Digital tickets

[ndg1860]

We are seeing the demise of the printed programme, slowly, for many clubs. Are we seeing the same with tickets, specifically away tickets?

I collect these now that I am attending so many away games. However, a number of clubs are going "digital". In the Championship, Plymouth only provided a digital version one can print out. Now I see that Oxford are doing the same. I wonder how many other clubs do this and will the paper tickets of current games soon become a collector's item owing to their rarity?

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On a totally unrelated note, I read that Sheffield Wednesday sent their allocation of away tickets (for the mid-April match at Hillsborough) to Oxford City instead of Oxford United

[flashhat]

I have in the past couple of seasons been to places like Morecambe, Fleetwood and more recently Aston Villa, who have all sent my ticket to my phone, but upon arrival at the ground, the ticket office have been kind enough to print me off the printed version aswell. Hopefully clubs would allow this to continue for collectors, as I'm sure it would only be a handful of people per match?
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I was born in Bedfordshire, bred in Bedfordshire, & have been lumbered with Luton Town Thanks dad R.I.P.

My football memorabilia: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192140619@N08/albums

Non-league photographer https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473465@N03/albums

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[Ron Saunders 2]

flashhat wrote:

I have in the past couple of seasons been to places like Morecambe, Fleetwood and more recently Aston Villa, who have all sent my ticket to my phone, but upon arrival at the ground, the ticket office have been kind enough to print me off the printed version aswell. Hopefully clubs would allow this to continue for collectors, as I'm sure it would only be a handful of people per match?

Believe me, Villa are doing ALL they can to get rid of physical tickets (including season tickets).

Make the most of it whilst you can.

[CanaryHonestMan]

Norwich City have signed a deal with SeatGeek for next season which will probably all but end printed tickets at Carrow Road. Not that you see many now, given that most supporters have either a season ticket or membership card. Away seats still have printed tickets but that surely won't continue into next season.

[colchestersid]

If you look at the Premier League handbook and press releases you'll see a requirement to have all clubs on digital ticketing for home and away fans from next year

It does still allow for printed tickets but only for those who are not able to navigate online themselves due to disability of some kind and for large group bookings (they give the example of school groups but I doubt many school parties attend Premier League games)

https://www.premierleague.com/news/4071456

[flashhat]

I guess to stop people buying & selling tickets on
_________________
I was born in Bedfordshire, bred in Bedfordshire, & have been lumbered with Luton Town Thanks dad R.I.P.

My football memorabilia: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192140619@N08/albums

Non-league photographer https://www.flickr.com/photos/143473465@N03/albums

https://www.sportsshots.org.uk/

[Dorking]

I attend the vast majority of Palace's away premier league games. My wife attends them all.

At about half the away games now it is digital tickets only. Fortunately, for all their faults, the Palace box office do facilitate match day ticket collections at the away grounds for those without compatible smartphones.

I know that many Premier League clubs don't, and if you can't do smartphone tickets, then you can't attend those away games.

Despite being a season ticket holder (a 25 year 'Ambassador' season ticket too) I don't have a plastic season ticket card sadly, so I have to collect a printed ticket at each home game from the box office instead.

Does mean I get to continue having a physical ticket collection for all Palace matches.

I don't know how long Palace will continue issuing 'physical tickets' for people like me, I guess at some point in the future they will refuse and then I will have to get an up to date modern mobile phone.

Will be a sad day from a personal point of view because I am sure using smartphone ticketing will give me considerable anxiety, but also from a collecting point of view, as physical tickets will become similar to cigarette cards or phonecards and one day I suspect only 'old ones' will exist for collectors to collect

[Tynie Topics]

For Scotland home matches and Cup Semi/Finals at Hampden, you must have the Hampden App on your smartphone and the ticket is loaded onto it. I've never had a problem using it.

They do however still print tickets for hospitality and will also print a ticket if you're having a problem with your phone. However, I stopped bothering to find printed tickets so I just class these games as having none.

For many Scotland away games these are also downloaded onto the Hampden App, the last one being away to Greece.

