West Ham supporters require a minimum of 13 points this season to attend a West Ham Premier League away game, and that was for a mid-week game in Newcastle some 285 miles from the London Stadium. Leicester City away, another midweek away game 125 miles from the London Stadium required 15 loyalty points previously called priority points to get a ticket outside the 10% ballot or being an away scheme member or bondholder.
Manchester City away at the Ethiad in early January on a Saturday required 17 or more points to qualify for an away ticket.
Aston Villa and Southampton required 19 loyalty points to acquire a ticket with Spurs at 21 points or more and Crsytal Palace, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool requiring 22 or more points.
Chelsea required 23 points or more with Everton needing 26 points and Brentford needing 31 and Bournemouth a massive 40 or more points.
There were two domestic cup games with Liverpool with an increased allocation requiring just 3 points and Aston Villa with an increased allocation not requiring any points.
A loyalty point is earned for every away game you attend over the previous season and the current season with points earned for home cup games including Europe and renewing your season tickets early, three additional points for this season.
Many supporters have complained that away games are virtually a closed shop and even attending all home cup games, renewing season tickets early and winning the ballot a few time they can’t get close to the points required to regularly purchase away tickets.
Demand certainly does outstrip supply.
It’s ridiculous that there are no away tickets on general sale anymore. I live in Carlisle and have supported the hammers for 40 years as I’m from Essex originally and would love to take my children to some away games up north as the cost of going down to home games with them is very pricey when you include hotels etc. Would love to see my beloved hammers more often live. ⚒️⚒️
I retired in 2023 and so had time to go to away games.
It took me just over two seasons going to every game that my points allowed me to get a ticket with no successful ballot wins.
I should now be able to attend every away game next year except Bournemouth and have a fastest finger first chance at a Brentford ticket.
It can be done; you have to go to the games in the north.
It’s also well known that you can get away tickets if you know the right people who will get the ticket every game and pass it on.
For the 2026/27 season, it will be compulsory for all PL teams to have 100% digital ticketing, so the powers that be can find out who they are if they want to.
There were two unintended consequences of the £30 cap: It’s low enough for people to “buy points” and create the “closed shop” narrative, and clubs only give away fans the minimum number of tickets. Some clubs used to offer varying away allocations, not anymore.
Completely agree with this Sean
The concerning issue is that many of the tickets are then ‘passed’ on to non point holders.
It’s almost impossible to get a ticket through the official means.
I always felt it was a closed shop until for the last 3 seasons I balloted for every away ticket. I attended and brought every cup tickets. And went to far flung Europe for games too
However due to poor cup performance this year and not double pointing cup games last year it made it impossible for opportunity for next year
But it can be done I’m currently on 35 points now and thought I had no chance of getting away tickets a couple of years ago
Europe helped massively for me getting a chance. But it can be done
The £30 maximum ticket price runs out at the end of this season if that doesn’t change and prices rise that will stop a lot of people buying tickets
The issue for me as a season ticket holder is those who keep buying away tickets and selling them on Facebook sites. They do not go but pick up the points. Easy for those in the ticketing office to find and revoke their points. Maybe only a minority but these big game Charlies are in when it’s a final. Time this behaviour was eliminated.