Utah Jazz offer refund to season ticket holders for remainder of 2019-2020 season
SALT LAKE CITY — Despite continued optimism from the NBA that the season will resume, the Utah Jazz are offering season ticket holders a number of credit and refund options for the remaining 10 home games of the 2019-20 regular season.
On Wednesday, the Jazz sent an email to season ticket holders saying the NBA has allowed the team to offer them the opportunity for refunds and credits for the postponed games, which is a change from the original policy that stated tickets for postponed games would be honored when games are rescheduled or refunded when games are canceled.
“With the postponement of games since March, our intent has been to honor your season tickets when the games resumed,” the email read. “Due to the continued uncertainties, the NBA has allowed us to offer our season ticket members the opportunity for refunds and credits for the postponed games.”
Though remaining games for the 2019-20 season have not been canceled, the Jazz have chosen to move forward with the new refunding policy. As the league continues to try to find ways to resume play, most options that have been floated do not include playing in front of fans or at home arenas.
While ticket policies for this season are being put in place to allow for refunds, season ticket holders have continued, since the league shut down in March, to pay for packages for the 2020-21 campaign as if it will begin in October and consist of 41 home games.
Payments for season ticket renewals for the 2020-21 campaign had already begun prior to March 11, when Rudy Gobert’s coronavirus diagnosis led to the NBA suspending the season.
The two primary ways customers can pay for Jazz season tickets are with one lump sum, which was due in February for the following season, or on a payment schedule in which tickets for a given season can be paid for monthly.
In February, lump sum payments were due for those season ticket holders who had chosen that option, as were the first payments for the 2020-21 season for those who go that route.
On March 26, an email was sent to season ticket holders who are on the monthly payment plan that offered a payment deferment for March, which would be evenly distributed throughout the remainder of 2020.
As the pandemic continued throughout April, the same offer was not extended for that month’s payment and no other emails regarding payment options for next season have been sent out to season ticket holders.
A source with knowledge of the team’s policies said that even though further deferment options were not explained in emails to season ticket holders, they can ask their personal season ticket representative for a deferment.
Less than 48 hours after the NBA’s season was suspended on March 11, the Jazz announced a ticket policy for the remaining games of the 2019-20 season.
The policy stated that “tickets already purchased by individuals or rental groups for a postponed game will be honored when the game is rescheduled, or their tickets can be refunded upon request. For tickets purchased by groups or as part of mini-plans, half-season and season-ticket packages, those tickets purchased will be honored when the games resume. If games are officially cancelled for this season, those tickets will be credited to the next season or refunded upon request.”
Although games have not been officially canceled, the Jazz are now offering an array of refund and credit options for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
Season ticket holders can choose to be refunded in full by way of their original payment; have the credit for the remaining home games applied to next season’s balance if they already opted in for season ticket renewal, lessening the amount due equally across each remaining payment; roll the postponed games credit into an account to be used for tickets for next season, including mini-plans and single-game tickets; receive a refund on a gift card to the Jazz Team Store; or receive a refund on a Megaplex gift card.
The Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League will communicate to their season ticket holders this week about refund and credit options like the Jazz. Season ticket holders will be able to apply the credit to next season.
The Stars had two home games remaining this season when play was suspended.
Contributing: Ryan McDonald