Cubs release 2019 season ticket invoices

The Cubs Thursday sent invoices to season-ticket holders, with the following message on pricing:

With our window of winning still wide open, there continues to be significant demand for Cubs tickets. For 2019, season ticket pricing will increase by an average of 2.65 percent across the ballpark. Following our annual review and thoughtful analysis, pricing in some sections will decrease while other sections will increase by as much as 9.5 percent.

Here’s the pricing scale for my bleacher ticket:

In 2018, there were four Diamond games ($79), 19 Marquee games ($67), 13 Platinum games ($48), 15 Gold games ($38), 21 Silver games ($26) and nine bronze games ($19). Those single-game prices do not include the tax as shown above.

So, as you can see, pricing for the individual levels remained mostly the same (down slightly for Marquee and Platinum). The increase in the bleacher season ticket total price is approximately 1.6 percent, mostly from shifting games into higher pricing tiers (primarily silver to gold). Based on the Cubs email, the 1.6 percent increase in bleacher pricing is on the low end of increases.

Given the Cubs’ early exit from the postseason, I am a bit surprised they increased prices at all. Yes, I know, “what the market will bear.” In this case I’m not sure if it will bear that, although at least for bleacher season-ticket holders, the increase is modest.

The biggest change for STH will be that all season tickets will be mobile-only for next year. They are offering an option to print tickets (on non-commemorative stock) for a cost that isn’t specified in the information we got, and also the team is giving the opportunity to receive tickets printed on commemorative ticket stock at the conclusion of the 2019 season.

The Cubs ask for a 20 percent deposit to be placed on 2019 season tickets by December 12. Anyone (like me) who paid for the entire postseason package and took unused tickets as a credit will have far more than 20 percent available to be applied to the cost of 2019 tickets. In my case, my unused tickets from the 2018 postseason will pay for about 42 percent of the total cost of 2019 season tickets. Full payment is due January 23, 2019, after that the Cubs will hold their usual online relocation event for STH who wish to do so.

I’d be interested in hearing from other STH regarding their invoices and price increases or decreases.