KnappenCard - The payment card for the VELTINS-Arena
A new currency has been created for all payment transactions inside the VELTINS-Arena: the Knappe.
Cash is not accepted in the Arena. The Knappe is an artificial currency that can be loaded onto a KnappenCard. These chip cards are available in denominations of 10, 25 and 50 Knappen, the equivalent of 10, 25 and 50 euros. You can exchange as much or as little as you like.
The advantages of the KnappenCard
The new currency makes for much faster service in the VELTINS-Arena. Anyone wishing to enjoy a freshly poured Veltins pils or a crispy bratwurst during the short half-time break will be served quickly at one of the 32 refreshment bars dotted about the stadium. Simply go with your KnappenCard straight to the sales kiosk, where the equivalent value of the items you buy will be deducted from the card. Problems of counting or searching for change are now a thing of the past. And whilst we can't guarantee you won't have to wait to get served, we'll do our best to ensure that the queues don't get too long, even when demand is at its greatest.
Detailed information (in German only!) on the KnappenCard can also be downloaded as a PDF file (332 KB) free of charge.
Some important information
- You can buy your KnappenCard from special points of sale situated on the promenades inside the VELTINS-Arena and on the forecourts outside. The staff there will be happy to advise you should you have a question or a problem.
- There is no need to worry that you'll forfeit any remaining money on your KnappenCard when you leave the VELTINS-Arena at the end of the match. The Knappen on your card can be exchanged for hard currency at the points of sale at any time.
- When your KnappenCard is nearly or completely empty, you can charge it up again at the points of sale inside the Arena.
- The Knappen on your card will not expire under any circumstances. You can use your KnappenCard at any event staged in the VELTINS-Arena, be it a Schalke home game, a concert or any other sporting event.
How to buy your bratwurst or beer
- First, buy a KnappenCard from one of the points of sale inside and outside the Arena. Season-ticket holders can also load some Knappen onto their ticket.
- Then go to the kiosk, tell the staff what you'd like and give them your KnappenCard (or season ticket), which will then be swiped through a terminal that reads the information on the chip. Confirm the price by pressing the OK button.
- The kiosk staff will now hand you your bratwurst or beer along with your KnappenCard (or season ticket), from which the relevant amount has been deducted.
Why KnappenCard?
The Arena currency has been given a name that is closely associated with the tradition of FC Schalke 04. Because the players in blue-and-white were reverently dubbed the Knappen by the fans when they embarked upon their legendary run of sporting success in the 1920s. The nickname emphasises the ties linking the club and its players with the coal-mining industry, as a miner who had completed his apprenticeship was known as a Knappe. In the 1930s and 1940s, when Schalke won championship upon championship, the nickname became famous right across the country.
