Last night, I sat in section 312 for the fourth game of my Phillies June Pass. It was the third game I’d actually attended (I missed Friday’s because I was at a concert and Les Bowen was there), and even if I were to stop now, I probably got enough bang for my buck. There are some drawbacks to the monthly pass, but do they outweigh the positives? [Spoiler Alert: No]

 

Pros

Ticket Cost

The whole package costs $50 per ticket with a $5 fee for a total of $55. That comes to $5.50 per game if you go to all 10 or more likely, $7.85 per if you hit seven. Hell, even if you only get to half, $11 per game is incredibly cheap. In the four games so far, my seats have been in the 311-312 range three times, and 146 once. Even at a mostly empty CBP that’s a steal.

 

Ease of Use

The whole thing is run though the MLB.com Ballpark app. One user (the one who purchased the ticket(s) if more than one) gets sent barcodes 24 hours before game time for standing room only seats just to get you into the ballpark. An hour before first pitch, you’re sent a free upgrade through the app and those are your actual tickets.

It’s all run through the purchasers’ app and account, but I just shared my login info with the guy I bought the pass with, and he was able to use it without me being there and use the seats on his own. He was confused as all hell trying to figure it out, but that’s on him. Five minutes of poking around in the app beforehand and you’re good to go.

Plus, using the app to check into the games unlocks (very minor) treats for you, like $15 off tickets to a future game or a free soda somewhere.

 

Upgrades

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Through the same app where your tickets come in, you can purchase an additional upgrade if you don’t like where you’re sitting. This is not exclusive to the June pass, but because I’m incredibly impatient, I upgraded on night one, moving from 312 row 5 to 111 row 4 (above) for just $25 each, bringing my total ticket cost for that game to $30.50. Plus, you do it all on your phone without having to even talk to anyone, and that’s always a plus.*

 

Cons

Secondary Costs

I take the subway down to the game and buy my tokens ahead of time, so it only costs me $3.60 for a round trip commute. But 10 games in 20 days is a lot to handle, and even though it comes out to essentially a large coffee per ticket, you’ve gotta then worry (if you’re driving) about parking, gas, food and drink at the stadium, a pretzel or water from the “Pretzel, Water a buck, shirts are five” guy (who upped shirts to $6 this year). On its face it’s an incredible bargain, but if you hit every game (or most) the costs will sneak up on you.

 

Commitment

This last one isn’t news to anyone who has even been a full season ticket holder: it’s a commitment. It’s a game every two days on average, but they’re laid out in three sets of back-to-back-to-back games with one other one. It’s a little exhausting. Plus, the plan is all weeknight games, so it’s two sets of Wednesday-Friday with a Monday-Wednesday in-between. If you hit them all, you start by seeing six games in eight days (and the Phils are 1-3 in those games). Plus, there are two day-games in there, and if you can’t finagle a couple of days off (if you work during the day) your per-game price jumps a bit right off the bat. For this reason alone, I can’t really recommend it unless your commute is somewhat cheap and quick.

 

Value

Is it worth it? Hell yeah… or, it depends. I’ve been to four games already, including one four rows from the field, and by seeing just two more my per-game cost will drop to $16. Hitting them all is a challenge, as is not dropping $50 additionally at every game. Your mileage will vary depending on your commute cost, interest level, and how free you are on weeknights, but if that works for you and the Phils do it again you should give it a shot. It’d be easier if weekend games were tossed back in though.

*This is a regular feature of the MLB.com Ballpark App, but when each ticket only cost you $5.50 or so, it’s a great value.

Post Script: I decided that after going to all of these games and eating so terribly I had to find some kind of healthier option at last night’s game. I went to the Philly Fresh stand by the left field foul pole where I got a pocket-sized Chicken Caesar wrap that tasted like those Wawa pre-packaged ones for $11. I’m never eating healthy again.