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

American Express Gold Apple Pay Feature

American Express Announces New Apple Pay Feature

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:27 am PDT by
American Express today announced that you can now redeem Membership Rewards points when checking out with Apple Pay on the web and in apps on the iPhone and iPad. When checking out with Apple Pay on iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, tap on your eligible American Express card (Platinum, Gold, Green, and others) and select the Membership Rewards points option. You can use points to cover all or...
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Feature

'Apple Upgrade' Program Reportedly Launching Next Week

Tuesday July 21, 2026 8:30 am PDT by
Apple and Klarna are partnering on a new "Apple Upgrade" leasing program set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The program will allow you to finance most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will be able to pay off the device early during...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...

Top Rated Comments

106 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
106 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
106 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
106 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
106 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)