Trail of Lights Fee

Trail of Lights won't be free on weekends this winter

The Trail of Lights Foundation announced on Friday that it will implement a fee for the 2014 Trail of Lights, December 7-21.

The new fee will be $3 for individuals 12 and older and will be charged on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. The majority of the nights during Trail of Lights will still be free, including the grand opening on Sunday, December 7, thanks to funding from local sponsors.

"The Trail of Lights saw a large increase in attendance last year, welcoming more than 400,000 people in 2013," said Executive Director James Russell. "By implementing a weekend gate fee on the most highly attended nights, we expect to better disperse the crowds to ensure everyone is able to experience and enjoy the Trail of Lights in a comfortable and safe way."

The gate fee was proposed by Mayor Lee Leffingwell earlier this month to help cover the cost of additional security, clean-up efforts and staffing on the weekends. Austin City Council approved a change to the Trail of Lights Foundation’s contract with the city, allowing the foundation to implement a fee.

The fee marks a significant change to an event that has been free to the public for 50 years. However, it will help ensure that the Trail of Lights never goes dark again due to a lack of funding. The foundation also says that funds can help to add more activities and displays for holiday revelers to enjoy.

The Trail of Lights Foundation will vote each year about implementing the fee.

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H-E-B finally starts rolling out tap-to-pay services

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

No wallet, no consequences.

Texas' favorite grocery store has some good news for shoppers who have a habit of forgetting their wallets. H-E-B is starting a phased rollout for digital tap-to-pay services in all stores across Texas — but Austin shoppers may have to wait for it to arrive in their favorite stores.

The rollout started Monday, October 7, in San Antonio. A release says it'll take "about a week" to spread through that initial region, and a month to complete the rollout across all stores. It did not define when other regions or specific stores would join the program. The service will allow shoppers to pay with smartphone apps like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay, instead of their physical cards.

It sounds like flagship stores are coming first, but all stores will eventually be included. That even includes Mi Tienda stores in Houston.

Payments can be made with those apps, or "digital wallets," at cash registers and self-checkout lanes, as well as restaurants and pharmacies within H-E-B stores. They won't be accepted right away at H-E-B fuel pumps, but customers can use them to pay for gas if they bring their phones to the fuel station payment window.

This isn't exactly cutting-edge technology; Google Wallet launched in 2011, leading the market, and was followed by Apple Pay in 2014. But it's not ubiquitous either. In 2023, a poll by Forbes Advisor found that barely more than half of respondents used digital wallets more than traditional forms of payment.

H-E-B is on a bit of a payment revolutionizing kick, also launching a debit card in 2022 and a partnership in August of 2024 with Austin-based delivery service Favor for its fastest order fulfillment yet. Central Market and Joe V’s Smart Shop, two other H-E-B brands, were also outfitted with tap-to-pay services, which rolled out across the state this summer.

“At H-E-B, we’re always exploring a broad range of technologies to enhance how customers shop and pay for products,” said H-E-B Group Vice President of Marketing and Payments Ashwin Nathan in the release. “This has been one of the most requested services we have received from our customers and partners, and we are excited to now make this popular technology available at all our H-E-B locations.”

More information about H-E-B is available at heb.com.

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