Proper tickets for Scotland games are therefore a rarity these days.

I've only ever bothered with tickets for Hearts games in Europe and Cup Semis/Finals, and thankfully Hearts still allow you to buy proper tickets for home Euro games. However it looks like Cup Semi/Finals tickets will also become a thing of the past.
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/footballprogrammes/albums

[seandel1]

I've kind of taken Covid as the cut off point for collecting tickets. It's a bonus if I get anything since then but I've come to accept that almost every game from internationals to the League of Ireland, Premier League to the World Cup is electronic ticket only.
For cup games and at least some away games I could just queue 15-30 minutes before kickoff for paper tickets but I generally just buy in advance online.

[chrisp1304]

Wales are digital but for an extra charge per ticket will send a physical ticket, from memory I believe i pay £2.
Wales also do not produce a programme of any description and haven't done so since the last set of European Championship qualifiers. Despite this being raised in a number of fan forums with the FAW they appear totally against the idea quoting sustainability but not addressing the option of an online programme.
Away games are collect ticket in the venue city which tend to be usually printed at home type tickets on A4 paper but occasionally more traditional tickets.

When i go to games as a neutral supporter in the home end, i usually receive a print at home option along with the digital ticket. I'd be interested in other peoples' views on how a printed at home ticket is viewed having seen the odd one for sale on ebay.

[Dorking]

chrisp1304 wrote:

When i go to games as a neutral supporter in the home end, i usually receive a print at home option along with the digital ticket. I'd be interested in other peoples' views on how a printed at home ticket is viewed having seen the odd one for sale on ebay.

For almost all Dorking away games it is print at home, and I always print mine off on A4 and keep it with my programme

Dorking also brought back plastic card season tickets this season after lots of complaints when they didn't do them for the current season (they actually gave us a barcode each which we made into our own plastic cards using an online company for this current season)

So my local non league club listens!!

I was very relieved that for the forthcoming FA Cup semi final tomorrow, Palace emailed everyone a print at home ticket. I know it isn't a 'proper ticket' like in the old days with a tear off stub, but it will still be the physical ticket I use to gain entry at the turnstile, and it means I have something physical to keep

I have even printed another one off on thin card so it stays pristine at home for my collection lol

I understand from digging around for info that other semi finalists Man City and Villa aren't even doing print at home ones (but Forest are)

(Also for me it is a huge relief, as I don't do phone tickets!)

My ticket for Wembley looks in the same style as this by the way...you fold it in 3 like a takeaway menu and put it into the scanner slot to read the QR code



(sorry but not posting a pic of my actual one for obvious reasons lol)

[ndg1860]

QPR have just released their season ticket offers for next season and have stated specifically that all tickets will be on the phone, whether one has a phone or not.

"Entry into MATRADE Loftus Road will continue to be fully digital for the 2025/26 season. Season ticket holders no longer receive a physical season card so supporters will be required to enter the stadium by using their Apple/Google Wallet."

I think there will be a few complaints from the elderly who are still using old phones and cards.

[Dorking]

For the current season, Palace still let about 1500 fans (elderly and disabled) have plastic season ticket cards

From next season that will be disabled only, being old won't be an excuse.

They do currently let people without to collect printed tickets at the stadium on the day only (as long as you present photo ID)

So despite being a (25 year) season ticket holder (which runs until 2031!) I collect every game, and have a full set of home and away stubs from this season. It's a bit of leg work, but better than not getting in.

I don't know how long they will facilitate this for stubborn refuseniks like me but we shall see.

[chrisp1304]

For my club team Cardiff we receive traditional tickets for away games which appear to be printed by the home club.
This was the case recently at QPR which seems at odds with how home supporters are ticketed. I guess the I.T. requirements would be too difficult to use phone tickets only, particularly as coach trip organisers buy for a number of supporters at once. Although on saying that they have to provide details of supporters they are buying for, so a phone number for each would be possible.
As relegation looms for us I'll have to wait for my next ticket for QPR away anyway