Want Jets game tix? Prepare to pay

Jets fans must be prepared to spend a lot of green if they hope to see Gang Green take the final step toward the Super Bowl in person.

Tickets for the Jets' AFC Championship Game against the Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh Sunday are selling for between $270 for upper level seats to up to $10,000 to all but sit in coach Rex Ryan's lap. The average is somewhere around $400 per person, according to StubHub spokeswoman Joellen Ferrer.

But if there's good news for Jets fans, it's that while their wallets may be a little lighter after shelling out for the coveted tickets, it could be a whole lot worse.

"The prices are higher for the Bears and Packers because of the rivalry," Ferrer said. "We've seen a huge surge overnight. . . . Last week, the price for the NFC Championship Game was around $400 and now, it's at around $700."

On average, Jets ticket prices are marked up only around four times the list price, with similar rates on TicketMaster and eBay. TicketMaster had upper deck seats listed at around $270 Monday night, with lower-level tickets closer to the $1,000 mark. eBay, meanwhile, seemed to be a decent alternative for those going in groups, with tickets for two or four people as low as $300 to $400 each, although they balloon to thousands of dollars.

Ferrer said that StubHub has already moved "several thousand" tickets. While the majority of those have been for the AFC game, the higher demand for the NFC matchup is jacking up prices.

"I would expect prices to go up if it were in New York," Ferrer said of the AFC game. "Fans have already been buying tickets for the AFC championship in Pittsburgh for several weeks, since fans can buy tickets for contingent games, and the price hasn't changed much from last week, when it was around $400."

If anything, Ferrer said that savvy ticket buyers could probably afford to wait a few more days to purchase their seats. Those going in groups of four or more or those who want specific seats are better off buying tickets as quickly as possible, she said, but "if a fan is more choosy about the price point and not where they're going to sit, wait a couple of days and see where the prices are at. There are going to be fluctuations throughout the week. The market isn't settled yet."