Cubs Set Single-Game Ticket Sale Rules, Presales

Here's the scoop on the Cubs' single-game ticket sale, which will happen next week:

Single game tickets go on sale Friday, March 7, at 10 a.m. CT at www.cubs.com and by phone at 800-THE-CUBS (800-843-2827).

As referenced last year, the team will no longer host a two-hour on-sale event at Wrigley Field prior to online and phone sales. The Wrigley Field Ticket Windows will open Saturday, March 8, at 9 a.m.

So, this will be the first time that there will be no first-day sale of tickets at the Wrigley Field box office -- no wristbands. Given the current state of the team, it doesn't seem likely they'd need that this year anyway. But before the main on-sale a week from Friday, there are several pre-sales. Here are the details, in chronological order:

The Cubs will once again offer the MasterCard Pre-sale starting Tuesday, March 4, at 10 a.m. Fans using a MasterCard can purchase single game tickets in advance of the general on-sale date at a 15 percent premium, while fans using other forms of payment may purchase tickets at a 20 percent premium. MasterCard Pre-sale tickets may be purchased at www.cubs.com.

Thus, if you're willing to pay over face value, you can pretty much buy any ticket you want in that presale -- that's been the experience in the several years they've had it. Then, they are having a presale for season-ticket holders who want to buy extra tickets, as well as people on the wait list; that will happen Thursday, March 6, from 10 a.m. CT to 10 p.m. CT. Those people will have a unique code emailed to them March 4, for use on March 6 only.

Also, the Cubs are offering "MasterCard Century Seats," specially-priced tickets to honor the centennial of the park:

In celebration of Wrigley Field’s 100th birthday, the Cubs and MasterCard have partnered to offer a consistently low-priced seating option for every game during the 2014 regular season. Cubs fans can use their MasterCard to buy tickets priced at $19.14 before tax with no service or delivery fees. This 350-seat section is located in the Upper Deck Box level in left field.

MasterCard Century Seats must be purchased with a MasterCard, which serves as the buyer’s day-of-game ticket for admittance along with a photo ID. Guests will receive email confirmation of their purchase, however print-at-home tickets are not available for MasterCard Century Seats. These tickets are non-transferable. MasterCard Century Seats are available at www.cubs.com/CenturySeats or 800-THE-CUBS beginning Saturday, March 8, at 10 a.m.

Finally, here is the complete 2014 Cubs promo schedule (link opens .pdf).

The Virtual Waiting Room opens for single-game sales at 9:30 a.m. CT Friday, March 7. I'll open a thread here for the annual "Tales From The VWR" -- although, I don't expect there to be too many stories of hours of waiting.