One year to go!

We are now exactly a year away from the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games (news one could hardly have missed thanks to the recent anniversary media flurry). In the whirlwind of media attention this milestone received, Cash is Cool couldn’t help but notice an article reporting that Lloyds TSB is the 2012 sponsor the public most associates with next year’s Games.

Lloyds therefore has an unrivalled opportunity to champion the interests of all visitors to the Olympic venues.

And of course, there is no more important issue than giving those visitors convenient access to cash. After all, in the 200 plus countries from which those visitors will come, 90% of all purchases are made using cash.

Rather than folding to Visa’s plans for an absurd monopoly over payment methods and the pretence that the Games will be cashless, we are pinning our hopes on the official banking sponsor to prioritise consumer choice at London’s Olympics. This is a chance for Lloyds to use their influence for the benefit of all the sports enthusiasts who will visit next year. We want them to stand up for consumers and work to ensure:

a) There is a ready supply of cash on all of the Olympic sites – and that consumers without Visa cards don’t get shut out of the on-site cash machine network.

b) Transaction times are kept short and speedy by ensuring all on-site retailers will accept cash. No one wants to spend their visit in the gift shop or restaurant queue waiting for everyone in front of them to complete a lengthy Visa card transaction.

c) That no foreign visitors have their experience ruined because they don’t have Visa cards. If there’s any chance the Olympics is to look to the world like a slick operation, we can’t afford to limit the rights of global visitors whose countries aren’t yet dominated by Visa.

Wherever they come from, and whatever’s in their wallet, Olympic visitors deserve a smooth payment experience. Not having cash readily available at the main Olympic sites would cause a consumer nightmare; and tarnish the reputation of what should be a world-class event. Lloyds TSB need to recognise this – and use their platform as an official sponsor to ensure a cash-friendly Olympics.

Watch this space for the next campaign update, and share your thoughts with us in our Olympics competition for the chance to win £250.
 

Tuesday, 2nd August 2011

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