Gateway UK Integrates Contactless Payment at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

London, UK (September 8, 2015) – Gateway Ticketing Systems UK (Gateway) has announced its ability to perform integrated card transactions using contactless payments including Apple Pay. The on-site implementation is set to reduce queuing times and improve the customer experience at a number of Gateway’s Iconic Customers including The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Houses of Parliament and The V&A Museum.

Gateway was able to add this latest service to an existing platform of ticketing and CRM solutions following successful implementation at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (Kew). The reduced time needed to process contactless payments is a big factor in reducing wait times and increasing service levels.

During the trial with Kew the contactless limit was set as £20 and Kew processed 8% of card transactions using contactless technology. This resulted in reducing transaction times at their tills by 1 working day per month. When the contactless payment limit is increased to £30, it is expected this percentage will increase to around 20% of all none cash transactions saving around 3 days per month of queue time. Contactless can also save money for businesses, as the transaction fees are usually lower than traditional chip and pin payments.

Contactless payments have taken off since their introduction in 2012 and are becoming increasingly popular with customers and businesses alike. With 58 million contactless cards in circulation in the UK there is a substantial market for the tourism industry to tap into.

Implementing contactless payments was a smooth process with benefits to venue and visitor alike, according to Lisa Woodward, Head of Operations at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: “We were very happy to see how easy it was to upgrade to contactless, and we are delighted to give our customers greater flexibility with their payments. This in turn has helped reduce transaction time, and so everyone wins!”

Gateway’s newest delivery reflects the expectations of the modern visitor; and the recent announcement of an increased payment limit of £30 means the service is now relevant to even more visitor attractions. Gateway is keen to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to providing effective ticketing systems for the museum and heritage sector by facilitating this service. The new technology is set to go live for all Gateway customers in time for the contactless increase in 2015.

Says Andy Povey, Operations Director at Gateway Ticketing Systems UK: “We’re excited to have been chosen to introduce the first contactless payment system to these iconic attractions. We are confident the positive effects of this added capability will benefit both revenue generation, and customer experience.”