Loyalty Points - Time For Change?

[tidyman]

There is no perfect system.

You'll get the ones who have low loyalty points who say a change is need and those who have high loyalty points who say leave it as it is.

only this.

every season this topic comes up. I missed out on barca away by 100 points but didnt cry the systems not fair. The system is what it is and has been in place long enough that people know the score. People just starting to go will obviously not get the benefit that people who have been going years will get thats the way the system works , rewarding loyalty, the more games you go to the more points you get. This may sound harsh but if you want to take your son or daughter to the match thats great but dont expect to be able to get them to jump the queue just because they are going with you who may have been going for years. Everybody has to start somewhere with points but if everyone wants to queue jump their kids doesnt that deny a tickets to those who have earned the points.

You missed out on Barca by 100 points because there were literally hundreds above you who habitually bought the ticket to maintain status yet chose to sell....

It's gone from dozens, in your post yesterday, to hundreds today.

Nobody knows how many people regularly buy tickets for the sole purpose of getting the points and selling the tickets on. I suspect it is very few. Why and how would they have built up the points in the first place if they didn't go to the majority of games?

It's probably not uncommon for someone who misses the odd away game to buy a ticket anyway but this assumption that masses of supporters with high points are doing it regularly ( and never traveling past Stoke, as someone said ) is just bullshit.

 

[mancitymick]

Keep it as loyalty points but may be offer more points for less desirable games. Southampton away on a Monday night for example.most of those on high points will still go but those who can't be arsed as they can rightly so pick and choose games will one day be caught faster. Down side it will make points whores more greedy

 

[kenzie115]

Anyone that has a season ticket for 10 years and goes regularly away (which anyone can) will earn enough points to get tickets to any game they want.

I've had my season ticket for 11 years and don't have enough points for the big games away. I'm not far off but usually sells out before my points. Which is fair enough as I stopped going to aways when I had kids.

But it's not a closed shop and anyone that wants to build up the points to go to the big games can easily do so.

Perhaps now's not the right time then but in 5, 10 or 15 years time, there'll come a point where the kids will have no chance of ever getting an away ticket.

 

[mancitymick]

Yes Man U is a game people want to see for example but the big games now in my eyes are the finals. We are fortunate to say that now. Join the cup schemes and your prayers are answered for domestic finals

 

[dancity19]

The key is, as someone has said, to go to games that are available in order to build up points.

I have around 8,000; I went to every domestic away that I could that got down to my points level (that included Spurs, Hull, Arsenal, Norwich, Chelsea, Villa). I bought tickets for Palace off here as I didn't think they would get down to my criteria- which I don't think they did at first, until more were released. You can normally always get to at least one European away not matter how many points you are on; I got to Munich in our first Champions League season, and Real the next- I'd say they are pretty big games, so you don't need to be on 12k to get to all the big games.

The biggest issue is points hoarding. I have seen someone on a city ticket exchange thing (facebook or twitter) actually begging someone to use his card to get themselves tickets. Had no intention of going, but wanted the points. People then use this as they want to go to the game, and fear it won't get to their level (like I did with Palace.)

There is no way to stop this, as there will be legitimate sales, where the person going, won't necessarily be the Season Ticket holder.

Guess it just depends on the person. But it goes on a lot, I imagine.

 

[Bill]

Keep it as loyalty points but may be offer more points for less desirable games. Southampton away on a Monday night for example.most of those on high points will still go but those who can't be arsed as they can rightly so pick and choose games will one day be caught faster. Down side it will make points whores more greedy

this is a good shout, especially in some CL games, anyone and everyone would go to barca but would they do say Istanbul? as you say re Southampton v visiting goodison. grade the aways.

 

[bluemanc1994]

Im a student so need to watch my money as best I can, and only have 4000 points. Obviously, one day, I would like to go to the 'big' away games but I don't complain that I can't because those at the top of the criteria have been going for years. Hence, 'Loyalty'. I always keep an eye on away criteria etc, and make the odd trip which I can afford. Realistically, I can't afford the long trips to Southampton and Swansea, but the closer ones I can. I'm not overly fussed that I can't do aways, as I know eventually, when im older, I will have the potential to do more than I do currently.

No system will be viewed as fair by everyone but, if those on less points are prepared to put in the hard work to go to the aways like people who go now have done previously, they will catch up eventually.

 

[kenzie115]

Keep it as loyalty points but may be offer more points for less desirable games. Southampton away on a Monday night for example.most of those on high points will still go but those who can't be arsed as they can rightly so pick and choose games will one day be caught faster. Down side it will make points whores more greedy

this is a good shout, especially in some CL games, anyone and everyone would go to barca but would they do say Istanbul? as you say re Southampton v visiting goodison. grade the aways.

Completely agree.

Swansea on NYD was a good example, as was Moscow. To only get the same number of points for these games as you did for going to OT or to Blackburn in the FA Cup doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Petrovs left peg]

Having read the OP and glanced through some of the responses I am not sure why more don't agree with GX's idea.

It is almost like the CL pot coefficient seeding's (which many arguing against GX are totally against on other threads) - as it maintains the Status Quo! (YEs we have a fucking Ticket Cartel as well!!!)

A longer period is suggested by GX of ten years. It seems totally fair and in the interest of younger fans.

The current system has worked so far because we are only a decade into it. In ten years time a young lad would start with Zero and some people may be on 25,000 points - If the "25,000 pointer" stops going for 15 years he will probably still have more points than someone who has attended every game for the last 15 years.

The point is that the older this scheme gets the "less fair" it has the POSSIBILITY to become. A rolling scheme over ten years will keep the most loyal at the top if they are still going.

The solution will be for the club to start upping the amount of points per game / season ticket etc. e.g 1000 per cup scheme and 100 per game rather than adjust the system as it is. That way the "inactive high pointers" will get caught in a fairer amount of time rather than after 20 years of inactivity.

 

[kenzie115]

No system will be viewed as fair by everyone but, if those on less points are prepared to put in the hard work to go to the aways like people who go now have done previously, they will catch up eventually.

As of right now this is true. However, in 10 years or so, the number of people 10,000+ points ahead of new starters will be far greater than away allocations so the newbies will never catch up unless a lot of people die.