU news on @EnglandRugby