Simmons Bank Arena goes cashless

North Little Rock, Arkansas — If you plan on seeing your favorite artists at Simmons Bank Arena, there are some new changes to keep in mind. “Every incremental thing we can to do help people feel better about coming is something we need to look at and evaluate and in this case, go ahead and do,” Michael Marion, General Manager for the arena, said.

Saturday marks some farewells and hellos for them – Elton John’s ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour, and the beginning of no more cash payments. “A trend that’s been coming and will continue and we want to participate and be a part of it,” Marion said. “We know there might be a hiccup or two, but we’re going to be optimistic that it’s going to be a good experience for everyone.”

According to Marion, cash will no longer be accepted anywhere inside the arena, except for the box office.

Instead, cards are the only form of payment accepted. From food vendors to merch stands, they’ll only accept cards. Saturday’s Elton John show is the first run of this. “Most people have a card,” Marion said. “They’re going to buy whatever they want from us, use it, and go on down the road just like they’ve been buying groceries with it.”

Marion said other venues have already made the switch to being cashless, but there are various reasons why not to do this sooner.

There were no shows for over a year at the arena, and the pandemic changed constantly.

According to Marion, they made the right choice to keep everyone safe. “So we feel like this is something we need to do for our patrons to limit the amount of contact they have with people,” he said. “You know, that’s what we’re all about these days is trying to be safe in a COVID kind of way.”