Financial firms capitalize on popularity of baseball

A promotional image of Samsung Card-issued credit cards that offer benefits to the Samsung Lions fans / Courtesy of Samsung Card

Financial services companies are capitalizing on the popularity of baseball in their sales campaign, as the country’s professional baseball league is expected to draw a record number of fans this year.

The possible 12 million attendance record comes just a year after the number topped the 10 million milestone for the first time since the league was created in 1982.

Under these circumstances, credit card companies and banks are offering services that are themed on teams they have partnered with.

The services include discounts on tickets, apparel and other souvenirs, as well as a higher-than-market deposit rate.

Samsung Card customers who have a credit card named after the Samsung Lions can get a 50 percent discount on tickets to the Daegu-based team’s home games and merchandise shop purchases.

They can also buy food and beverages inside the Daegu ball park at a 10 percent discount.

To support long-distance fans, the card offers a 5 percent discount on railway fares, and a 5 percent discount when using travel platforms such as Yanolja or NOL.

These benefits are available to users who spend at least 300,000 won ($220) in the previous month. The membership fee is 20,000 won per year.

The card is noted for its five designs that were carefully chosen by considering fans’ taste.

The designs are inspired by the Samsung Lions’ logo in their founding year of 1982, its championship uniforms in 2002 and 2005, its stadium and its mascot “Blueleo Family.”

Samsung Card noted that many baseball fans in their 20s and 30s have “buying power in the long term and therefore are expected to boost the firm’s revenues in relation to baseball.”

Shinhan Card has a co-branded card with the Seoul-based LG Twins.

The partnership dates back to 2007, when Shinhan Card acquired LG Card, which operated under the wing of LG Group. The conglomerate owns the LG Twins.

These card holders get a 3,000 won discount on the team’s home game tickets and a 10 percent discount on merchandise shop purchases.

The card features the team’s iconic striped uniform and mascots in its design.

In partnership with the Doosan Bears, another Seoul-based team, KB Kookmin Card normally gives a ticket discount for one person per game. But an additional ticket discount is available on “KB Pay Day,” held once a month.

The offer is available regardless of how much a card holder spends per month.

Gwangju Bank has introduced a card named after the Kia Tigers, the Gwangju-based team.

The card offers up to 5,000 won off on home game tickets, regardless of spending from the previous month.

Card users receive a 10 percent cashback benefit for purchases at merchandise shops and convenience stores inside the Gwangju stadium.

BNK Busan Bank runs a deposit account that offers a higher-than-market interest rate based on the performance of the Lotte Giants, a team based in Busan.