Apple Tests 'Order Ahead' Festival Feature for Apple Pay - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Tests 'Order Ahead' Festival Feature for Apple Pay

Apple is adding a small but significant Apple Pay feature that will be of interest to concert attendees: the ability to pre-purchase drinks.

According to TechCrunch, Apple tested an "order ahead with Apple Pay" feature at a recent BottleRock music festival near San Francisco.

Using the festival app, attendees were able to select a nearby concession stand, choose drinks, initiate a purchase through Apple Pay within the app, and then pick up the drinks at a dedicated beverage window.


Order ahead with Apple Pay allowed concert attendees to make purchases without having to stand in a long line or fumble with cash or other payment options at the concession stand.

TechCrunch believes other music festivals will want to adopt the streamlined order ahead with Apple Pay feature given its ease of use.

Apple has previously used the BottleRock Festival to test Apple Pay features, and last year the festival used Apple Pay equipped Square registers, which led to thirty percent of all transactions at the festival being made with Apple Pay.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

wallet app transit new york

Apple Pay for Transit Now Works in These 12 U.S. Cities

Tuesday April 28, 2026 3:50 pm PDT by
Several major U.S. cities support the Apple Pay for transit feature that Apple has rolled out, providing a simple way for those who use public transportation to pay for rides. Apple Pay for transit works in Atlanta, the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, DC. Some of these cities have supported Apple...
apple pay mothers day promo 2026

Apple Pay Users Can Get $20 Off Flowers for Mother's Day

Thursday April 30, 2026 10:21 am PDT by
Mother's Day is coming up on Sunday, May 10, and for those who want to order flowers, Apple has a $20 discount available. Apple Pay users in the U.S. can get $20 off a purchase from 1-800-Flowers when spending $49.99 or more on a Mother's Day flower bouquet and other select merchandise. The discount is available through May 9 with the promo code APPLEPAY. To get the deal, iPhone users...
iOS 27 on iPhone 17 1

iOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday May 2, 2026 8:43 am PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and there are already many rumored features and changes for iPhones. The first developer beta of iOS 27 will likely be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. Following beta testing, the software update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in...

Top Rated Comments

104 months ago
Nice! I'm still surprised at the number of people who don't even seem to know these capabilities exist. On an almost weekly basis, someone at a register utters a 'That's so cool!' when I pay with my watch.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thisisnotmyname Avatar
104 months ago
how is this different from any other prepay ordering system that accepts Apple Pay? i.e. GrubHub for pickup or any number of takeout places that allow you to order via their app and pay with Apple Pay?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrgraff Avatar
104 months ago
Nice! I'm still surprised at the number of people who don't even seem to know these capabilities exist. On an almost weekly basis, someone at a register utters a 'That's so cool!' when I pay with my watch.
I use my phone at one particular food truck on a regular basis, and the same cashier seems to be amazed each time.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimthing Avatar
104 months ago
Sellers love this stuff, as stats have proven that buyers spend more when buying digitally (cards was one thing, digital wallets is even less 'friction'; using the jargon) compared to using cash.

Something about handing over bank notes that feels subconsciously "oh, this is my hard earned money I'm spending, perhaps I'll skip this item after all".
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
epheterson Avatar
104 months ago
how is this different from any other prepay ordering system that accepts Apple Pay? i.e. GrubHub for pickup or any number of takeout places that allow you to order via their app and pay with Apple Pay?
Exactly, I don't see any new ApplePay feature here at all, just a nice implementation wrapped around standard ApplePay.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: Mac | Local News | Mac | News | Travel