Huddersfield Town fans have voiced anger over a sudden rise in ticket booking fees.
Supporters buying tickets online or over the phone have accused the club of ‘cashing in’.
One fan, writing on the website downatthemac, described the increase as a “tax on loyal supporters who cannot get to the ticket office.”
Others said the booking fees would deter casual fans from going to matches.
Last season fans buying online paid £1 per transaction but that has now risen to £1.25 per ticket. There is also a 50p charge for postage.
Payment over the phone by debit or credit card has risen from £1 to £1.50 per ticket plus a 50p postage charge, though tickets can be collected from the ticket office for free. Paying for tickets by credit card at the ticket office incurs a charge of £1.25 per ticket.
Fans can avoid charges by printing online tickets at home or by paying by cash or debit card in person.
One supporter, bridgeterrier, wrote: “I don’t mind paying a booking fee per transaction but paying per ticket is a rip off.”
Another fan, Andy Booth Terrier, said: “Just bought seven adult tickets for Hull away to be delivered and it’s cost £189 for the tickets and £11 in charges.”
Some fans complained that the booking fees added to the overall expense of following Town but others leapt to the club’s defence.
Steve Kindon Terrier wrote: “All Town are doing is falling into line with virtually every other business that sells tickets.
“To me, this is a complete non-event. It’s as if some fans are programmed to criticise everything the club do, just for the sake of it.”
Stephen King, chairman of Huddersfield Town Supporters’ Association, said booking fees and transaction charges were common and charges for concert tickets tended to be much higher.
Mr King, who works for his family’s lab equipment supply firm, said credit card companies charged businesses a fee to take payments but £1.50 per ticket “seemed over the top.” He added: “We have merchant fees to pay but we don’t pass them onto our customers. We have to absorb those charges.”
An online check of football ticket charges revealed a confusing array of add-ons.
Town’s Championship rivals Leeds United charge £1 per ticket online and £1.50 per ticket over the phone; newly-promoted MK Dons have a 3% “surcharge” for credit cards; while Fulham has a booking fee of £1.50 per ticket for debit and credit cards and a “handling fee” of £1.50 per transaction.
Derby County levies £1 per ticket online or over the phone; and Cardiff charges £1 per ticket “booking charge” and a £1 “transaction charge.”
Brentford, meanwhile, has no booking fees online but charges a £1.50 credit card fee. On the phone there’s a £2.50 per transaction “admin fee” plus £1 for postage.
In the Premier League Manchester United have this season removed booking fees for all away tickets but Arsenal charges an online booking fee of £2.10 per ticket or £2.30 on the phone plus £2.20 for postage.
Unlike Town, some clubs have premium rate telephone numbers for their ticket offices which charge up to 9p a minute.
A Town spokesman said the club wanted to reduce the number of fans who booked over the phone and collected on matchday as that caused queues and impacted on customer service.
