Tiger Stadium goes cashless, here’s how you can too

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Don’t forget your mask if you’re stepping into Tiger Stadium this weekend, but there is one thing you can leave at home, cash. That’s because the purple and gold are going without the green this season.

LSU athletics venues are going cashless at merchandise and concession stands this season. Tiger Stadium will take most major credit cards, Apple and Android Pay as well as Tiger Cash.

RELATED: LSU goes cashless for sporting events in 2020

However, personal finance expert Kimberly Palmer knows going cashless can be a challenge.

“It can feel less real than cash, so people can have a tendency to overspend,” said the expert from NerdWallet.

She says the good news here is there are many options to go cashless. The goal is to find a method that works best for you.

“The easiest one probably is to check to see if you already have a credit card that allows for contactless payments, which basically means you don’t even have to touch anything.”

A symbol on your card that looks like a side-ways WIFI symbol means your card is contactless. Just wave your card over the machine and you’re done, no swiping required.

A similar option is using your smartphone.

“You just have to make sure you have some sort of wallet app on your phone that you then upload your debit card or credit card into.”

Palmer says just be cautious of which card you choose to upload to the apps, though.

“It is slightly riskier to use a debit card all the time for everyday purchases. That’s because it doesn’t have the same level of fraud protection that a credit card gives you.”

A credit card is safer, but more expensive if you rack up a lot of debt. Keep track of your spending with a banking app or by writing it down.

“To get more comfortable with going cashless, you have to put some other system in place to track your money even without that tangible cash,” she said.

Alerts to your phone and low credit limits are other ideas to keep the overspending to a minimum.

Also, Palmer says if you use these apps and cards as intended, your information will remain secure.

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