Innovative contactless payment solutions at Budai Gourmet and other events

The official currency of Sziget's summer festivals is the so-called Festivalcard, starting from this year. You will get a glimpse of the system supporting cashless payment solutions with a contactless card at Budai Gourmet for the first time – in order to be able to introduce the novelty smoothly and make payments faster and safer, there will be several point of sales, helpdesks, and dozens of experts and hostesses are going to help you.

Why is Festivalcard useful?

– By issuing secure contactless payment devices, visitors get a safer and more convenient payment mechanism, so they do not have to worry about carrying their purse with them all the time. This way, it is also less likely that someone would lose all their cash.
– Should you lose your card (following a simple card-registration), you can immediately ban your card, and transfer the amount of money left on the card to a brand new card. You will not have any problems with too many coins or torn banknotes anymore.
– Smoother service: all you have to do is touch the card-reader terminal when paying. Each payment takes 2-4 seconds only.

FAQ

What is the card for?

Festivalcard is the official, cashless currency of Sziget Cultural Management Ltd. for the summer-festival season. You can use your Festivalcard at Budai Gourmet, VOLT, Heineken Balaton Sound and Sziget Festival.

What can I buy using the Festivalcard?
Since traders, pubs and restaurants do only accept the Festivalcard as a means of payment in 2011, practically you can purchase every product sold by merchants at Sziget.

Can I use the card everywhere?

You can use the card at Budai Gourmet, VOLT, Heineken Balaton Sound and Sziget Festivals. One Festivalcard is valid for all four festivals, however your balance cannot be transferred from one festival to the other. So if you have used your card at Budai Gourmet, and have some money left on it, you are not able to spend it at VOLT Festival – you can, however, recharge your card to use it again.

Where can I purchase a card?
Every visitor gets their card with their wristband, with a balance of zero Forints – so you do not have to pay for your first card. The card is activated after registration or after having recharged it for the first time

Do I need to register the card? If yes, where and how do I register?
You may use your card for payment without registration, however we would strongly encourage you to register your card as only registered cards can be banned, and you can only transfer your balance to another card if your card is registered.

You may register your card in SMS at +36 20 66-99-777, by sending the word REG, the cardnumber and a PIN-code consisting of four numbers chosen by you (e.g.: REG 123456789 1234) or in an online form at www.metapay.hu.

How long is the card valid?

The card can only be used for payment at the given event, throughout the duration of the event, in commercial units provided by Sziget Cultural Management Ltd.

Is this the only way I can pay at the festivals?

Yes, Festivalcard is the only valid currency at Budai Gourmet, VOLT, Heineken Balaton Sound and Sziget festivals. Merchants are not going to accept cash. The last point where you can still pay in cash the ticket sales points.

How does the Festivalcard work?
The balance of the Festivalcard can be recharged with a sum of your choice, but the maximum amount is 240 000 HUF. You may recharge your card as many times as you wish. When recharging your card, you may use cash or bank/creditcard.
All you need to do is tap the card against the cardreader terminal. Each payment takes 2-4 seconds only.
You may check your balance before every payment at the cardredader terminal of each merchant, so you can always make sure you have enough money on you to pay for the item of your choice.
If you would like to give a tip, let the merchant know in advance, before the payment.

What happens to lost or stolen cards? Can I ban my card? Am I the only one who can use it?

You can only ban registered cards, and your balance can only be transferred from one card to another if it is registered.

Lost or stolen cards can only be banned if they have been registered previously.
Cards can be banned in the following ways:
– send the word STOP and your PIN-code of four numbers in an SMS to the the following phone number: +36 20 66-99-777-es (e.g.: STOP 1234)
– or go to the site www.metapay.hu to ban your card.
Each newly requested Festivalcard costs 500 HUF.

You can request a new Festivalcard at the Recharging Points, after having banned your lost or stolen card. The balance of the banned card (in the moment of having banned it) will be transferred to your new card 30 minutes after the ban.

Are they going to ask for a PIN-code when I pay? What happens if I forget the code or if I can't remember it: is my card going to be banned then?

No, the unique PIN-code you gave throughout the registration process will only be asked for if you would like to ban your card. When paying, all you have to do is check if the number on the screen of the cardreader-terminal is correct, and then tap your card.

What happens to the money left on the card when the festival is over, how do I process a refund?

Throughout the duration of the festival, you may process a refund and get your cash back anytime. You can get your money back until the last day of the given festival. You cannot use the balance on your card at the next festival, however your card itself remains valid and rechargable.

Whom should I turn to if there is a problem with my card?

At the Festivalcard Recharging Points, hostesses and customer service employees are waiting to help you 24 hours a day.

How and where can I recharge the card?

The balance of the Festivalcard can be recharged with a sum of your choice any time. Each festival has a number of Festivalcard Recharging Points where you can always recharge the card.

So I should give a tip seperately, if I want to?

You can give a tip using your Festivalcard just as if you were paying in cash or by bankcard.

Where and how long do I process a cash-refund if I forget about it during the festival?

The balance of the Festivalcard can only be refunded until the last day of the given festival. We are not able to refund the balance you leave on the card later.

Is there a minimum or a maximum sum of money I can have on my card?

The balance of the card can always be recharged with a sum of your choice at any Recharging Points, but the maximum amount is 240 000 HUF. When recharging your card, you may use cash or bank/creditcard.

Can I receive a receipt of my purchase?

Of course you can, merchants are still required to give a VAT-invoice if requested by the customer, and they have to give a receipt after each purchase.

Can I have more than one Festivalcards?

Yes, you can have more festivalcards, but after you received your first – free of charge – Festivalcard, you must pay 500 HUF for each additional Festivalcard.

Is my Festivalcard going to be compatible with my Budapest Card (card issued by Sziget)? Am I going to be able to pay with it in the city, too?

No, Festivalcards are not compatible with Budapest Cards. Festivalcards can only be used at Budai Gourmet, VOLT, Heineken Balaton Sound and Sziget festivals.