Ticket tips

[John Moynahan]

Hey Pats fans,
I'm fairly new to the area (living in Providence) and was hoping I could get to see my first NFL game.
I know that I'm going to have to pay more than face value if I want to make it to a game.
I don't want SRO tickets but other than that I'm not picky.
Via eBay, craigslist, StubHub, etc. it looks like the best I can do is about $180 per ticket.
Does anyone have any tips on getting tickets cheaper than that?

Are there scalpers at the games? I managed to get great Red Sox tickets for less than half of face value ($30, 15 or so rows behind the plate for a Dice-K start!) by buying them around the third inning. Would a similar strategy work in Foxboro?

I've also heard that if you check craigslist the day of or the day before a game, you could get lucky with someone who's desperate to sell. Has anyone had success with this?

Any tips you can give would be appreciated.

 

[Tunescribe]

Hey Pats fans,
I'm fairly new to the area (living in Providence) and was hoping I could get to see my first NFL game.
I know that I'm going to have to pay more than face value if I want to make it to a game.
I don't want SRO tickets but other than that I'm not picky.
Via eBay, craigslist, StubHub, etc. it looks like the best I can do is about $180 per ticket.
Does anyone have any tips on getting tickets cheaper than that?

Are there scalpers at the games? I managed to get great Red Sox tickets for less than half of face value ($30, 15 or so rows behind the plate for a Dice-K start!) by buying them around the third inning. Would a similar strategy work in Foxboro?

I've also heard that if you check craigslist the day of or the day before a game, you could get lucky with someone who's desperate to sell. Has anyone had success with this?

Any tips you can give would be appreciated.

You've pretty much covered the bases. Tickets will probably be harder to come by this year than ever before. I would not expect to have much luck with scalpers outside the stadium, they are few and far between. Plus, you'd have to pay $40 parking just to be there trying to find one. EBay, Craigslist are your best bets. Welcome to the board by the way, good choice for screen name too.

 

[John Moynahan]

Thanks bud.

 

[bbabin]

I have a similar question and asking here seems better than starting a new thread.

I am on the season ticket wait list for the first time this year. I'm planning on getting tickets via Patriots Ticket Exchange. Is there a certain amount of time before each game that tickets usually become available? So far I haven't seen any for any games, but I figure it's still pretty early. Any help/tips would be appreciated.

 

[eternal]

onlineseats.com is a good broker site. They are usually cheaper than stubhub and other broker sites...I've seen them put up tickets for less than face value at times. I have gotten tickets from them a few times and no problems.

 

[pats1]

I have a similar question and asking here seems better than starting a new thread.

I am on the season ticket wait list for the first time this year. I'm planning on getting tickets via Patriots Ticket Exchange. Is there a certain amount of time before each game that tickets usually become available? So far I haven't seen any for any games, but I figure it's still pretty early. Any help/tips would be appreciated.

Usually a week or so before. But for the better games, you'll need lightning quick fingers. I have a Firefox add-on that can automatically refresh my page every 1 second, and I missed out on good tickets even with that. Just think - 1 refresh every second, and if a set of ticket(s) pops up, chances are they will only last 1 refresh. Usually by the time you are able to transmit the message from your brain to your finger to "click," a message will come up that they have already been purchased (in other words, somebody clicked faster than you and they are in the process of ordering them).

Believe me, this is 100% true. I spent the Friday night before the Colts game last year doing this, and when I missed out on some in the 100s (there definitely will be a lot of good seats, face value obviously), I was, simply put, pissed. I kept missing out by freakin' milliseconds.

Some tickets courtesy of the TicketExchange I've gotten: 2 in 200s for Nov. 2005 Colts game, 2 in 200s for 2005 Bills game, 2 in 200s for 2005 Raiders game, 2 in 100s (endzone) for 2006 Bills game.

But the other possibility for non-STH waiting listers is Ticketmaster.

They'll usually release the remaining extra tickets, usually from the visiting team I guess, on Thursday or Friday before the game. The only trick to this is trying and trying and trying and trying -- all afternoon on these two days. These are a lot easier to get, but it's all about timing. You'll usually get absolutely nothing all day, and then suddenly you'll get a hit. The strategy is risky, but try to then go back and change the qualifiers to 100s: chances are you'll get a hit. There's definitely pairs of tickets, but obviously the more you request the harder it'll be.

Some tickets courtesy of the TicketExchange I've gotten: 2 in Row 36, 100s (20 yd. line) for the Jets playoff game last year, 2 in Row 8, 100s (endzone) for the Jags playoff game two years ago, others I've forgotten.

All face value, of course. I'd rather go for $100 seats in the 100s for playoff games than $250 seats in the 300s from eBay as had happened for the 2004 Colts opener.

At all costs, avoid the May sale of tickets. Those are absolute crap, unless you're from out of town and can't plan a trip at the last minute. Those will definitely be either high 300s or STO.

 

[bbabin]

Thanks a lot. I knew getting on the wait list would give me a better chance at tickets but I didn't really know what it was like.

