KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s no secret that Super Bowl tickets are very expensive.

It’s thought of as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is now the third time Kansas City Chiefs fans have seen their team advance to the big game since 2020.

Some online sellers price their cheapest passes to the Feb. 12 game in Arizona around $5,000 each. On Tuesday night, Ticketmaster listed premium tickets at more than $18,000.

One popular ticket seller is now offering a way to pay for those Super Bowl tickets over time.

Supply and demand is the name of the game, according to Chris Leyden, SeatGeek’s director of consumer strategy. SeatGeek offers payment plans through a third-party company, which provides customers a way to pay for Super Bowl tickets over time.

Ticket buyers have to pay for the tickets — with interest. Leyden said interest rates are on a sliding scale, and they’re determined by the customer’s credit score.

“Very few people go to multiple Super Bowls, especially if you’re a fan of a team. You might not see your team in the Super Bowl again for 50 years,” Leyden said Tuesday.

Leyden said SeatGeek hopes customers will use discretion. Large amounts of debt can lower a purchaser’s credit rating.

“The last thing we want to do is to encourage people who can’t afford these tickets to go out and buy them. That’s going to set people up in a bad debt situation,” Leyden added.

At Kansas City Credit Services in North Kansas City, Donna Perkins helps customers rebuild their financial profile. Perkins, who has served in the credit recovery field for more than 30 years, advises customers not to overload themselves with debt.

She’s a tried-and-true Chiefs fan and knows this would be a tempting move.

“Everyone has to take control of their credit and make sure that what you are spending on is necessities and making sure you have a savings account, and that you’re saving for those special events that we want to do in life,” Perkins said.

The staff at Seat Geek also reminds customers to be careful where they buy their Super Bowl tickets. Scams are so common around NFL championship season.

Leyden points out — if a deal or a price seems too good to be true, it just might be.