Going digital: Canadiens to charge fans $150 extra for printed tickets

Paper tickets may soon be a thing of the past, as the Montreal Canadiens have reportedly made a controversial decision with their season ticket holders.

Season ticket holders have been informed that tickets will be available in electronic format only for next season, as fans will be asked to scan tickets from their mobile device.

Fans that want hard copy tickets can still get them, but for an additional cost of $150 per seat, plus taxes and fees.

Just renewed my Habs season tickets. Had to pay an extra 345$ (300+taxes) so I can get paper tickets. Great money grab Mr. Molson!!

— Theo Radiotis (@theolaki) July 10, 2017

The Canadiens sited security, ease of use, and environmental sustainability as reasons for the new policy.

No longer providing hard copy tickets makes sense from a team perspective, given they’ll save on printing and distribution costs. Tickets have been available in digital form for years, though scanning from a smartphone has never been a requirement. Presumably the team will still allow fans to print tickets at home if they prefer a hard copy version, so this story may not be as catastrophic as some may think.

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