Mets, Yankees, other teams given OK by MLB to decide on issuing refunds for tickets

A Mets fan holds purchased tickets. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
The Mets, Yankees and other MLB teams appear to be almost done holding hostage the money fans paid for tickets to games that aren’t happening because of the coronavirus pandemic.
MLB paved the way for refunds Monday when it reversed its policy on postponed games, telling teams that it is up to each of them individually to decide how and when to handle tickets for affected games. The league previously had asked teams to wait and to tell fans to keep tickets while it figured out what to do.
Clubs are allowed to share their new ticket information with the public starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to a source. The policies are expected to focus on games that were supposed to have been played already, but each team can decide what to do about the other five months of the original schedule.
A Mets spokesman said they “probably” will reveal their plan Wednesday. A Yankees spokesman said they expect to have a policy “in the next few days.”
Both teams still had single-game tickets for sale on their websites as of Tuesday afternoon, the Mets starting May 15 and the Yankees beginning May 22.
For the past month-plus, MLB has treated pandemic-postponed games the same as weather-postponed games — not cancellations, a key semantical difference. Each contest was treated like a rainout, to be rescheduled for a future date. A league spokesman said shortly after the sport’s would-be Opening Day on March 26 that fans should “retain their game tickets and await further direction as details are finalized.”
By changing that stance, MLB is acknowledging what has become obvious in recent weeks: If there is a baseball season at all, it likely won’t include fans at ballparks, and at least in the beginning, it won’t happen at teams’ home stadiums. The league is considering various unorthodox options — an all-Arizona plan and an Arizona/Florida/Texas plan, among others — for the sake of saving the season. All of those are contingent on the pandemic receding.
Other sections of the sports and entertainment industries face similar issues. Some NBA teams are refunding tickets on a case-by-case basis based on economic hardship, a source said. The Knicks and Rangers’ websites say you can request a refund at the point of purchase. Those teams plus the Nets and Islanders say tickets for postponed games will be honored on the date they are rescheduled. If games are canceled or played without fans or at a different location, teams will work on credits or refunds.
MLB’s reversal means money is coming back to its ticket-buying fans, many of whom have dealt with repercussions of the virus and the ensuing economic downturn and unemployment explosion. The decision also comes amid increasing public outcry — including a lawsuit that seeks certification of class-action status and targets commissioner Rob Manfred and all 30 MLB teams — about teams’ lack of action on the issue.
With details of a refund system not yet in place, some Mets season-ticket holders say they are open to the team keeping their payments as a credit toward the 2021 season, and only if the Mets can make it worth their while. So far, there has been minimal communication from the team on any of these topics.
“I’d be willing to let them hold on to my money until next year if we got back something for it, 10% of it in a gift card for food or something would be good,” said Phil Pivnick, an Oceanside resident who has had a Mets plan since 1999. “Something like that.”
That opinion is not universal.
“My expectation is a refund if there are no games,” said Baldwin’s Kevin Kurz, a half-season ticket holder since 2015. “Will it be a refund all at once or staggered refunds based on games missed? I could deal with either scenario. A credit towards next year doesn't interest me because I don't know what next year will look like for me personally or the country in general.”
With David Lennon, Andrew Gross, Steve Popper and Colin Stephenson
Ticket policies for other local teams:
ISLANDERS
The Islanders say tickets for postponed games will be honored on the date they are rescheduled. If games are canceled or played without fans or at a different location, they will work on credits or refunds.
The Islanders have said any rescheduled regular-season games or postseason games would be played at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum. The team’s tenure at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is over.
RANGERS
The Rangers will honor tickets when games are rescheduled or refunds can be requested at point of purchase.
KNICKS
Tickets already purchased for a postponed game will be honored when the game is rescheduled or you can request a refund at point of purchase. If games are not played or played in an empty arena, the team will work with the ticket holder on a credit for a future game or a refund.
NETS
On March 13, the Nets announced on their website: “We will honor tickets already purchased for any rescheduled games. If games are not played or played in an empty arena, fans will have the option to receive a credit for a future game or a refund. We will be in touch as soon as we have additional information on the status of future games.”
GIANTS / JETS
The Giants and Jets have informed season-ticket holders that they are deferring payments for 2020 season tickets, with deferment periods depending on which plan the ticket holder has.
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