Have an iPhone? No Need for Paper Tickets

The Orioles are among the 13 MLB teams that have embraced Apple’s Passbook app as a paperless ticket option.

Tickets are already pretty convenient. If you buy them online, you can print your own ticket, rather than waiting to get them at the ballpark – avoiding long lines at Camden Yards will become more important if the Orioles capitalize on their 2012 successes this season.

Apps like Passbook bring convenience to a whole new level. Imagine parking the car, or hopping off the Light Rail (stumbling out of Pickles?) and needing only to flash your phone at the attendant to get into the park.

While mobile ticket purchasing is available on most devices, Passbook (iOS only) is the only mobile ticket app accepted by MLB.

Screen image from Mobile Ticket Information at orioles.com

Sure, this announcement is great for iPhone users, but what about all those Android devices out there? If Android users want their shot at a paperless ticket app, the answer may be to prove to MLB that they’re willing to spend money. MLB executives pay very close attention to who is using their At-Bat smartphone app, which comes in Lite (free) and full ($20/season) varieties. Apple users dominate use of both versions – 70% of At-Bat Lite and 85% of At-Bat (full).