MasterCard is bringing contactless acceptance to ballpark food and beverage concessions at the 2014 World Series through a partnership with mobile technology leader MLB Advanced Media, enabling fans to make payments using a variety of NFC-enabled devices and services, including the newly introduced Apple Pay. These two ballparks will be the first professional sports facilities to accept Apple Pay, when it debuts for fans attending Game One of the World Series in Kansas City tomorrow.

Apple Pay is available beginning today for U.S. consumers via the iOS 8.1 update for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and can be used at all contactless acceptance locations. The acceptance of easy-to-use contactless payments, fully integrated into each ballpark’s respective concession technology by MLBAM and NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), is just the beginning of how MasterCard is delivering an enhanced experience to baseball fans. MasterCard cardholders who use Apple Pay at supported ballpark concessions during the 2014 World Series– which begins Tuesday, October 21 on FOX – may also get a Priceless Surprise!

 “The ballpark experience lends itself well to simple, secure payments so fans get through concessions and back to the game quickly,” said Ed McLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer, MasterCard. “We’re thrilled to partner with MLBAM to bring contactless acceptance to the 2014 World Series. Through our longstanding relationship with MLB and MLBAM we are constantly looking for opportunities to create enhanced fan experiences both in-stadium and online, whether that’s through advanced payment capabilities or delivering surprises to fans.”

In addition to contactless acceptance at the two World Series ballparks, MLBAM and Tickets.com this year will deliver in-app support for Apple Pay when single-game tickets for the 2015 Major League Baseball season are scheduled to go on-sale in November. At that time, fans will be able to utilize Apple Pay when purchasing tickets in MLB.com At the Ballpark, the official ballpark app of Major League Baseball.

“We thank MasterCard for its great involvement in bringing another simple and secure mobile technology to baseball fans,” said Noah Garden, EVP, Revenue, MLBAM. “Introducing this service underscores the importance of our on-going commitment to mobile innovations at Major League Baseball ballparks. Being able to build reliable, convenient and authentic technologies on their personal devices is no longer a nice-to-have option for fans. It’s central to their experiences.”

With the help of Hall of Famer George Brett, who spent his entire 21-year playing career with the Kansas City Royals, a ceremonial Apple Pay purchase will take place during Game One of the 2014 World Series and will air during the broadcast on FOX, along with a Priceless Surprises baseball-focused :30 spot. They will re-air throughout the 2014 World Series broadcasts on FOX. MasterCard is an official sponsor of Major League Baseball, MLB.com and the World Series.

Apple Pay works for MasterCard credit and debit cardholders through MasterCard’s Digital Enablement Service (MDES). In building a secure payment experience, Apple Pay leverages industry-standard EMVcryptography to ensure transactions can take full advantage of the most secure payments technology in the world. In order to further protect consumers, Apple Pay incorporates additional security features such as Touch ID or a passcode to authorize every payment and tokenization via MDES.