How Contactless Pay Works At The Movie Theater
(07/22/2020)
As we re-open theatres, The Cinemark Standard is our set of guidelines for maintaining the health and safety of all guests and employees. One core aspect of the Cinemark Standard is the minimization of cash transactions, with guests encouraged to use contactless payment systems whenever possible.
Paying cash is great, but contactless pay is safe, secure, and, most importantly, offers an extra layer of protection in the era of COVID-19. If you're new to using a contactless pay system, here's everything you need to know.
The Basics
Contactless payment systems can be accessed by a few different methods, but the most common are credit and debit cards, and mobile wallet systems embedded into smartphones and mobile devices, such as Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Apple Wallet. All use a mixture of radio-frequency identification called "near field communication" to enact secure payment transactions. Due to that technology, contactless payment technology — which you'll often see called "tap to pay" — are secure and fraud-resistant.
You'll know your credit or debit card is enabled with contactless pay technology when you see a symbol on the card that looks like the WiFi symbol turned on its side. This can be either on the front or the back of the card. If you'd prefer to use a mobile wallet solution on your smartphone, be sure to set that up at home prior to arriving at the theatre. Whichever app you choose can easily be set up using the configuration information linked in the paragraph above.
Contactless Pay at Cinemark
We encourage you to purchase tickets online, which will allow for a more contactless in-theatre experience. You can even do this at the theatre using our mobile app, which is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Guests who purchase tickets online via our website or app, or a third-party provider such as Fandango or Atom Tickets, are no longer required to carry a printed ticket. Simply show your ticket confirmation QR code to the usher at the ticket podium to scan.
If you would rather make your ticketing decision at the theatre, consider using either a contactless-enabled credit card or your preferred mobile wallet payment system for a tap to pay transaction. This will minimize personal and surface contact, for the safest possible visit to our theatres. Guests purchasing tickets at the box office or theatre kiosk will still receive a printed ticket, but it no longer needs to be handed to our ushers for tearing. Just show your ticket and be on your way.
And since we are temporarily reducing contact at food-handling areas, cash payments are not currently accepted for snack purchases. Contactless pay is ideal for your purchases at the snack counter, however!