What do New England Patriots tickets cost on the secondary market?
Six hundred seventy seven(!). Dollars(!!).
You can stop rubbing your eyes now, because you’re not seeing things.
Sadly, that figure is not a mirage.
What it is, is a record-setting price for NFL tickets on the secondary market – the top of Mt. Everest, for fans and brokers alike. For comparison’s sake, $677¹ is more than the current cost of a 65” Samsung 4K Smart TV at Best Buy.
That’s a lot of money, even for Pats fans whose median household income (Boston area) for 2017 was 27% more than the average NFL city.
With that being said, this puts Patriots ticket prices at an average of $499.80 since 2014 (2018 excluded). The next highest average over that period? $430.40, for a seat at a Seattle Seahawks home game.
Do cheap New England Patriots tickets even exist?
Hardly. It’s true that secondary market prices are usually at their highest prior to the start of the regular season. But even year-end Patriots ticket prices remain well above the fold. The overall average of $342² at the end of the 2018 regular season was still 107% above average.
²Source: SeatGeek
So what’s the average Pats fan to do?
Save 10% on Patriots ticket prices
Over a 12 game sample from 2016-2019, New England Patriots tickets were on average 10.9% cheaper here ($284.25 vs. $319.13) when compared against 13 other resellers*.
*Based on cheapest available seat, minimum of 2.
The sample does not include data from Ace Ticket, a Boston based ticket site. And just how does Ace Ticket compare to the others?
| Stub Hub | Razor Gator | Vivid Seats | Ticket Liquidator | CoastTo Coast | Ticket City | Gold Coast | Ticket Monster | Tick Pick | | Ticket IQ | Seat Geek |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $157 | $243 | $171 | $152 | $174 | $167 | $178 | $162 | $148 | | $147 | $155 |
The above prices were for the Dec 24 game at Gillette Stadium. You’d think that a site which used to bill itself as “your local source for last minute Patriots tickets” would be more competitive, no?
Okay, granted, it’s merely one game from a few years back. So let’s see how the numbers stack up for the Patriots 2019 home opener:
| Captain Ticket | TickPick | Ticket City | StubDepot | Ace Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $495 | $498.50 | $521 | $525 | $529 |
| Prices are per ticket based upon a purchase of 2 as of June 16, 2019 |
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Not as bad, but still about 7% more than the least expensive listing.
So, up to this point it’s been solely about Patriots game tickets. What about the other game day expenses?
What it costs to see a New England Patriots game
The real Fan Cost Index, or what it costs for a family of 4 to take in a single Pats home game, was $3177 in 2017.
Not only is that equivalent to the price of a new car in 1967, it’s a thousand more than the next highest total for that season.
If you’re truly serious about saving some money, then it’s time to evaluate some of the other game day costs, starting with…
Gillette Stadium parking
If your mind is still trying to process the aforementioned figures, then brace yourself for what is still to come.
Parking pass prices are every bit as mind blowing, if not more so, than the cost of seats.
In 2017, the cheapest available official parking pass was 460% more than the average, while New England Patriots tickets on the secondary market was “only” 125% above average.
In fact, a Club East parking spot at Gillette would have cost you as much as a new iPad.
Tailgating
For many fans, tailgating is yet another big expense on top of a pile of big expenses. But in many cities there are fan-organized tailgate parties that often provide exceptional value. Big Blue BBQ (NY Giants, $40) and Hail BBQ Crew (Redskins, free) provide two such examples.
And what does Gillette Stadium have? The “Executive Special” for $149, which is the cheapest package, and does not include the $50 parking fee. Hmmm… instead, why not share a slice with Peter Carbone, Richie Caturano, & Mark Allara? They’re three guys that haul a wood-fired pizza oven to the Patriots Stadium parking lot before every home game and serve up gourmet pizzas.
Hotels
So you’re a big Pats fan from out of state traveling to Foxboro for the game, and you need a place to crash for a night. And though you’ve already spent 500 bucks on New England Patriots tickets, you consider splurging on a 4-star hotel at Patriot Place, because what the hell – you deserve it. Besides, how much could it cost – $100 more than your average 3-star, maybe $200 more?
Here are the prices and ratings for nearby (within 6 miles of Gillette) solid, but not spectacular, 2- and 3-star lodgings compared to the Gillette Stadium hotels:
| Hotel | Avg. rate* | Avg. rating** |
|---|---|---|
| Econo Lodge, 775 Providence Hwy, Sharon | $85 | 62 |
| Best Western Plus The Inn, 395 Old Post Rd, Sharon | $127 | 76 |
| Courtyard Boston, 35 Foxborough Blvd, Foxborough | $127 | 85 |
| Comfort Inn, 4 Fisher St, Foxborough | $134 | 82 |
| Rally Point Inn & Pub, 9 Mechanic St, Foxboro | $153 | 78 |
| Renaissance Boston Patriot Place, 28 Patriot Place | $429 | 88 |
| Hilton Garden Inn Foxborough, 27 Patriot Place | $439 | 92 |
| *Rates are for a 1 night stay (11/26 – 11/27/17) as of Nov. 3, 2017 **Ratings are based upon cumulative scores from at least 3 of 4 sites (Expedia, hotels.com, booking.com, & Kayak) – a 3 (out of 5) rating on Expedia = 60, 7 (out of 10) rating on booking.com = 70 |
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Now I’m not saying that the pricey hotels aren’t worth it, but if you’re trying to save some cash, do you really want to spend an extra $300 on top of what you’re already paying for the day?
Conclusion
In 2019, the stark reality is that if you can afford these prices, they wouldn’t matter anyway because you’d probably own a season pass.
Such is the irony of a nightmare (or is it nightmare of an irony?) for many Pats fans, even if you consider yourself well off.
To wit, the 2017 cumulative real game costs for 4 games per season over 4 years is $50,832 – which was about the same as a year’s tuition at MIT or Boston College.
Consequently, if you want to knock off hundreds – or even a thousand bucks – off of the albatross that is the Patriots’ real FCI, then follow these steps:
- Make this your go-to site and save an average of about 11% on New England Patriots tickets.
- There are a number of benefits to parking off site, & price is one of them. Save up to 88% on Gillette Stadium parking.
- Save even more with these top tailgating ideas.