How Cashless Solutions Helped Reduce Cash Handling and Drive Higher Guest Spend
Introduction: Transforming the FEC Guest Experience with Ready Credit
High-traffic family entertainment centers operate in fast, unpredictable environments. For this FEC operator, reliance on cash was quietly limiting revenue potential while adding operational complexity during the busiest periods of the year.
Ready Credit’s cashless solutions provided a practical path forward, helping the venue simplify daily operations while encouraging guests to spend more throughout their visit.
The Challenge: When Cash Slows the Experience
Before adopting a cashless approach, the venue faced several compounding challenges common to high-traffic entertainment environments:
- Slow checkout and long lines during peak periods
- Staff time consumed by cash handling, reconciliation, and closeouts
- Guests limiting spend to the cash they arrived with
As volume increased, these issues strained operations and created friction for both guests and staff. Cash was no longer just a payment option; it had become a barrier to efficiency and revenue growth.
The Solution: Cashless Access Without Cutting Off Cash
Rather than eliminating cash entirely, the FEC implemented Ready Credit’s cashless solutions to create a simple bridge from cash to digital payments. Self-service cash-to-card kiosks allowed guests to instantly convert cash into prepaid cards usable across games, attractions, food, and retail.
This approach preserved accessibility for cash-preferring guests while removing cash from the point of sale. Transactions became faster, lines moved more smoothly, and staff spent less time managing payment logistics.
The Impact: Changes Guests and Staff Could Feel
Once cashless solutions were in place, both guest behavior and daily operations improved:
- Average card loads increased 43 percent, from $40.42 to $60.83
- Guests spent 95% of loaded funds onsite, adding $17.37 in avg spend per visit
- Cash handling demands dropped, saving approximately 1.5 labor hours/day
- 297 percent ROI driven by revenue lift and cost reduction
- A projected $51,000 annual net impact per location
- Over $10,000 in annual labor savings and $12,000 in shrink reduction
For a multi-location operator, these gains created a scalable model with significant long-term upside.
Conclusion: A Practical Model for Modern FEC Operations
As family entertainment centers look to balance guest expectations with operational efficiency, cashless solutions offer a practical path forward. For FEC operators looking to simplify operations while supporting growth, Ready Credit offers a proven model.
Ready to see what cashless solutions could look like for your venue? Download the Case Study or contact Ready Credit to learn more.