Every fall, half a million music lovers congregate in downtown Austin’s Zilker Metropolitan Park to attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
This year’s headliners include Chappell Roan, Dua Lipa, Blink-182 and Tyler, the Creator. There are dozens of additional acts sprinkled across seven main stages.
With American Express sponsoring the event for the seventh time, having an Amex card will make it easier for you to enjoy the festival. Here are the perks you can enjoy.
For all cardmembers
$5 credit
Register your wristband by linking it to your American Express card and you’ll receive a one-time $5 credit applied to your wristband for cashless purchases at the festival. You’ll want to link a card anyway to make food, drink and merchandise purchases easier.
Just note that even though you may purchase food or drink, these transactions code as a general purchase. So it’s best to use one of the best cards for everyday purchases.
Expedited security
If music fuels your soul, but long lines aren’t your thing, American Express can get you “skip the line” access.
When you register your ACL wristband and link any Amex card, you can use your wristband at the American Express Cashless Entrance turnstiles at the Lady Bird Lake and Barton Springs West entrances. (Note that the Barton Springs East entrance — the most popular entry point — does not have an Amex fast-pass lane.)
Consider it TSA PreCheck for ACL. This will be especially helpful during busy times when the entrance and security scan lines can take over an hour.
Merchandise perks
Amex cardmembers who like to carry away more than memories and photos from their ACL experience can take advantage of three merch benefits:
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- Merch customization room: While all festivalgoers can enter the Amex Experience (explained below), Amex cardmembers can grab a complimentary trucker hat or mini-tote bag that can be personalized with pins. These are available until supplies run out, so head here as one of your first stops at the festival.
- Mystery merch window: At a “mystery merch window” outside the Amex Experience, cardmembers can purchase a mystery box of merchandise from headliners Dua Lipa and Tyler, the Creator, in addition to official ACL merch.
- Expedited merch lane: Cardmembers can access a dedicated fast lane to skip the main merch line.
To take advantage of these merchandise perks, your Amex card must be linked to your wristband; alternatively, you can show a physical card or the card in a digital wallet (photos are not accepted).
For premium cardmembers: Amex Saloon
A new Amex Saloon next to the American Express Stage features a saloon-inspired bar and lounge.
It can be accessed by those holding one of the following cards:
*The information for these cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The space will offer beverages for purchase, shaded lawn games and seating, and free, personalized boot branding — in keeping with this year’s cowboy theme.
Tecovas will do the boot branding from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. each day on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible footwear is real leather or suede boots (no exotics). They will permanently brand the boots with letters, numbers or designs, including a heart, horseshoe and bucking bronco. The branding should take 10-15 minutes to complete.
Cardmembers can also sign up for viewing access from the side stage of the American Express Stage. (Note that there is usually a wait for this.)
Most cardmembers can bring one guest; Centurion cardmembers can bring up to three.
And your wristband won’t suffice for this space — you need to show your physical card or the card in a digital wallet like Apple Wallet (photos are not accepted).
For everyone: Amex Experience
All festivalgoers are invited to visit the American Express Experience.
Here, they’ll find a disco-cowboy-inspired cash bar featuring cocktails and ready-to-drink beverages, including beer, wine, hard seltzers and nonalcoholic options.
There will also be a small-business market where attendees can shop from local Austin businesses selling festival items like accessories, artwork, jewelry and vintage apparel. Businesses featured in this year’s market include Xtao, Future Vagabond and Paper Work.
The Amex Experience is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Bottom line
Once your Amex card is linked to the registered wristband, you can use cashless payment for concessions, merchandise and other monetary transactions throughout the festival grounds.
The Amex Experience is open to all fans, regardless of whether they have an Amex card or not.
All Amex cardmembers can access merchandise perks, and premium cardmembers can also access the saloon to the right of the American Express Stage. All Amex-registered wristband owners also receive a one-time $5 cashless spending credit, redeemable on a single transaction at any cashless-accepting merchants on ACL festival grounds.
As an attendee of the festival for most of the past decade, I recommend downloading the latest version of the ACL Music Festival app to help with your planning.
Start organizing your schedule, put on your dancing shoes (or boots) and see you at Zilker Park soon.
Related: The best credit cards for music festivals