Cardinals new ticket plan lets fans attend any game for monthly price

Attending a baseball game can get pretty pricey these days. Between tickets, parking and food, a trip to the ballpark can easily result in a triple-digit charge on your debit card. There are some dedicated fans who would love nothing more than to get out to the park for every single game, but money is a significant issue.

Well, the St. Louis Cardinals are hoping to change all of that. The team introduced a new subscription ticket policy on Wednesday that allows fans to attend any game they want for a small, monthly fee.

This is fascinating from @Cardinals … pic.twitter.com/BIaNElpynY

— Benjamin Hochman (@hochman) March 22, 2017

That’s right, for $29.99 per month, you can attend any Cardinals game you want. How exactly does that work? Let’s take a closer look at the team’s new policy.

The Cardinals Ballpark Pass allows fans to attend any Cardinals game for $29.99 per month. Once you sign up, all you need is a smartphone and you’re set. That all sounds extremely simple. There should be a catch, right?

Not really. There are some restrictions with the program, but they aren’t too crazy. Here’s what fans can expect if they decide to sign up for the Ballpark Pass:

• One guaranteed standing room ticket for every single game (excluding opening day). You’ll notice two things here. First off, opening day is not included in the plan. Second, fans aren’t guaranteed a seat with their tickets. That could be a problem for high-volume games.
• Mobile ticket delivery. You can only sign up for the Ballpark Pass if you have an iPhone or Android phone. Tickets will be delivered to that device and fans will use them to enter the park. You’ll also need the MLB Ballpark App.
• You cannot sell or transfer your tickets. That’s somewhat disappointing, but understandable. Fans could easily make a killing selling those tickets considering it’s only $30 per month to use the service.
• Once you sign up, you’ll be automatically charged the $29.99 each month. The Cardinals are using an auto-renewal program here. Fans will want to make sure they are aware of that.
• You can opt out at any time. As long as you cancel by the 20th of the month, you won’t be charged for the next month, according to the team’s website. So, you can test out the program in April and May. If you find you aren’t going to games enough to justify the price, you can cancel the program in June.

That all seems pretty reasonable. Though there are some restrictions, the new ticket policy seems like a big win for fans. Those who support other teams may want to pay attention to the Cardinals Ballpark Pass program this year. If things go well in St. Louis, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other teams adopt a similar policy.