NFL Tickets Don't Have to Crush You
On our NFL game day cost rankings, the average NFL resale ticket is $219. But that number is misleading. It averages every seating tier at every stadium, from the upper deck to the club seats, and the range is massive. People who plan ahead consistently pay way less than people who don't.
Seven things that actually work.
1. Set a Price Alert
Ticket prices on the secondary market move as sellers list inventory and buyers make plans. 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.
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
Wherever you buy, compare the total price with fees before you check out. The listed price without fees is basically meaningless.
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 they cost less than the lower bowl.
Best upper-deck experiences:
- US Bank Stadium has a steep upper deck that puts you surprisingly close
- 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 Visit Your Team 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 can see the gap on our NFL game day cost rankings: the average resale ticket is $271 at Gillette Stadium, against $115 in Jacksonville and $145 in Tennessee. Following New England to one of those stadiums is a way to pay less and 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, and the games you can't attend can be resold, sometimes for more than face value on high-demand matchups. The catch: the upfront cost is real.
Don't Forget the Rest
Cheap tickets are only one piece. Parking, food, and drinks add to the total too. 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.