Bears nix PDF printouts as new mobile ticket policy gets 1st test Saturday

SHARE Bears nix PDF printouts as new mobile ticket policy gets 1st test Saturday
bears_fans.jpg

The Bears’w new no-PDF ticketing policy takes effect Saturday. | Sun-Times file photo

Fans heading to the Bears’ preseason game on Saturday at Soldier Field should remember to charge their cellphones.

The team’s first home appearance of the year will also be their first run-through on a new NFL-wide policy scrapping PDF, or print-at-home, tickets in favor of mobile ones. Fans will have to present tickets on their phones unless they request a hard copy from the team ahead of time.

Season-ticket holders have still received card-stock tickets, but single-game buyers will have to download their tickets via the Bears or Ticketmaster apps, or through their phone’s web browser. Screenshots won’t do, either.

Fans can also have hard tickets left at will call, or pony up to have them mailed.

The Cubs ditched PDF tickets last season to crack down on counterfeiters. The White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks all still give fans the print-at-home option.

Max Waisvisz, partner at the West Loop broker Gold Coast Tickets, said he didn’t expect the new policy to cause many headaches at the gate, suggesting the mobile-only policy was one step on the way to higher-tech ticketing that could soon be based on facial recognition or fingerprinting.

“People have to change with the times,” Waisvisz said. “The bottom line is the technology adapts, and we’ve seen in recent years that consumers adapt so much faster than ever before as their phones get more and more advanced.”

Fans can still sell tickets through third-party re-sale websites.

To avoid connectivity issues, the Bears advise fans to download tickets to their digital wallets and share with everyone in their party ahead of game day — and to come to the stadium with a full phone battery.

Fans without cellphones should call (847) 615-2327, or contact ticket.office@bears.nfl.net.

The Latest
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Cowboy hats, bell-bottoms and boots were on full display Thursday night as fans lined up for the first of his three sold-out shows.
The incident occurred about 3:40 p.m. near Minooka. The horse was successfully placed back into the trailer, and the highway reopened about 40 minutes later. No injuries were reported.
The Hawks conceded the game’s only two goals within the first seven minutes and were shut out for the 12th time this season in a 2-0 defeat Thursday.