Fans Liaison Officer David Lloyd explains how to use the new smartcard for supporters.

City fans will have received their new season smart card and those joining the membership scheme will have a member's smart card.

As a season card holder, fans automatically have all home league games credited to their card and any additional matches such as cup or friendly games will be credited to the card upon payment. There will be no paper match tickets in this instance.

For members who have selected and paid for games, the matches will be credited to the member's card and, again, no tickets will be issued.

Those fans booking games for the first time on the internet will need to activate their season/member's card using the relevant client reference number before attempting to book.

Important: Remember to remove postage from the internet booking when prompted as no tickets are posted if fans have a card. The club is unable to refund postage costs selected in error.

The drop down menu for selection of postage or collection remain for use by the general public who book without cards and are issued bar coded tickets.

Always use the client reference number indicated on the appropriate smart card as this will enable the club to monitor loyalty.

The club cannot search for reference numbers when booking as this is time consuming and there is always a chance that an alternative client record may be selected. This will result in loyalty not being applied correctly. It is a supporter's responsibly to provide the correct client reference number for ALL parties wishing to book.

Finally, please do not destroy your card at the end of the season. They will be recharged for the forthcoming season and will last for several years. Treat cards as a value item and look after it carefully - no one would would carelessly throw away a bankcard.

How to use - see video, with details below.

Season smartcards shows the stand, block, row and seat number acquired as well as the turnstiles through which the supporter must enter the ground.

A valid adult card will activated a GREEN light and the supporter will be allowed entry into the stadium.

If a RED light shows the card has been blocked and the supporter will be directed to a staff member with a handheld PDA reader, who can tell what is wrong/allow entry or direct to the ticket office.

A FLASHING RED light indicats entry to the ground through the wrong turnstile, or the ticket has already been used, or the game has not been loaded onto the card.

A GREEN AND AMBER light together indicates a concession ticket and on entering the ground additional turnstile operatives will check concessions for proof of age or student status. Any adult attempting to enter the ground on a child season card will find this flags up at the turnstile and they will be asked to pay the appropriate price at the ticket office.

Do not linger at the turnstile. It is important that fans enter the stadium swiftly as the card is only read once and only allows one entry. The card cannot be passed back to others and will only allow access to the first person.

When inside the ground please sit in the appropriate seat and put away the card safely. Lose it and fans will need to pay a £10 replacement charge.

Enjoy the technology - don't be afraid of it.