Payment & Prices

Questions and Answers

• What can I use to pay?

  Students of the following universities and academies can pay directly using their student card:

  • Leipzig University
  • Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig)
  • HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
  • Berufsakademie Sachsen (University of Cooperative Education)
  • Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig (HGB)

  Students of the University of Music and Theatre »Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy« Leipzig can pay in the Mensas with the Mensa Card of the Studentenwerk Leipzig .

  Employees will pay using the Studentenwerk Mensa card. Exempted from this rule are employees of the universities and academies specified below; they can pay directly using their service card:

  • Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig)
  • HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
  • Berufsakademie Sachsen (University of Cooperative Education)

  Guests of the universities and academies associated with Studentenwerk Leipzig will receive a Mensa card for guests upon request via e-mail to kartenservice@studentenwerk-leipzig.de.

• Who will get a Mensa card?

  All students and employees of the universities and academies associated with Studentenwerk Leipzig as well as guests of these universities and academies can get Mensa cards (see question “What can I use to pay?”). Students from other universities who are currently staying in Leipzig as part of their studies will also receive a canteen card for students on presentation of their current student ID and proof of payment of the semester fee.

• How do I get a Mensa card?

  Mensa cards are issued by Studentenwerk Leipzig to one person on a non-transferable basis. Students having a student card that includes a Mensa card function will get access to this function via their university or academy. For further information, please refer to the question “What can I use to pay?”

  All other students can get their Mensa cards either from Studentenwerk Leipzig at the Student Service Center (SSZ) and/or at the beginning of the lecture period at the Mensas and Cafeterias on site in the context of the Mensa card service (current dates will be announced on this website or via notices).

  Employees of the universities and academies will receive their cards at the Human Resources Department of the respective university or academy. This does not apply to employees of Universität Leipzig. Employees of the Universität Leipzig will get their Mensa cards at the SSZ or at the Mensa card service (see above).

  Guests of the universities and academies associated with Studentenwerk Leipzig will receive a Mensa card for guests upon request via e-mail to kartenservice@studentenwerk-leipzig.de.

  Please bring along:

  For students:

  • student card with a valid stamp and/or certificate of enrollment
  • in case of student cards not containing a passport photograph you will also need to bring along a valid personal document for confirmation of your identity

  For employees:

  • employee identification card containing a passport photograph or Ident-No. (only applies to Leipzig University)
  • in case of employee identification cards containing no passport photograph you will also need to bring along a valid personal document for confirmation of your identity
• Can I eat at all the facilities?

  Yes, you can visit all our Mensas and Cafeterias – no matter which university or academy you’re enrolled at or working at.

• Where can I pay using my Mensa card?

  In all our Mensas and Cafeterias – regardless of which university you are enrolled at or work at.

• How and where can I top up my Mensa card?

  Student cards and Mensa cards must be loaded with money before they can be used for the first time. Afterwards they are immediately ready for use, no activation is required.

  It is convenient and secure to top up your card online via AutoLoad, with cash at the loading terminals in our Mensas and Cafeterias.

  Please note that you can only top up your card with 5, 10, 20, or 50 Euro at  our checkouts and loading terminals, topping up by means of coins is not possible. The minimum amount for topping up is 5 Euro, the maximum possible balance is 108 Euro.

  Charging terminals can be found at the following locations:

  • Mensa am Park: at the foyer in front of the Mensa entrance
  • Cafeteria am Park: in front of the entrance to the serving counter
  • Mensa am Elsterbecken: at the foyer next to the cafeteria entrance
  • Mensa Academica: at the entrances on the lower floor
  • Mensa Peterssteinweg: at the foyer on the ground floor
  • Mensa Liebigstraße: at the foyer in the bay next to the elevators
  • Mensa an den Tierklinken: in the customer area
  • Cafeteria Beethovenstraße: in the customer area
  • Mensaria am Botanischen Garten

  In the Cafeteria Dittrichring and the Mensa Schönauer Straße, the upgrade takes place at the checkouts.

• What do I do in case of a notice saying “Kartendatum ungültig” (invalid card date)?

  The Mensa cards for students are always valid for one semester. After successfully renewing your enrollment, you can have your Mensa card updated at the location where it was issued.

  If the notice “Kartendatum ungültig” (invalid card date) appears, the card’s validity has expired. The card is inactive and may be updated as follows:

  Validity update for students:

  • Students of the University of Leipzig, the HTWK Leipzig, the Berufsakademie and the HGB can update their student cards at the corresponding validation stations.
  • All other students can update their Mensa Card directly at the cash desks of the Mensas and Cafeterias or in the SSZ by presenting a current student ID.
  • Please bring your valid student ID (with semester imprint) with you, without it an update is not possible.

  Validity update (2 years) for employees:

  • Employees of all universities and academies (except for HTWK Leipzig) as well as any federal employees an update their Mensa Card directly at the cash desks of the Mensas and Cafeterias or in the SSZ.
  • Please make sure to bring along your valid employee card; without it, carrying out an update will not be possible.
• Can the card be topped up without cash?

  With AutoLoad you can top up your card conveniently and without cash directly at the cash desks of our Mensas and cafeterias. Prior to this, a single registration in the SSZ is required. All information can be found on the AutoLoad webpage.

• What do I do in case I lose my card?

  If you lose your card, contact your card issuing office as soon as possible and they will take the necessary steps to block it. You can block the card yourself in the online portal. You will receive the access data for the online portal at all cash desks in the Mensas and Cafeterias.

  PLEASE NOTE: Both, Mensa cards and university-specific cards (student cards) have a chip with the corresponding number for payment at the cash desks in the Mensas and cafeterias and for recharging at the loading terminals. In case of loss the card can only be blocked and the remaining credit balance refunded with this chip number.
  When looking for your chip number you can find the identification number printed directly on the Mensa card. If you are using a student card the number can be found via the serial number of your student card. You should therefore make sure to take a note of these numbers in case you lose your card. If you do not have any of the numbers at hand, please contact the office issuing the respective card.

  The remaining balance will be paid out in cash. Please book an appointment via our appointment booking tool. The payout takes place in room E 04 in the Mensa am Elsterbecken.

• Who is my contact in case of card problems?

  If you have any problems or queries concerning cashless payment at the Mensas and cafeterias, please contact our Mensa Card Service (kartenservice@studentenwerk-leipzig.de) or the SSZ staff.

• How do I find out what balance I still have on my card?

  The online portal allows you to view your card transactions. You can get the access data for the online portal at all checkouts in the Mensas and Cafeterias. Alternatively, the card validators will show you how much money you currently have on your card.