Payment services brand Visa has renewed its Official Payment Services Technology Partner deal with the National Football League through the 2025 season.
An NFL partner since 1995, the deal includes new benefits for Visa cardholders at NFL events and plans to collaborate on the first cashless Super Bowl in the future.
Visa is the preferred payment provider across NFL events in the US, including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL Draft and international games.
This year, it will bring contactless and cashless payment experiences to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, including 30 cashless concessionaires throughout the stadium.
Speaking to SportBusiness Sponsorship, Chris Curtin, chief brand and innovation marketing officer at Visa, said the value of the NFL partnership lies in its ability to enhance fan experience.
“One thing that is attractive to us about the NFL is that it’s on literally every Sunday, so there’s a kind of weekly drumbeat.
“Also, a number of stadium operators are in competition with one another to build the best fan experience and to leave an imprint on the fans so that they’re getting the absolute best in stadium experiences – so it’s an opportunity for us to work with them on what that means.”
Curtin said the NFL deal has evolved from a sponsorship deal into more of a partnership – and one which is becoming increasingly endemic to the NFL and to Visa’s other major sports event partners.
“They are great opportunities for us to be able to show what we think is the best in payments in a controlled environment,“ said Curtin.
“So, you’ll see a lot of payment innovations come to life through these partnerships. It’s a great way for us to show clients why we are so bullish on the future of payments.”
At Super Bowl LIII, Visa will increase its presence at multiple NFL Shops leading up to and during the game, including at the stadium, NFL Shop kiosks and two NFL Shops at the Super Bowl Experience in the Georgia World Congress Center.
The activation will include once-in-a-lifetime experiences, featuring some of Visa’s NFL season commercial campaign stars.
The stars will surprise shoppers and feature as contactless payments pros to help customers at the register.