Super Bowl 2018 tickets: How to see Eagles-Patriots at the last minute
If you’re still trying to get into Super Bowl LII, here’s to hoping you’re sitting on a pot of gold, too.
Ticket prices for the big game, when the Philadelphia Eagles face the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, have soared well into the thousands. But if you’re still hoping to buy before Sunday’s game, here’s what you need to know:
Where to buy
Eagles season ticket holders were entered into a lottery for Super Bowl seats in the $950 range after the team’s win against the Minnesota Vikings. Last year, the NFL did away with a lottery system that would have given non-season-ticket-holders a shot at getting tickets priced at face value.
The Eagle, however, have a partnership with PrimeSport, a sports travel and events management company, that lists packages for sale. Last week, the cheapest package was nearly $5,000. As of Friday, that price had dropped to a starting rate of nearly $3,000.
Ticket prices are dropping says Philly attorney Larry Fish, 46, and dad Alex, 67, here in Minneapolis without tickets, watching stub hub to go under $3k for lower level seats. Larry is repping Randall Cunningham; Alex Donavan McNabb. pic.twitter.com/POba7bp7YA
— Amy S. Rosenberg (@amysrosenberg) February 2, 2018
The secondary market is also an option for those considering a last-minute purchase. Here are the cheapest options available from the following sites as of Friday afternoon:
Stubhub: $2,900
Ticketmaster: $3,100
TicketIQ: $3,200
SeatGeek: $3,500
Waiting might not be best
If there’s any time to pull the plug on the big purchase, it might as well be now, TicketIQ founder Jesse Lawrence told the Allentown Morning Call on Friday. Lawrence said he expects prices to shoot up once again over the weekend.
Sunday’s pricey tickets may be the cause of simple economics — U.S. Bank Stadium is just a smaller stadium.
“There’s a supply issue, and when there’s a supply issue the destination is less important and the teams that are in it are less important as far as what drives the price,” John Lamoreaux, president of Ticket King recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
It also might be Eagles fans paying the big bucks. A StubHub spokesperson told CBS Sports that sales are up 63 percent from last year, with buyers in every state and nearly 20 countries.
Leading the way in sales are fans from the Keystone State — 14 percent of sales from the site are coming from Pennsylvania and 11 percent from Massachusetts.
This year’s game may end up being the most expensive Super Bowl on record, according to USA Today.
“I think there was a thought as soon as the Vikings lost that there’d be a huge dip, but there’s still been high demand,” StubHub’s Cameron Papp told the publication. “The Eagles fans have surprised us.”
Still, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro warned fans to proceed with caution. Shapiro has put out a handy guide on how to avoid the fakes.
“Everyone enjoys the Super Bowl, and in Pennsylvania, we are all excited the Philadelphia Eagles are heading to the big game,” Shapiro said in a statement. “However, big sporting events like the Super Bowl also attract scam artists, and my Bureau of Consumer Protection will protect consumers if something goes wrong with their ticket purchases.”
How much they used to cost
The Minneapolis Star Tribune published an interactive infographic Friday, noting the average prices of Super Bowl tickets over the last five decades.
In 1967, tickets were just $12. Adjusted for for inflation, the price is still a mere $90. In 2005, when the Eagles last appeared in the Super Bowl, also facing the Patriots, average ticket prices floated around $600. Average prices began to reach the $1,000 range in 2009, according to the Star Tribune.
Want more Super Bowl coverage? The Inquirer has all the analysis you need leading up to Sunday.
