This post is getting old. You may like How to Find Cheap Red Sox Tickets and Game Day Parking, published April of 2017!
How do you save on Boston Red Sox Tickets? In honor of the Home Opener Game today at Fenway Park, I’ve compiled a complete guide of ways to save on sox tickets!
The Basics of Red Sox Tickets
This is the first year the Boston Red Sox are doing ticketing on a tier-system. Basically, low demand games (like a weeknight April game) will be lower than high demand games (like a weekend Yankees game). There are five tiers– tier one is the most expensive tier, tier four is the second least expensive tier and Sox Saver games are the least expensive ticket option for Fenway. You can check out all Red Sox tier pricing here.
Also, each section will also have different prices based on how great the seats are. Upper Bleacher is the cheapest option*, which starts at $10 and Field Box is the most expensive (not including premium tickets) option with tickets up to $165 for tier one seats.
Seating at Fenway Park will vary based on preference and budget. Keep in mind that Fenway Park is an older stadium so there are seats that have obstructed views and not directly facing the field; however, when you purchase tickets on RedSox.com there should be a little red asterisk warning you of the obstructed view.
If you would like to have an idea of your view from different areas of Fenway Park, you can place your seats in the Red Sox seating chart to give you a good idea of the seats.
Bleacher, Standing Room only, and Grandstand seats will be your cheapest seats.
As someone who frequents Fenway on a Budget, I have no problem sitting or recommending Upper Bleacher seats for $10! It’s a fun atmosphere and you can still see what is happening during the game without binoculars! Bleacher seats are definitely more fun in the summer though, since it is much warmer– just remember to bring your sunglasses for day games!
Offers Directly From the Red Sox
As mentioned above, Red Sox tickets are on a tier system so prices will vary depending on date, opponent, weather, etc. If you are local and have a lot of date flexibility, you can usually find a great deal on sox tickets at some point during the season. However, if you are visiting Boston this summer and only have one or two dates available, it may be more expensive, especially if you only have weekend availability.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find a great deal on Red Sox tickets. The first place to look is the Red Sox’s website for tickets. Tickets will be at face value, but you will need to pay a ticket processing fee. Convenience fees are $4.50 per ticket and then a flat processing fee of $7 per order. So if you buy 2 tickets to a game, you would need to add on $16 in ticket fees.
In years past, it was nearly impossible to find tickets during the season but there are still game tickets available. Check the Red Sox website first for tickets. Popular games and/or summer games may be harder to come by, so make sure to check availability soon.
Also, if you are a high school or college student, you can receive *$9 standing room tickets with your student ID with a limit of 10 games this season. (Keep in mind you still need to pay ticket fees, which can be more than the ticket itself)
College students can also attend College Nights for $20 seats and there are six college nights in April and May this year.
Stop and Stop partnered with the Red Sox to offer Red Sox tickets for $15 to select games. However, you do need an unique password to receive the deal.
In addition to tier pricing for regular seats, the Red Sox are also introducing dynamic pricing for Monster Seats. Prices will be set by the market in real time (like airline tickets). It will be interesting to see how expensive Monster Seats will be for rainy or low demand games! Monster seats are in no way cheap seats, but you may get a good deal this year and you get to sit on the Green Monster!
Cheap Red Sox Tickets Through Third-Party Sellers
Sometimes buying Red Sox tickets directly through the Red Sox may not be the best option. If tickets are sold out or you are looking for more options, check out third-party sellers. Also, tickets can sometimes be below face value, especially for low demand games. Keep an eye out on third-party websites for upcoming poor weather games or last minute seats, since you may be able to score a real steal on tickets.
As mentioned, weather can pay a real factor in pricing. If the forecast isn’t ideal for baseball watching weather, you may find a huge price drop the day before or the day of the game. However, at the same time, you may notice prices go the other way too if the weather is more than cooperating!
I like using reputable sources like StubHub for tickets. There are a lot of options so you can filter out tickets based on preferences and prices. If you are looking for last minute seats or will be traveling, make sure the tickets are available for delivery right to your e-mail!
Also, SeatGeek is a great website to check out because it is a ticket aggregator (think Kayak.com but for tickets). It lists the price of tickets from multiple ticket agencies all on one page. This is a great way to see what the market is doing and what to expect to pay without going to a million different websites.
Keep in mind that SeatGeek is a ticket aggregator and not a ticket seller, so you may want to do a quick google search on the ticket company it refers you to if you’ve never heard of the company before.
Craigslist is another popular option for sox tickets, especially for cheap and/or last minute tickets. I’ve had friends that have been able to score below face value tickets from Season Ticket holders and others at the last minute. However, you are more likely to be scammed through Craigslist than other sources, so just be careful if you do go that route.
Day of Ticket Options & More
Tickets can be bought the day of the game, but only a limited amount of tickets are for sale beginning 90 minutes before game time at Gate E ticket window. You can wait in line up to 5 hours in advance for tickets, but you do need to proceed into the stadium once you receive your ticket. This is not a guarantee way to buy tickets, and you do not know what seats are still available, if any. For more information for game day tickets through the Red Sox, please head here.
Also, ticket scalping is illegal in Massachusetts. However, there is a scalp-free zone at Gate C 90 minutes before game time and Red Sox personnel are on hand to monitor ticket sales between fans, if you’d rather go that route for tickets.
If you are visiting Fenway Park from out-of-state and have visited other ballparks, you probably just showed up at the gate and got tickets right there at a decent price. I know I’ve done this for other major league baseball teams in the past, but the Boston Red Sox are a little different. You will run into a huge line and definitely a different experience from other ballparks.
Buying online or beforehand is much more convenient in my opinion, and I’ve actually never bought at the gate myself because the line is so intimidating!
If a Red Sox game is too expensive or are not playing when you’d like to see the ballpark, you can always take a Fenway Park tour or grab a beer a Bleacher Bar as an alternative.
As you can see, there are many different ways to save money on Red Sox Tickets this year. If you are visiting Boston and have a tight schedule, I would highly recommend getting your tickets in advance whether it’s directly through the Red Sox website or somewhere else. However, if you live or work near Fenway Park, you may want to try some different techniques. The best way really depends on you and how much flexibility (and budget) you have.
Now your turn– what is your favorite way to save on Red Sox tickets? Do you have any tips to share for any first time visitors, fans, and myself? What did I miss?
GO SOX!
*This post does contain an affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
For more Red Sox posts, please visit The Complete Guide to Saving at Red Sox Games and Red Sox Games on a Budget!
