NFL Tickets Don't Have to Crush You
The average NFL ticket on the secondary market is around $150. But that number is misleading. It includes $500 lower-bowl seats for Cowboys-Eagles and $40 upper-deck tickets for a Week 4 Jaguars game. The range is massive, and people who plan ahead consistently pay way less than people who don't.
Seven things that actually work.
1. Buy Tuesday or Wednesday
Ticket prices on the secondary market follow a weekly cycle. Sellers list inventory throughout the week. Buyers spike on Friday and Saturday when people start making plans. The window is Tuesday through Wednesday. Supply is up, demand is down, and you'll save 15 to 25% compared to weekend prices.
Set a price alert on SeatGeek or StubHub and pull the trigger when it hits your number.
2. Pick the Right Games
Prices vary wildly based on the matchup:
- Weeknight games. Thursday Night Football is often cheaper because it's a work night
- Bad weather forecasts. Rain or cold scares off casual buyers. Diehards get rewarded
- Non-rivalry, non-primetime matchups. A Week 6 game between two .500 teams at 1 PM on a Sunday? That's the clearance rack of NFL tickets
- Early season. September games tend to be cheaper than November and December when playoff races drive up demand
- Losing teams. Fan interest drops with the record. Late-season tickets for bad teams crater
3. Check Day-Of Prices
If you live near the stadium and you're flexible, waiting until game day can pay off big. Sellers sitting on unsold tickets drop prices hard in the final hours. 30 to 50% below the weekly average isn't unusual.
Gametime specializes in last-minute inventory. The risk: marquee games and rivalry weeks won't drop much. But for a standard mid-tier matchup, day-of is often the cheapest option.
4. Look Beyond the Big Resellers
StubHub and SeatGeek aren't your only options:
- Team ticket exchanges. A lot of teams run their own verified resale platforms with lower fees
- Season ticket holder communities. Facebook groups and subreddits for each team often have face-value tickets from holders who can't make the game
- Credit card presales. Amex, Chase, and Citi offer presale access to NFL games, sometimes at face value
- NFL+ subscribers sometimes get early sale access
5. Go Upper Deck
Upper-deck seats at NFL stadiums are honestly underrated. You see formations develop, routes unfold, and defensive schemes play out in ways that lower-bowl seats can't show you. And the price gap is significant: 40 to 60% less than lower bowl.
Best upper-deck experiences:
- US Bank Stadium has a steep upper deck that puts you surprisingly close
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium 300-level seats are some of the best value in the NFL
- Allegiant Stadium upper deck has sweeping Las Vegas skyline views through the giant windows
- SoFi Stadium even the top rows have good sightlines because of how the bowl is shaped
Every team's seating guide on VisitYourTeam has section-by-section breakdowns.
6. Watch Your Team on the Road
Your team's home games carry a premium from local demand. But when they travel to a lower-demand market, ticket prices can be meaningfully cheaper.
A Patriots fan might pay $200 for a home game at Gillette Stadium and find tickets for $80 when New England visits Jacksonville or Tennessee. Same team, different stadium, way less money. Plus you get to see a new venue.
The Compare Teams tool can show you the cost difference between two stadiums.
7. Season Tickets (Seriously)
This sounds backwards in a budget article, but the math can work. Season ticket holders pay face value, which is almost always below secondary market prices. The games you can't attend? Resell them, often for more than face value on high-demand matchups.
You can end up breaking even or coming out ahead on the games you skip, which makes the games you attend basically free. The catch: waitlists at popular teams, and the upfront cost is real.
Platform Comparison
The same seat can vary by $20 to $40 across platforms because of different fee structures:
| Platform | Typical Fee | Good For |
|---|---|---|
| SeatGeek | 15 to 20% | Comparing prices across sellers |
| StubHub | 20 to 25% | Biggest selection |
| Gametime | 10 to 15% | Last-minute deals |
| Vivid Seats | 15 to 20% | Promo codes and deals |
| Team exchange | 5 to 10% | Lowest fees |
Always compare the total price with fees before you buy. The listed price without fees is basically meaningless.
Don't Forget the Rest
Cheap tickets are only one piece. Parking, food, and drinks can double your total spending. Use the Game Day Cost Calculator to map out the full picture, and check the Game Day Price Index to compare food and drink prices at your venue.