Blue Jays: How to save time and money next time you’re at the Jays game

During the 2016 offseason, Rogers announced an increase in price for Blue Jay tickets depending on the date and team they play against.  Add in money for transportation and/or parking, food, and drinks plus the tickets themselves and you’ll find many fans that are thinking twice about heading to a game at the Rogers Centre.

With the Jays having gone to the Post Season the last couple years, it was inevitable that Rogers would take advantage of the rise in attendance and revenue.  They decided this would be accomplished by increasing the cost of tickets and ticket packages.  It seems that now more than ever, the cost of attending Jays games is getting out of control especially if you’re drinking alcohol at them.

But don’t stress too much – below are some quick and easy tips, hints and ideas to save money and time but still make the game an enjoyable experience for all!  Some ideas might not be ideal or applicable to some but using even one or two of them can save you money.

• Tickets – one can purchase Jays tickets on their official site; however, if you do a quick search, odds are you’ll be able to save a lot of money for the same area or even better seats at a fraction of the cost the Jays site sells them at.
  1. Tip: If you prefer purchasing tickets through the Jays official site and you’d like to bring children, check for Saturday home game tickets. These are “Jr Jay Days” and seats in the 500s and some areas of the 200s are 50% for children and seniors.  Regular price for adults remains the same.
  2. Tip: Jays tickets are cheapest on Mon/Tues/Wed on ticket exchange sites.
     1. I was able to get 2 tickets for Monday, May 15 for section 114 (first base line), row 4 for $60 CDN total via SeatGeek.  For the same section on the Jays site, the total was $113.  I purchased these tix 4 days before the game.
     2. I bought 2 tickets on Stubhub for $50 CDN total for Tuesday, May 16 for section 128, row 8 (third base line).  That’s a saving of over 60% if I had purchased tickets in the same area through the Jays site.  These tickets were bought the day before the game.
  3. Tip: Use ticket search engine sites that have a full guarantee policy regarding the game and the tickets themselves.  My two favorite ones are StubHub and SeatGeek. I’ve never had an issue with SeatGeek, receiving or paying for tickets, and the problems I’ve had with Stubhub, I’ve been able to connect with someone immediately for assistance and customer support.

• Food – lately, the cost of food within the doors of the Rogers Centre seems to increase every season! Fortunately, they haven’t changed the rule of allowing outside food into the venue….yet.
  1. Tip: Bring your own food to the game! Unlike other Toronto venues, Rogers Centre allows food inside the park from outside.  When I don’t have time to pre-drink or eat, I do the next best thing – grab a meal to go!  I’ve walked through the metal detectors and past the guards with Wendy’s and McDonald’s bags without issue.
  2. Tip: Eat beforehand! Last summer, I went on a date where he surprised me with a picnic complete with the basket, cheese and bite-size sandwiches to eat beforehand.  What we didn’t finish eating, we snacked on and finished during the game.  We were full enough that we didn’t need to stand in line for 20 mins to spend $6 on a hot dog.

Drinks

– if you decide to make the game a dry night, see below for some tips. If you’re going to be drinking alcohol, be prepared to spend a pretty penny – currently, Premium Tall Cans are going for $12.25 while Imported Tall Cans are $13.

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1. Tip: If you’re the designated driver in the group you’re with, find a Budweiser kiosk to fill out a pledge form. You’ll receive a voucher for a free soft drink ($6 savings!) and your name will be put into a draw for a prize pack.
2. Tip: A bottle of water (Dasani) inside the stadium costs $5.50! What many people don’t know is that you can bring in water as well as any non-alcoholic drinks up to 600 ml.  Security might ask you to open the bottles to make sure it’s not booze but it’s a small price to pay in order to save over $10 if you were planning on buying two bottles of water at the game.
3. Tip: Need to fill up the bottles but don’t want to use bathroom water or wait in line and ask concession to fill it up? Head to one of the several water fountains Rogers has scattered throughout the building:
   1. 100-Level: near sections 107, 115, 125 & 137
   2. 200-Level: near sections 207, 219, 229 & 241
   3. 500-Level: near sections 507, 517, 529 & 541

• Parking – TTC is always a good idea to avoid traffic congestion, high parking fees and the complete chaos that ensues when trying to head home after the game if you took your car. If you’re determined to take a vehicle into the city, here are 3 of the cheapest flat rate parking costs from noon – midnight within walking distance to the Rogers Centre:
  1. $9: 22 McCaul St @ UNIT PARK Parking FRI – SUN & $13 MON – THURS (1.7 km)
  2. $10: 315 Front St @ GO PARK Parking SAT/SUN & $13 MON – FRI (700 m)
  3. $12: 500 Front St West @ PRECISE ParkLink Parking MON – SUN (900 m)

• Free entertainment & other ideas  
  1. Bike to the game – there are bicycle stands outside the stadium near gates 2, 3, 6, 6A, 9A, 10, 13, 14 & 15
  2. Batting practice – head to the game early to catch the teams having batting practice! Doors open 90 mins before first pitch during the week and 2 hours on the weekend and many players will stop and sign autographs as well
  3. Running of the bases – on Saturdays, once the game is over, children 14 and under can run the bases

Next: Blue Jays’ Dalton Pompey plays in extended spring game

Hopefully, one or more of these ideas help you plan your next outing to the ballpark and save some money in the process!