Allianz Arena, home of the German soccer team FC Bayern Munich, launched innovative mobile ticketing and payment options this week.
On Tuesday, the arena kicked off using NFC ticketing with Apple Pay and contactless payments. The announcement was made as part of a media event featuring FC Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
With Apple Pay, users will be able to use near-field communication chips to buy concessions and merchandise at the stadium with a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch. Beginning with the next home game on Dec. 19, Apple Pay will be available at all kiosks and in the fan shops in Allianz Arena.
“We are very proud to offer this forward-looking payment option using cell phones in the Allianz Arena in conjunction with our partner Apple,” Rummenigge said. “Continuous modernization and innovation are a hallmark of FC Bayern München. We are continually investing in new technologies to keep the Allianz Arena current with the state of the art.”
Also in cooperation with Apple, FC Bayern will be the first member of the German soccer league Bundesliga to offer Apple Pay ticketing at its front gates. Starting Tuesday, visitors to the stadium can load their tickets into their Apple Wallets and hold their iPhone or Apple Watch to a ticket scanner to enter the stadium without needing to establish an internet connection or unlock their phones.
“Our goal is to process ticketing using only digital technology so that in the future we can phase out paper tickets entirely,” Rummenigge said. “In addition to maximizing user-friendliness, this step represents a valuable contribution to environmental protection and is thus a further measure in our sustainability strategy.”
Printed and mobile tickets with QR codes will also be used for the time being.
Until recently, fans could use a prepaid card called the “Arena Card” to buy concessions in the stadium, but could not use regular bank cards or even cash. FC Bayern also announced on Tuesday that it is expanding the types of in-arena payment types it accepts beyond just the Arena Card. It is now accepting all debit and credit cards. Newer-generation cards that support NFC can also be used for contactless payments.
The club doesn’t plan to nix the Arena Card, however, and hints at innovations coming to those cardholders in the 2019-20 season. Also next year, Allianz’s mobile snack and drink vendors, who service visitors directly in their seats, will begin accepting NFC payments.
“User-friendliness is very important to us,” said Jürgen Muth, managing director of Allianz Arena. “I am therefore particularly excited that we can offer an even more effective payment service—and that at the request of our visitors.”
The new cash-free payment systems were tested during recent home games after German bank HypoVereinsbank installed 250 payment terminals.
“Contactless payment will soon be the standard for payment in the private sector,” said Michael Diederich, spokesperson for HypoVereinsbank’s board. “By equipping the entire Allianz Arena with this technology, we are once again demonstrating that we are a true innovation driver when it comes to our customers’ interests. Long lines for snacks, drinks, and fan gear are now a thing of the past.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Mobile ticketing solutions are rapidly expanding in professional sports as clubs work to implement more convenient solutions for visitors. Innovative chip-based payment and ticketing services also provide sports organizations access to an immense amount of data about fans. A number of professional sports teams in the U.S. have similarly started to adopt mobile solutions ranging from Apple Pay to Clear. This summer, Seattle Seahawks, Mariners, and Sounders fans were cleared to use their fingerprints to verify their ages and purchase beer and other concessions at home games.