Earlier, we posted a poll gauging fan approval of the Syracuse Mets’ plan to go cashless for the 2023 season.
(SYRACUSE, N.Y.) – Fans attending Syracuse Mets games can no longer pay with cash. Starting with the Mets’ season opener on April fourth, all payments made at NBT Bank Stadium must be cashless.
This change is designed to make the payment process quicker and safer. This comes during a time when more people have access to Apple Pay and other mobile payment options.
Those who only carry cash will not need to worry, though. To accommodate the switch to cashless payments, NBT Bank Stadium will contain reverse ATMs, which transfer cash into digital payment. If you have five dollars, for instance, you could deposit the money into the reverse ATM and receive a disposable debit card that you can use anywhere.
As part of the change, the Mets are committed to hosting more local food options. One of these options is Recess Coffee, which will sell coffee, cold brew, and even espresso martinis. There will also be a vegetarian food option, called Taste NY.
On top of these options, the Mets are working with the Whiskey Barrel Saloon to build a new beer garden.
On March eighth, NCC News published a poll asking fans if they support the Mets’ move away from cash payment. The results were mixed, with 46% of voters supporting the move and 54% of voters opposing the move.
This cashless move comes just three months after Syracuse University decided to make event parking cashless. This move, still in effect, provides fans the opportunity to pay with debit, credit, or Apple Pay. This move accompanied a switch to cashless payment inside the JMA Wireless Dome, which took effect in the fall of 2021.
The Mets hope the move to cashless pay coincides with superior performance on the diamond. Syracuse has not won a division championship, or made the playoffs, for that matter, since 2014. That year, the Mets fell to the Pawtucket PawSox 3-0 in the semifinals. Syracuse finished 64-85 last season – good for a 9th-place finish.