 

[John Moynahan]

onlineseats.com is a good broker site. They are usually cheaper than stubhub and other broker sites...I've seen them put up tickets for less than face value at times. I have gotten tickets from them a few times and no problems.

Purchase New England Patriots Tickets at Onlineseats

Arena : Gillette Field
Championships : None
Headcoach : Bill Belichick

This makes me wonder about the site...

 

[Rob0729]

Hey Pats fans,
I'm fairly new to the area

I'll say. You were just born last week. New to the world is more like it.

 

[SoCal Bong]

I'll say. You were just born last week. New to the world is more like it.

Good catch! Suprising it took this many posts for someone to point that out. Then again maybe it was already commented on elsewhere and I just didn't see it yet.

Just to contribute a little to this thread, my observation as one shopping for a pair of tickets for the Redskins game is that there are less tickets available on ebay, stubhub, etc than usual and that they are going for higher prices this year - though that is to be expected with the high hopes of the 2007 Pats.

Typically late August is the worst time to buy tickets for mid to late season games as this is when the most buyers are looking so demand raises the market. I'm also looking for Pats at Fins tickets which I can see are already dropping a bit but I'm going to take my chances and wait until at least a month into the season. If the home team struggles then prices start dropping fast so I have more reason to hope the Dolphins stink it up.

 

[John Moynahan]

I'll say. You were just born last week. New to the world is more like it.

And my bastard of a dad won't even give my mom a free ticket so I can sit on her lap and breastfeed during the game.
So I'm forced to check eBay instead.

 

[primetime]

They'll usually release the remaining extra tickets, usually from the visiting team I guess, on Thursday or Friday before the game. The only trick to this is trying and trying and trying and trying -- all afternoon on these two days. These are a lot easier to get, but it's all about timing. You'll usually get absolutely nothing all day, and then suddenly you'll get a hit. The strategy is risky, but try to then go back and change the qualifiers to 100s: chances are you'll get a hit. There's definitely pairs of tickets, but obviously the more you request the harder it'll be.

It's happened. I managed to get tickets to the Bills game opening day and then the Broncos Sunday night game last year, and the year before to the Colts Monday night game. I could've got tickets to the Detroit game last year too by randomly deciding to see if I could, but I chose not to.

Usually, it's only single seats or pairs available, but it's face value. Can't beat that.

 

[pats1]

It's happened. I managed to get tickets to the Bills game opening day and then the Broncos Sunday night game last year, and the year before to the Colts Monday night game. I could've got tickets to the Detroit game last year too by randomly deciding to see if I could, but I chose not to.

Usually, it's only single seats or pairs available, but it's face value. Can't beat that.

Yeah, it was a lot easier in 2005. There were always tickets available. Even in late 2006 - the Texans, Lions, etc. - it was pretty easy too.

Just those Colts and Bears games last year were nearly impossible to score on.

 

[Rob0729]

And my bastard of a dad won't even give my mom a free ticket so I can sit on her lap and breastfeed during the game.
So I'm forced to check eBay instead.

Hey! Hey! Hey! This is Tom Brady you are talking about. I don't care if you call him Daddy. No calls Brady a bastard on this board and gets away with it. That kinda talk on this board is reserved for Drew Bledsoe, Josh McDaniels, and Reche Caldwell!

I'll forgive you this time because you are obviously new to this board. I do have to say that I wouldn't expect less than typing in full sentences from a 5 day old Tom Brady offspring. You are doing your Papa proud.

 

[Crowpointer]

For those of us looking to make the trek down to the Giants game this year they have a ticket exchange program for those on the Giants waiting list. It is free to be put on the Giants waiting list. I am hoping for a miserable Giants season on top of a night game in December which should make for some great seats available. Incidentally the Giants do allow you to post preseasons on ticket exchange but based on the amount of listings for the Jets preseason game (suprise)not many takers.

 

[QuiGon]

And my bastard of a dad won't even give my mom a free ticket so I can sit on her lap and breastfeed during the game.
So I'm forced to check eBay instead.

Actually... with all due respect... you might want to be careful calling other people a "bastard"....

 

[brdmaverick]

here is a suggestion.....claim to be Bridget Moynahan's brother or father and you might find an easier time getting tickets

 

[John Moynahan]

Hey! Hey! Hey! This is Tom Brady you are talking about. I don't care if you call him Daddy. No calls Brady a bastard on this board and gets away with it. That kinda talk on this board is reserved for Drew Bledsoe, Josh McDaniels, and Reche Caldwell!

I'll forgive you this time because you are obviously new to this board. I do have to say that I wouldn't expect less than typing in full sentences from a 5 day old Tom Brady offspring. You are doing your Papa proud.

I am the clutchest baby ever.

 

[patchick]

I am the clutchest baby ever.

A clutch baby performs, sleep-wise, at 3 am. Let's see you back up those big words with some serious z's, young man.

I hear Manning didn't sleep through the night until he was three.

 

[John Moynahan]

A clutch baby performs, sleep-wise, at 3 am. Let's see you back up those big words with some serious z's, young man.

I hear Manning didn't sleep through the night until he was three.

Good point.
Still, I'm ahead of where any of Travis Henry's 9 babies were at a week old.