Tokens are now a thing of the past at the Tri-State Fair.
Magic Money will now be used to make transactions at all rides, games and concession stands.
“It works the same as the tokens except the token amount volume is inside the chip that is buried in the RFID wristband or the cards offered here as well,” said Marc Medina, operations manager at Magic Money. “It’s the same concept. You buy $10 worth of tokens it’s $10 worth of credits on your wristband.”
The wristband is an initial two dollar service charge at any ticket window, but after that you can load increments of $10 up to $100.
You can also download the free Magic Money app to keep up with your spending activity no matter where you are.
To upload credits, you can use the app or any of the kiosks located around the fairgrounds.
“A lot of customers are used to this type of technology and we find that a lot of people just ease right into it,” said Medina.
President of the Amarillo Tri-State Fair Board of Directors Jim Jennings said Magic Money is going to be so much easier to use.
“You don’t have a pocket full of those metal coins, and you just have a wristband that they scan and you get on the ride or buy the funnel cake and then you can reload the wristband just as you need more money or to have more fun,” said Jennings.
However, some attendees like Euvonna Duckworth aren’t so sure.
“I don’t really like it because you can’t give the kids a couple of tokens and let them go get what they want,” said Duckworth.
Some vendors like Corina Delgado with Ragley’s Concession Stand said it will take time to adjust.
“It might makes lines go slower for a while, but I think eventually once we get used to it, the customers get used to it- it might make the lines go a little faster,” said Delgado. “It’s just something new.”
However, Logan and Beck Waldrip with Curly Q Tators are willing to give it a chance.
“It’s a lot easier than having to deal with all those coins, it’s faster, it’s a lot easier for the customers I think,” said Logan Waldrip.
“It’s been really easy,” said Beck Waldrip. “We’re willing to give it a try. We just hope everybody likes it, we hope the people like it.”
All unused Magic Money credits do not expire, meaning they can be used again throughout the week and even at next year’s fair.
If you have tokens left over from last year, they will still be accepted this year only.
