Athletes and fans of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 will be able to pay for food, souvenirs, and other goods and services without having to reach for their wallet. Instead, contactless payment-enabled gloves, stickers and commemorative pins will be available for purchase in South Korea before and during The Games.
Visa teamed up with the financial arm of South Korean retailer Lotte to manufacture the innovative wearables and make it possible to tap to pay at more than 1,000 contactless-enabled terminals throughout all Olympic Winter Games venues. As the official payment services sponsor of the Olympic Winter Games, Visa will also be implementing and managing the payment system infrastructure and payment network at the event.
Fans can choose from four custom-designed lapel pins, inspired by the long-standing tradition of collecting and trading Olympic pins. With average February temperatures in South Korea dipping below 4.8°C, gloves that come with payment functionality are in for the win. These sporty wearables feature a duel interface chip that house a (barely noticeable) contactless antenna so you can pay without ever having to remove your glove. Finally, thin and flexible payment-enabled stickers adhere to almost anything (hats, bags, jackets…). The sticker comes in eight designs including one of Soohorang, the official PyeongChang 2018 white tiger mascot.
Team Visa athlete Mikaela Shiffrin, USA Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing, is already a fan. “It is important to me, as a Winter Olympian, to work with a brand like Visa that not only supports a diverse group of athletes, but also enables an enhanced fan experience for those at The Games. Olympic pins are always the most coveted collectibles, these Visa pins really up the ante.”
The stickers and pins will be available November 9 in South Korea from official Olympic Winter Games stores, in Lotte department stores, Lotte Card’s customer centers and the Lotte Card website. All three wearables will be available for purchase at Olympic Winter Games Superstores and onsite Visa vending machines during the event.