Season ticket holders......are you renewing?

[eddie83]

5 hours ago, theocean said:

Legitimately asking here - what benefit do you all find in getting season tickets besides access to playoff tickets early? You can buy single game tickets for basically any game in any section - isn't the flexibility of being able to just buy tickets when your schedule allows it better than having dates locked in with a season ticket plan?

I've thought about it, but not sure if I'm missing out what makes season ticket plans an attractive thing to buy. Appreciate any input!

I have them for a couple of reasons.

-Opening Day access 

-I have a 13 game plan. I give 3 games away as a Christmas gift. I  usually went to 8-10 games a year whether we were good or not anyway prior to having season tickets. With kids at home and work I mostly go on the weekends. Those are the highest attended games. By having a 13 game plan a couple will hit on Fridays and Saturdays. Those games tickets in good spots are in higher demand. My kids and wife all love going as well. I only have 2 seats but the Orioles let you switch games around. I can turn 2 games into 4 seats for 1 game and all at the season ticket price. The Orioles are great that way.

-You save money by having season tickets compared to being an individual buyer if you are buying direct from the team.

That said your point makes sense. If you have the flexibility to attend games regardless of the day of the week for many nights you can use the secondary ticket market and get great seats at a cheap price. What kills the Orioles is the lack of a season ticket base. I know there is a big difference for me if I have already paid for something vs planning on buying something. I may plan to go to a game but then something comes up or another expense and you just say the heck with it.  The Orioles and sports in general are really going to have to start offering more and better incentives to season plan buyers. 

I am planning on keeping them for this year but I will certainly keep an open mind about the future. 

[weams]

5 hours ago, theocean said:

Legitimately asking here - what benefit do you all find in getting season tickets besides access to playoff tickets early? You can buy single game tickets for basically any game in any section - isn't the flexibility of being able to just buy tickets when your schedule allows it better than having dates locked in with a season ticket plan?

I've thought about it, but not sure if I'm missing out what makes season ticket plans an attractive thing to buy. Appreciate any input!

You get to go to Opening Day.

You get Spring Training ticket (s), You get early entry to the bowl. You get a rep that helps swap your dates for whichever ones you want. And you get a discount. 

You get to be part of the team, you can attend a few ST holder only events. 

You can buy extra tickets at the discount which is not small. I have friends and family member bug me all the time to buy their tickets through my account. 

So really, if you go to 13 games, or even take folks to fewer, it's a no-brainer to buy season tickets. You save substantial money. If you don't it makes no sense. 

[CP0861]

6 hours ago, theocean said:

Legitimately asking here - what benefit do you all find in getting season tickets besides access to playoff tickets early? You can buy single game tickets for basically any game in any section - isn't the flexibility of being able to just buy tickets when your schedule allows it better than having dates locked in with a season ticket plan?

I've thought about it, but not sure if I'm missing out what makes season ticket plans an attractive thing to buy. Appreciate any input!

I like having opening day dibs and playoff tix. For me, there's a little value in not having to worry about pricing and buying on stubhub for those.  Not a huge amount of value...but a little.

Add to that, sounds dumb, but I love the B/C parking.  I can get from my seat to the light at 295 in less than 5 minutes.  I'd guess it saves us an average of 15-20 minutes getting out vs. parking in F/G/H. 

As far as the games go, you can trade them in...and pretty much go whenever you want.  You have the assigned games, but nothing is "locked in". 

I'll pay a little more attention to stubhub in 2018.  If attendance drops (call it a hunch)......the secondary market will drop (again) also.....I'll weigh my ST cost vs. buying off of stubhub.  But honestly, I'm pretty certain I'll keep my ST games for the trade value.  I always go to a few Friday and Saturday night games....those are going to be the more expensive games on stubhub.  If I lived nearby, I'd go secondary market on weeknights.  Actually, who am I kidding, I have kids so weeknights are never an option.

If you're on the fence....the absolute best bet would be to buy a cheap 29 game plan, at least in my opinion.  If you go to just a few games a year, it pays for itself.....plus you can enjoy the added perks.

[Woody Held]

I have had a season plan since the 1984.  Originally me and three friends split a full season package and then eventually when we got married or moved on I went to a 13 game plan.  I have seen World Championships and been through the dark ages with the team.   I will be renewing as I always do love baseball, love Camden Yards.  I see moving Manny now as unfortunate but necessary.  That doesn't mean I am not without concern as this is something that can be a boom or bust.  I still don't believe it will happen , no matter the bundle offered it will stop at 100N. Charles street

[Frobby]

I belong to a group that shares four tickets to all 81 home games. My commitment is 8 games.   We have a draft before the season to allocate the games.

