In 2004 the WiesnCard was introduced to the Oktoberfest. This plastic card enables cashless payments for fun and refreshments at the festival. The cards come loaded with credit for 30, 40, and 50 Euros and get you a 10% discount on everything you buy. Great! No more fumbling around for the right change or confusion over how generously to tip. But wait... the card can't be used to buy beer or tabacco. Huh? So what's the point of that?
The card can be used to purchase grilled chicken and sausages, alcohol free drinks, and rides on the carousels. But not the one thing that everyone at the festival really wants to buy. Apparently the official reason given is to prevent underage drinking. Kids are likely to be given a Wiesn Card by their parents.
This is bizarre because surely cash-free purchasing of rounds of beer would make life easier for both the serving staff and the punters, no? So why not have TWO types of cash card? One for adults, one for minors. Maybe this will happen in a year or two. The card is being provided by Accor Services.
The real reason the card can't be used for beer is that it means the waiters and waitresses would loose out on tips. Drunken punters tend to tip quite generously. This wouldn't happen with the card. The serving staff already hate the paper vouchers that are used in company bookings. Although these vouchers have a tip built in, it's only something like 60 cents - much smaller than what people tend to give when paying cash.