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'Touch-to-Pay' RFID devices to roll out to many locations tomorrow
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
How does this work? I'm heading down in a couple of weeks...where do I get a band?
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
Almost as advertised.
You will have an RFID enabled card of armband or some sort of "doo-hickey", that basically has a number that ties to your credit card/room information.
When you swipe the doo-hickey or bring it close the reader, the number stored will be transmitted, the system will look up your account and then issue an approval for you to purchase. Real similar to a credit card, only now your credit card information is stored in the system, and the CM never sees or touches it.
What Disney is hoping to accomplish in this, is to remove the association of spending money using cash or a credit card. It's all just "magical" now, using this RFID enabled band and you don't have to worry about the money.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I kind of worded that wrong. I understand how the "system" works...but how does it work as far as getting a band? I'm staying off property this trip, where do I get a band? (Or is it only available for resort guests?)
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
I haven't seen where they're making it available for off-property guests yet. You may still have to use your "un-magical" cash or credit card.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
Hehe, thanks!
But wait a minute...I have a Disney Visa...and that was suppose to be magical! I feel duped! This isn't as "magical" as this new system?!?!?!
Seems like they're trying to do the "iTunes/App Store" route with people's money. Rather than people plunking down $10-15 on a CD...they're only spending $1.29 on the songs they want...and it's really only a dollar. Who pays attention to a dollar? (Especially when you're never taking your wallet out...)
At the end of the month, all of those "dollars" add up! I bet there are a lot of people that don't even realize how much they spend when they're not taking out the physical money.
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
Just a quick observation/question from a reader in the UK. I could have posted this in a number of other topics with regards to Next-Gen but this topic is specifically about the 'touch to pay' system...
I see many people are worried about the security of this system, either from theft or from people cloning cards. I was just wondering if there is similar technology used in bank cards and other passes in the US? For example my monthly travel card for London transport is RFID so I just touch it to access through the Tube gates or onto a bus and I top it up online or at a self service kiosk. I have a card to access my work building which relies on a touch and a PIN and then I just touch around the building. And a few months ago my replacement debit card came with RFID so I can now I only have to touch on a reader in many stores for a purchase under £20 and I don't need to type in my PIN number.
Yes, my cards can get stolen and apparently they can get cloned but if it is stolen I tell my bank, Transport for London or my employer and they cancel the card, if it is cloned... well... I don't know of anyone who has ever had a RFID card cloned!!
So, why are people worried about this RFID method of payment or park ticket? Is it just a new technology in the US or am I missing a further point about the implementation of this at Disney?
I see many people are worried about the security of this system, either from theft or from people cloning cards. I was just wondering if there is similar technology used in bank cards and other passes in the US? For example my monthly travel card for London transport is RFID so I just touch it to access through the Tube gates or onto a bus and I top it up online or at a self service kiosk. I have a card to access my work building which relies on a touch and a PIN and then I just touch around the building. And a few months ago my replacement debit card came with RFID so I can now I only have to touch on a reader in many stores for a purchase under £20 and I don't need to type in my PIN number.
Yes, my cards can get stolen and apparently they can get cloned but if it is stolen I tell my bank, Transport for London or my employer and they cancel the card, if it is cloned... well... I don't know of anyone who has ever had a RFID card cloned!!
So, why are people worried about this RFID method of payment or park ticket? Is it just a new technology in the US or am I missing a further point about the implementation of this at Disney?
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
It is somewhat new here for some of us. A few credit cards/bus passes have RFID on them, but it's not been widely rolled out.
I'm guessing some of the concern is fear of the unknown, which has just been hyped by a few conspiracy theorists who have gotten attention in the media, saying RFID is the beginning of Big Brother.
flynnibus
Premium Member
its more about the tracking possibilities the technology enables.. not so much about the transaction security of the RFID enabled cards. There are risks there, but as you say they are manageable. The real noise is about 'big brother' topics.
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
Agreed, have a Disney Visa that I want to continue using for certain discounts. What if I want no part of the band anyway (which I dont) when checking in next month? Can I outright refuse and say no when checking in that I do not want to take part nor do I want my card info on it??