I’ve been doing this since the 1990’s.   At the time, the advantage was obvious — the stadium was sold out or close to it every game, and having season tickets guaranteed me good seats to the games.    Also, parking in Lot A, immediately adjacent to the stadium, at the bargain price of $8.

Now that the stadium is not usually sold out, the proposition is more dubious.   I like the fact that I never have to pay “premium pricing,” no matter who the opponent is or what promotion they’re running.   I still like the parking, and the seats themselves are sweet (12 rows directly back of the 1B bag).    What I don’t like is, because we have a ticket draft, I get more games on weeknights than I’d like, or games that are undesirable for other reasons.    I don’t always use all four of my tickets for every game.   I sometimes think I’d prefer just to buy tickets to individual weekend games that I know I can attend.   But in the end, I like the seats and the parking, and I’m a creature of habit.  So I’m staying in, for now.   

[ThomasTomasz]

2 hours ago, weams said:

You get to go to Opening Day.

You get Spring Training ticket (s), You get early entry to the bowl. You get a rep that helps swap your dates for whichever ones you want. And you get a discount. 

You get to be part of the team, you can attend a few ST holder only events. 

You can buy extra tickets at the discount which is not small. I have friends and family member bug me all the time to buy their tickets through my account. 

So really, if you go to 13 games, or even take folks to fewer, it's a no-brainer to buy season tickets. You save substantial money. If you don't it makes no sense. 

Opening Day can always be had on the secondary market.  So if someone is spending a couple thousand on season tickets, whether the 29 or 81 games, it's likely that they could spend substantially less even with these tickets on the secondary market.  

Once the metal detectors went in, you no longer have early access to the seating bowl.  

My rep does not swap dates.  I do like the dollar-for-dollar exchange.  However, those, as well as buying extra tickets at your STH discount was limited to 20 transactions this year- don't quote me on the number, but it was limited, and it was not announced to us in advance.  Just like they tried to take away club access without telling us two years ago, only to give it back. 

Someone said the Orioles and sports in general need to offer better rewards.  The Orioles are in the stone age.  Lots of other teams give better rewards, including BP on the field, I mentioned quite a bit in my OP.  The Orioles are actually lagging in a lot of ways to be creative to try and fill the park to be honest.  

[ThomasTomasz]

7 hours ago, theocean said:

Legitimately asking here - what benefit do you all find in getting season tickets besides access to playoff tickets early? You can buy single game tickets for basically any game in any section - isn't the flexibility of being able to just buy tickets when your schedule allows it better than having dates locked in with a season ticket plan?

I've thought about it, but not sure if I'm missing out what makes season ticket plans an attractive thing to buy. Appreciate any input!

I replied to this in someone else's post, but just so you see the response specifically for you- the one thing that the Orioles do have above anyone else is a dollar-for-dollar exchange.  Meaning as a 29 game holder, I can exchange my tickets for another game and if my ticket for that game cost me $55, I can trade it in for $55, I don't take a penalty. I  can also pick any seat in the house that is not claimed yet, which I often like to do when the tickets behind the press box become available.  I originally got season tickets when my dad retired and moved, because of that exchange they offer- he came into town for the two longest stretches of home games, and I traded tickets so we went to games while he was here. 

Other than that, opening day and playoff tickets, the Orioles are really lagging behind STH rewards.  For example, the Pirates offer on-field BP as one of 12 potential STH rewards you can cash in, and they are already going through the renewal/upgrade process.  I have never been approched in five years of having tickets about upgrading, and they don't have us renew (unless you bought playoff tickets and they weren't;t used) until early February. 

[NATTYBO's]

10 hours ago, TradeAngelos said:

So tell me how much that free agent "power bat" and "pitching talent" is going to cost over a 10 year period. Or if they will actually be here over a 10 year period. Or of they will put up 40-60 WAR  over that 10 year period. Here I will answer for you......a lot more than Manny, they won't, and they won't come close. The books are basically clear after 2018 except for 17m to Davis, spare me with the "drain on our finances" nonsense. You are the exact type of fan Pete wants, believing we are one of the poorest little franchises in the league who just can't afford a single great player or their salary. Nothing is further from the truth. 

Tell me how well we did last year with Manny?  Manny may not be a drain right now but he's going to get a 350-400MM contract.  Besides 3 or 4 teams no franchise can afford a contract like that and stay competitive.....look at the history of these contracts.  You are out of touch with reality