I would like to welcome you to the “new and improved” ticket exchange system that has every student on the Plains in a frenzy. As a new school year has crept upon us, as did a new system in regards to students transferring football tickets to one another as well as bringing guests to games. Auburn football is finally back this week, with the kick off game against Clemson this Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know about this new ticket exchange system and whether or not it’s a hit or miss.
Students can provide other students with a ticket to any home game by simply transferring their ticket over to their ignited card the week before the game, which isn’t anything new. However, there’s a slight change to the transferring process. Tickets can be transferred starting at noon the Sunday before, lasting only until Wednesday. In the past, we could transfer tickets to fellow students the morning of the game. Your guest also has to enter the game with whoever has the ticket on their ignited card as security will be face-checking every student who enters the stadium. Can you say time-consuming?
Now if you’re bringing someone to the game who doesn’t go here, you need to get a hold of a guest pass. Did I mention that there’s a limited amount? Guest passes can only be purchased the Thursday before the game, from 9am to 1pm. Therefore, if you’re interested in bringing a guest you may want to camp outside of the ticket office Wednesday night. The icing on the cake is that you need to actually purchase this guest pass, on top of having to buy the ticket in the first place. The prices for the guest passes range, depending on who our opponent is. For example, if the guest pass fee for the upcoming Clemson game costs $90 while the guest pass for the Arkansas State game cost only $15.
Here’s where it gets weird. Since there’s only a limited amount of guest passes, that means only a limited amount of tickets are eligible to be transferred. That means if you don’t transfer your ticket as soon as possible the Sunday before the game, chances are slim that you’ll be able to transfer the ticket at all.
I understand that this whole new and improved ticket system is to only help better the student section and allow more Auburn students to take advantage of the student section, but it’s the ultimate struggle. It’s only common that our friends and family want to come visit us, come to an Auburn football game and experience the game while sitting with us in the student section. Who wouldn’t? We’ve got the best student section and best fan base in all of the SEC. We’ve got the best football team, too! Having to buy a ticket off another student and then pay an upgrade fee to purchase a guest pass really leaves a dent in our bank accounts. Even though student tickets are only worth $20 each, you can never find one that cheap… supply and demand people, supply and demand. My hopes are that the ticket system will go back to normal after the SGA realizes just how much of a fiasco this kick off game will be for us students attempting to bring guests. With that being said, War Eagle and Beat Clemson!