The open payment system at the BayArena in Leverkusen is based on commercially available money cards. This means the card and the funds on it remain with the fan and the balance does not go to an account run by the club. Any spectator can visit the BayArena and use their own bank card (providing it has a payment function) to make payments at the stadium, for example at a Currywurst stand.
In contrast to closed systems, nobody is forced to use a BayArena Card issued by the club. Many away fans use the card to have a souvenir of the visit to our club. Between 50 and 80 per cent of away supporters use cards other than the BayArena Card. This is usually their own bank card. With the open payment system, the balance is irrelevant as it can be used on 420,000 payment points in Germany (e.g. parking meters or in shops). In contrast to closed systems we have no access to the money loaded on the card. The expiry date and number of cards used only have a cost -related impact on Bayer 04 as the cards with payment functions are significantly more expensive to produce. Also cards in closed systems are only valid for four years for regulatory reasons.
This service costs us significant amounts of money each year. This investment is made to offer our fans and visiting supporters a fair system where they can use money left over outside the stadium at countless other payment points. For example, that means our BayArena Card can be used to buy an underground ticket.
This completely excludes the "sleeping Euro" that negatively affects football fans and supposedly brings money into the club's. On the contrary, Bayer 04 Leverkusen stand for an open, fair and service-oriented payment system.
Freiburg’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend left them two places but a whole 10 points behind Bayer 04. Their results in general may be mixed, but Julian Schuster’s side are a force to be reckoned with at home, where they have earned 24 of their 33 points. Leverkusen may choose to look for the aerial route if they’re to get the better of their hosts, who have conceded more headed goals than any other team. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game in our matchday news.
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A boost for the second Bundesliga away game in a row: The Werkself take on SC Freiburg just three days after the convincing 1-0 win at Hamburger SV. Ahead of the game on Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), head coach Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the lessons learned from the rearranged fixture at HSV, a trio on yellow cards and young players like Christian Kofane and Montrell Culbreath.
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SC Freiburg suffered their eighth away defeat of the season in Frankfurt last weekend. But at home, at the Europa Park Stadion, coach Julian Schuster's team are clocking up one win after the next. SCF are unbeaten in the last 16 matches at home. On Saturday, 7 March (kick-off: 15:30 CET), they will be looking to keep the run going in the clash with the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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For the third time in a row, the Leverkusen eSports players have made it through to the final round of the VBL Club Championship. From 7 to 8 March, they will compete for the German Club Championship at XPERION in Hamburg. At the start of the final round, they face Hamburger SV in the Round of 16. The match starts at 19:30 CET on Saturday, 7 March and will be broadcast live on the VBL Twitch channel. The eSports preview.
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