A cashless wristband is a wristband equipped with an RFID or NFC chip that allows event participants to pay without cash or credit cards.
It is often used in:
The principle:
- Participants credit their wristbands (online or on site).
- He pays at bars, stands, or shops via a terminal.
- Transactions are centralized in management software.
👉 Technically, we are talking about event RFID, not just a "contactless" wristband.
How much does a cashless wristband cost?
That's the key question—and here, much of the content remains vague.
The cost depends on several factors:
1. Cost of the medium (physical bracelet)
- Custom RFID fabric wristband: $0.50 to $1
- RFID silicone wristband: $0.60 to $1.20
- RFID card: $0.50 to $1
Variables:
- Ordered volume
- Personalization
- Chip type
- Deadlines
2. Software cost
When discussing the cost of a cashless wristband, the price of the RFID tag is only part of the budget.
The service provider's business model is often the real determining factor.
There are two main approaches: the flat-rate model and the commission model.
1️⃣ Flat-rate model (fixed license)
🔎 How does it work?
The organizer pays a fixed amount for the event, which generally includes:
- License to use the cashless solution
- Access to the back office
- Configuration
- Technical support
- Sometimes the equipment (optional)
Estimated between €500 and €900.
The cost does not depend directly on the turnover achieved.
✅ Advantages
1. Full budget visibility
You know your costs in advance, regardless of sales.
2. Cost-effective for large events
The higher your revenue, the more attractive this model becomes.
3. Margins preserved
No percentage on each transaction → better profitability if consumption is high.
4. Premium image
Often associated with structured solutions, suitable for festivals and major sporting events.
❌ Disadvantages
1. Higher initial investment
. The package may seem expensive for a small event.
2. Risk in case of low attendance
If sales are disappointing, the cost remains the same.
3. Less flexible for small formats
Not well suited to low-volume or one-off events.
2️⃣ Commission-based model
🔎 How does it work?
The service provider charges a percentage on transactions made using cashless wristbands.
There may be:
- No or low fixed costs
- A percentage ranging from 1% to 5% depending on the stakeholders
- Sometimes additional costs (equipment, field support)
✅ Advantages
1. Low barrier to entry
Little or no initial cost → ideal for testing cashless payments.
2. Performance-based alignment
If your revenue is low, your costs decrease proportionally.
3. Suitable for small events
Associations, local events, first editions.
❌ Disadvantages
1. High cost for large volumes
For a festival generating €500,000 in revenue, 3% represents €15,000.
2. Less predictable in the long term
It is difficult to anticipate the exact final cost.
3. Reduced margins
Commissions have a direct impact on the profitability of bars/restaurants.
Bank charges
As a general rule, most providers on the market apply either flat rates of around €1.20 per participant or overall commissions of between 1% and 2% per transaction, often varying according to volume or event.
And this, of course, does not include hardware (TPE, PDA, RFID wristbands), on-site technical support, bank transaction fees, operation and maintenance and personalization (wristbands, cards, design).
👉 At Easytransac, we've made the opposite choice: clear, transparent rates that are among the lowest on the market, with no subscriptions or hidden fees.
Rates are fixed, transparent and non-binding:
- Cashless payment on site (wristband, card, or credit card) → 0.55% + €0.07 per transaction → Single rate, no subscription or hidden fees.
- Cashless online top-up (via website) → 0.8% + €0.10 per top-up → Applied directly to the credited amount.
Easytransac fees are simple and 100% transparent, with no monthly minimum, no additional fees, and no surprises.
Average total cost (specific example)
- On-site technical support: starting at $500/day/technician.
- Network connection / Secure Wi-Fi: having your own Wi-Fi network is recommended.
- Refund management, closing and reporting in the backoffice: simple cash desk closing, management of inventories of products sold, control of live sales, control of live cashless loads. Refund management: extraction of an XML file in SEPA format for mass transfers to festival-goers.
Case in point: a festival with 5,000 participants
Let's take a realistic example:
- 5,000 participants
- Average expenditure per person: €40
- Average basket (cashless top-up): €50 per transaction
- Total sales of around €200,000
Full cashless (100% wristbands or cards)
In this model, all participants use an RFID wristband to recharge and pay.
The main costs to be expected :
- 5,000 bracelets at around €0.70 each → €3,500
- 40 terminals (full cashless) rented for €70 each → €2,800
- Platform + back-office license for 2 days → €900
- On-site technical support (1 technician for 2 days) → €1,000
- Point-of-sale refill (75%): approx. €825
- Online refills (25%): approx. €250
➡️ Gross total: €9,275 excl.
Unlike most of our competitors, we don't charge a percentage/fee on media activation or transaction.
We activate fees at the request of the organizers, but these enter directly into your sales. If you activate 4,000 Cashless supports with an activation fee of €1.50 per festival-goer, you already collect €6,000.00 + the residual unclaimed balance at the end of the festival ...
=> Your solution is self-financing and may even generate additional income. (This is the case for over 95% of festivals that fill their initial capacity.
This would give :
- Activation fee example €1.50 per request, on average 90% of participants → €6,000 in revenue for the organizer.
- Unclaimed balances: around 10% of participants leave an average balance of €2, i.e. + €1,000 retained.
💰 Actual net cost to the organizer: approx. €2,275 excluding VAT, or €0.46 per participant.
Conclusion: Why are organizers switching to cashless wristbands?
1. To accelerate sales
Transactions are 2 to 3 times faster than with cash.
2. To track all the money in circulation and obtain real-time data
- Revenue per booth
- Average basket
- Peak hours
3. To reduce theft and errors
Less handling of cash.
4. To increase the average basket size
Field studies often show an increase of 10 to 30%.
Who we are
With more than 60,000 customers, Easytransac capitalizes on a decade of expertise in various payment solutions (distance selling, ecommerce, convenience selling, cashless, mobile payment...).
Easytransac is at the forefront of innovation in the ecosystem of electronic payments and hybrid and cashless solutions that meet the requirements of e-tailers, event professionals and SMEs.
Our platform simplifies transactions and enriches the user experience, thanks to an intuitive interface and real-time tracking, while ensuring security at every payment.
Got a project? Don't wait any longer! Contact our teams HERE.
