West Ham Ticket Office emailed all Away Scheme members on Friday with changes to their scheme which starts with the away game against Brighton.
The Away Season ticket has been closed for many years, and there have been no new members. It is thought to have numbered around 700 at one point.
Away scheme members automatically get allocated an away ticket for every Premier League game with money taken out of their account with whatever credit or debit card they have registered on file with the ticket office.
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West Ham now wants to change that with an exclusive purchase window where members need to apply match-by-match paying for each one.
The change has been labelled as a trial for three games by the Ticket office but some Away scheme members are not happy with the proposed change or the claimed benefits
The Email sent to West Ham Away Scheme members last Friday reads:
“We’re excited to share with you an improved Away Scheme process, which will be introduced for our final three away Premier League matches on a trial basis, starting with Brighton & Hove Albion.
As a valued Away Scheme member, we want to keep you informed of this change to booking process.
The key details are as follows.
Key dates
The Brighton and Hove Albion fixture will go on sale next Thursday 20 March.
The exclusive booking window for Away Scheme members will run from Thursday 20 March at 5pm until Friday 21 March at 11am.
New process
All members must secure their ticket online via the eTicketing site or by contacting the ticket office team on 0333 030 1966.
During the exclusive booking window, Away Scheme members will have the ability to choose seats from the Interactive Seat Map via the eTicketing site.
Each Away Scheme member will be eligible to purchase a ticket within this window.
You will be able to book tickets for your group of up to six tickets in one transaction for other Away Scheme members in your network.
Benefits of the trial scheme
Misses
Currently if a supporter’s card declines when we attempt payment, this counts as an automatic miss. After three misses the supporter is removed from the scheme.
The updated format requires supporters to make payment online, so if the card declines, they can attempt with an alternative card in the booking period without facing an automatic miss.
Seating
Every away venue offers a different type of seating. At present, supporters are allocated in their requested booking group however choice on seating is limited.
With the new format, supporters will be able to see the away venue seating plan and have freedom to choose seats appropriate to their needs for all Premier League fixtures, subject to the host team’s selling order.
Match Attendance
Match tickets are strictly non-transferable. This means in the current format that if the supporter is charged for or sent a ticket and can no longer attend, the ticket cannot be used or refunded.
The new system permits a supporter to miss selected games if they cannot attend and they will only be removed if they miss more than three games in the Premier League fixture list.
Important Note
Away Scheme members can still book a ticket after the exclusive booking window, but this will be subject to availability, and we cannot guarantee ticket availability after the window provided.
We are excited to trial this new process and we will ask for your feedback at the end of the trial period via survey. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the ticketing team.
Thank you for your continued support.
Best regards,
West Ham United Ticket Office”
The West Ham Fan Advisory Board met with the club in February and the changes were recorded in the minutes which read:
Evolution of the Away Scheme and new Premier League Rules
The Club reaffirmed a commitment to maintain the Away Scheme Membership and shared details of a trial intended to run at the last three away fixtures of the season
The Club explained that Supporters on the scheme would be notified via email of when their priority ticket period is open. Away Scheme members would then view the away seating plan online, choosing specific seats up to a maximum group size of six tickets per booking and make payment online for tickets
The Club also shared that in the current system, if a payment card is declined, this counts as a penalty. In the proposed format, Away Scheme Members make payment online, so if the card declines, they can attempt with an alternative card in the booking period without facing an automatic miss
The Club confirmed Away Scheme Members would still be able to miss up to three away Premier League fixtures during the season without penalty
Supporter Representatives asked the Club to consider how the system can be as convenient and easy to understand as possible. The Club confirmed that this would be a trial, and it did reflect how Away Scheme Members purchased tickets for previous European fixtures and home matchday tickets are currently purchased
Supporter Representatives asked if the process would be the same for supporters with accessible needs. The Club confirmed disabled supporters should still contact the Access team
Supporter Representatives asked whether it is possible for supporters to transfer to resell their tickets. The Club confirmed away tickets are strictly non-transferable
The Club shared details of new Premier League rules to be introduced in the 2026/27 season. The rules will make digital tickets a mandatory requirement and Clubs are responsible for ensuring all tickets are assigned to the specific individual supporters who are attending the match
The Club confirmed direct communications would be sent to Away Scheme Members with more details including a survey to collect feedback following the proposed trial.
The Club stated that the results of the trial, and associated supporter feedback, would be shared with Supporter Representatives before any permanent changes are made.