CaribPR Wire, HAMILTON, Bermuda, Thurs. Oct. 28, 2021: Moving toward a world beyond cash, Mastercard is partnering with Butterfield to bring its cardholders a fully contactless payment experience at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, an official PGA TOUR event that will be held at the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, October 25 to 31.
In addition to contactless acceptance at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Butterfield Mastercard cardholders will enjoy exclusive opportunities, which will make their experience and attendance to the event a priceless one. With this partnership, Mastercard demonstrates its continued commitment to provide consumers with Priceless experiences that bring fans closer to the action and to see the world’s best golfers compete. “Alongside our partners at Butterfield, we’re committed to celebrating and supporting the shared passions of our communities and are thrilled to provide the resources needed to help Bermuda continue to thrive in an increasingly contactless world,” said Marcelo Tangioni, president of Mastercard’s Caribbean Division.
Technology has taken a front seat in our world due to the unexpected arrival of COVID-19. In this new world, Bermuda is leading the way as one of the world’s first countries that has eliminated the use of paper notes, choosing to go totally contactless. In 2018, Bermuda began the process of adding the “tap-and-go” technology, to enhance card security and give customers a quicker checkout process. Card usage is high in general in the Caribbean region, especially in Barbados and Puerto Rico; while mobile payments were already gaining traction in 2020 and now have increased widely in markets such as the Bahamas, according to data provided by Finextra.
As a result of the challenges presented by COVID-19, consumers are adopting new payment habits at an accelerated pace, according to the Mastercard New Payment Index conducted in 18 countries, including several markets in Latin America and the Caribbean region. The study shows nearly 90% of in-person transactions globally take place at a contactless-enabled merchant, and nearly all merchant categories saw an increase in contactless transactions as a share of total in-person transactions year-over-year in the first quarter of 2021.
Using contactless payment methods while at sports events, such as golf, is especially convenient, as it reduces the inconvenience of carrying cash, including having to purchase local currency (if applicable), carrying large amounts of cash, or running out of cash in a restaurant, golf facility or other. Places such as Bermuda that have adopted this method early – the first country to formally adopt a non-paper money economy will be Sweden in 2023—are positioned to attract technology-oriented, savvy, and affluent tourists to enjoy their sports events.
For more information about the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, please visit www.bermudachampionship.com. For more information about Mastercard and its technology-driven solutions for customers who are seeking priceless experience, please visit www.mastercard.com.
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About Mastercard (NYSE:MA)
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.
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About Butterfield Bermuda Championship
The Butterfield Bermuda Championship is an annual stop on the PGA TOUR. To date, the tournament has raised over $400,000 for local charities. This is the first PGA TOUR event ever held in Bermuda, highlighted by a field that includes a minimum of four Bermudians who qualify to compete via a Local Qualifying event. Scheduled for October 28 to 31 at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, the 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship will feature a field of 132 players, 72 holes of stroke play and a purse of US $6.5 million. This official FedEx Cup event will showcase Bermuda to the world with 14 hours of live Golf Channel broadcast. For more information, visit bermudachampionship.com and connect with the tournament on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
