Barcelona Football Club Kicks Off Smartphone System For Football Tickets

Barcelona football fans can now access to the Nou Camp stadium with nothing more than their smartphone, thanks to a new ticketing system.

The Catalan footballing giant revealed the news on its website. It said that fans can now access games at Camp Nou and the Camp Nou Experience without the need to print out tickets.

Making life easier

“FC Barcelona continue working hard to put technological innovations at the service of their members and fans to make their lives easier,” said the club.

“As such, the Club has initiated the Mobile Ticket project, a service that allows fans and members to store match tickets or Camp Nou Experience tickets on their mobile devices without the necessity to print them and bring them physically to the ground. From now on, mobile is just the ticket.”

So how does it work? Well, the fan has to download the application (Passbook for iPhone and iPod or PassWallet for Android tablets and phones). No word about Windows Phone users however.

Once the relevant app has been downloaded, fans can purchase their match tickets or the Camp Nou Experience ticket at fcbarcelona.com. The email confirmation will allow the user to add the tickets directly to Passbook or PassWallet.

When the fans reach the turnstiles at the stadium, they can validate the QR code that appears in Mobile Ticket.

“The objective in the area of technology is to bring the Club closer to members and fans and we believe the mobile is the most useful tool to do this, because it is within everybody’s reach and it opens us the possibility of making this relation easier,” explained Didac Lee, Barça director responsible for New Technologies.

“The Mobile Ticket scheme is an example of how technology can make access to the ground easier and more comfortable, and it is not the only service of this type,” said Lee. “Soon we will be announcing new functions for mobile devices that will allow fans and members to improve their experience with the Club.”

Mobile Tickets

Mobile ticketing systems are nothing new of course. Public transport systems have incorporated the technology into their payment systems for years now.

Last November, bus customers using First Bus routes began paying for their mTickets using Barclays’ mobile payment app Pingit.

In London, over one million contactless transactions were completed on TfL’s Underground services in just the first nine days of the technology being rolled out, following its earlier introduction across the capital’s bus services.

All checked up on mobile payments? Try our quiz!