APS Athletics Moving to Cashless Ticket Sales
Change expected to cut down on lines, make things safer for employees.
When Valley High takes on Bernalillo at Milne Stadium next week, it won’t be business as usual – at least not for spectators.
The Albuquerque Public Schools Athletics Department is moving to cashless ticket sales. Spectators will now have to purchase tickets on their smartphones or other devices through the HomeTown Ticketing platform to get into a football game or other APS-hosted athletics events.
APS will continue to charge $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors, but HomeTown Ticketing will add a $1 per-ticket fee in addition to a credit card processing fee. Students and seniors will pay $4 per ticket, with adults paying $6, in addition to credit card fees.
“We understand it’s going to be a transition,” said Adrian Ortega, the district’s senior director of athletics & activities. Among the benefits, he said, is that spectators who have already purchased their tickets won’t have to wait in long lines.
Prior to this year, all ticket sales were cash only. APS only charges for admission to high school athletics events.
HomeTown Ticketing accepts Google Pay and Apple Pay. Athletics officials say that’s significant because most students don’t have credit cards but many do have Google Pay and Apple Pay.
Anyone purchasing season tickets or passes will get a better deal on the fee, with HomeTown adding a $3 fee to the transaction, rather than $1 per ticket, in addition to credit card fees.
Ortega said APS is following the lead of the New Mexico Activities Association, which had previously instituted cashless ticket sales for all state athletics events. And it’s not just the NMAA.
“Most school districts in the state are already doing this,” Ortega said. He added that the new system makes things safer for the APS employees who will no longer have to handle the cash from ticket sales, and it streamlines the accounting process on those sales.
You’ll still need cash if you plan to buy anything from a concession stand, but athletics officials are hoping to change that in the future.
HomeTown Ticketing was selected through the district’s procurement process.