PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon ski resort has decided it will no longer accept cash payments during its 2023-2024 season.
Mt. Hood Meadows announced the decision to go cashless earlier this month, citing a Pew Research Center study that said 41% of Americans don’t use paper money for any of their weekly purchases.
According to the ski resort’s Chief Financial Officer Derek Gibbs, not accepting cash will “streamline international operations” for the business and therefore benefit its customers.
“By going cashless and speeding up transactions, guests will be able to spend less time in line and more time enjoying the mountain,” Gibbs explained in a Ski Hood blog post.
Mt. Hood Meadows has already offered more cash alternatives over the years, such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. The resort also reported that 97% of its transactions are conducted with debit cards or other forms of electronic payments.
However, guests can continue to tip resort employees with paper money. Additionally, three “reverse ATMs” will still be on-site for visitors who prefer to bring cash.
“Guests can insert cash into the reverse ATM and will then receive a Visa-branded debit card loaded with the exact amount of money that was deposited,” the company said.
According to the Ski Hood blog, customers won’t have to provide personal information or register a PIN to utilize the Visa-branded credit cards. The cards expire after three years, but guests can request a new one with the same account balance if it expires before it’s fully used.
Mt. Hood Meadows said other businesses like Vail Resorts, Snowbird, Killington, Big Sky and Willamette Pass have already made the switch to cashless payments.
The resort has yet to officially announce its opening date for the 2023-24 season, but last year, it opened its doors in late November.
