What are Group Tickets? Should I buy Group Tickets?

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Most sports teams offer group tickets as a way for companies, large families, charities, and other organized fans to buy tickets.  Almost every NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB team offers group tickets.  Each team has their own policy on how they sell group tickets, but as a general rule, teams define groups as 20 or more fans attending the same game and sitting in the same general section.

There are a ton of advantages to buying Group Tickets - even if you are a family of 2!

  1. Group tickets are often slightly cheaper than normal tickets.  It’s usually between $2-$10 a ticket in savings.
  2. Many teams offer Group Leader incentives depending on how large a group you organize.  They include things such as free tickets, free food, hats, t-shirts, autographs, or even a meal with a player. 
  3. Group tickets are sold AFTER the team has determined how many Season Ticket Holders have renewed for the next season, but BEFORE the tickets go on sale for the general public.  That means you can get your tickets months before they are offered for sale to the general public.
  4. Once you have bought Season Tickets for a team and get to know your Account Representative, it is easy to get tickets every year.

I know what you are thinking!  These are great advantages for a truly large group - but how does it apply to the single fan, couples, or small families?

  1. For those of you interested in going to the game free, you can purchase Group Tickets and resell them for a small profit. This profit will easily cover the cost for you and your family to attend the game.  For example, you buy 20 tickets for $25 each.  A total of $500.  Since you are a family of 4, you only need 4 of the 20 tickets.  You list them on eBay or Stubhub and sell the other 16 for $40 each ($640 total.)  You end up with 4 tickets for free, plus $140 for food and souvenirs.  And the people who bought from you get access to a game that was sold out, and only paid a few dollars more per ticket.  Special note for those of you feeling guilty about selling tickets for a profit, consider the following:  You sold the pair for $80 ($40 per ticket.)  The team would sell them for $50 ($25 per ticket) through Ticketmaster.  But Ticketmaster would tack on so called convenience charges, handling fees, and other surcharges.  So in the end, the fan buying from you truly paid just a few dollars more. 
  2. For those of you who don’t want to sell the tickets for profit, you can simply organize a group of fans to buy them at face value.  Family, friends, neighbors.  Even complete strangers.  The list goes on and on.  If it’s a sold out game, there will be no shortage of fans wanting to buy your tickets at face value.  Everyone loves you for being the hero, and you are happy because you were able to get tickets at face value long before the general public.  Not to mention the free swag directly from the team.

To inquire about your favorite team’s Group Ticket policy, visit the team’s website or call their Ticket Office directly.

Hope that helps and thanks for the question! 

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4 Comments

  1. skeet on 01.11.2007 at 14:05 (Reply)

    Great kick-off post for NaBloPoMo. Everyone wants to save on tickets and this is a good strategy many wouldn’t have thought of.

  2. jo on 01.11.2007 at 21:05 (Reply)

    I’m still paying off college for three kids so I’m always broke. My strategy is have lots of friends who go to concerts, then when someone gets sick they give me their tickets! ;)

  3. Dave on 03.11.2007 at 21:45 (Reply)

    I find it funny that people feel bad about scalping. If you have ever purchased anything at a store they scalped the product to you. They buy it at one price and sell it to you for a higher price. There is nothing wrong with it and in fact should be encouraged. Capitalism is nothing to be ashamed of.

    BTW I like this site. Throughout high school and college I did quite a bit of scalping or “ticket brokering” and loved it. You make some money and get good tickets. Win win situations are great.

  4. Chris Young - Ticket Pepper on 07.11.2007 at 00:24 (Reply)

    That is great advice on the group tickets.

    And I also agree with the poster above me about scalpers. If someone is willing to pay higher than market price for tickets, that is their prerogative and it shows they seriously want to go to the event.

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