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
I believe if staying on property, the bands will eventually become almost mandatory, since all rooms and on-property issued passes/tickets will use RFID readers for access. However, as with the current system (Key to the World), which gives you the option to set up a credit card on your room key/park pass, you should be able to decline this option, and just use cash or your credit card in the parks. As long as the credit card companies and banks keep issuing the plastic and handing out cash, I'm sure Disney will be more than happy to accept it. However, you might be asked to stand in a different line to pay for your stuff than all of those guests who have the "Magic band".
I find this whole NextGen project fascinating, and I would be real interested to see some of the off-stage IT assets that are being implemented to support it. They will likely be running at least 4 different networks consuming massive amounts of bandwidth. Even if you don't fully agree with the use of it, this has to be pretty impressive from a technological standpoint. It just makes me cringe to think about a network or server failure on a peak day. Hopefully, they're building in redundancy and scalability.
flynnibus
Premium Member
they haven't said they are taking away credit card terminals in the parks... I question if they will ever get that far.
RAXIP
Well-Known Member
The Touch-to-Pay readers accept credit cards too (via magnetic stripe)
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
But will these "bands" become the new park tickets? Not just for resort guests but for everybody?
flynnibus
Premium Member
I know - but in theory you could make that read KTTW backup strips only... but I don't see Disney turning money away at any point.. just heavily influencing you to their inhouse accounts. It's not a true captive audience like a cruise ship is
flynnibus
Premium Member
no, the information available suggests the bands are an 'upgrade' over typical RFID enabled ticket media.
I would expect in the future any off property purchased tickets would be vouchers that would be exchanged for digital info on a band or KTTW card.. or a disposable ticket that is RFID enabled.
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
I agree. I think that Disney will wait for the rest of the world to make this initiative before they tried to do the same in the parks. They want your money so they are going to make it as easy as possible to get it. Removing CC terminals would hinder this in some respects so until this becomes "the norm" I don't see it happening at Disney either.
Unplugged
Well-Known Member
You're unfortunately right on about people thinking "Disney's RFID can know where I've been or am going and what I'm buying." I've seen those posts too. It's a shame people just don't get it.This new system is the same as what's in place but making it wireless, which does bring the ability to pole data real-time in areas where scanners are installed.
Seriously though, Disney already has a data warehouse solution that can can interrogate everything they need to determine spending habits of individuals, most busy attractions, which resorts feed which parks at which times, what restaurants use what inventory at which times, etc. If you have a KTTW with a credit card attached & park tickets on it, they know when you enter your room, they know when you make a purchase, they know when you enter a park or get an FP, and a simple database query can create and approximate a path of where you went and when during your entire trip. Disney is not interested in that so much as grouping of people to determine capacities and bottle necks, injecting dynamic interactions to help speed or slow people movement, increased spending opportunities, and analysis of the data to make better business decisions for increased profit. It just so happens that this system can also streamline some things in your trip, make some actions easier, and make some entrainment interactions more personalized, all of which are what the consumer sees as benefits while Disney gains in the financial aspect.
danlb_2000
Premium Member
The difference that some people are concerned about is, with the KTTW card you know when Disney is reading it since you have to bring it close to the reader, the MagicBands on the other hand can read from a distance so you never know when you are being tracked.
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
I think everyone is being a little bit over the top about getting tracked by the RFID chips. Unless Disney are going to supply the higher quality (expensive) RFID chips in the Magic Bands they are not going to be activated within more than a few metres - MAX - of a reader, more likely less than 50cm. Even then to track you as you are walking freely around will require obtrusive readers that cover walkways etc. So far we have seen no evidence of this other than the exit trial that was done at MK than could be installed into the entrance/exit gates of the park.
I can't see Disney getting much more information from the bands than is available from many guests already by tracking a credit card enabled KTTW card/advance booking information linked to a hotel room. All it is doing is making the data gathering easier for them for a greater number of guests.