Do you lose points for incomplete tickets in Ticket to Ride?
Yes. At the end of the game, every ticket you kept but didn't complete is subtracted from your score, using the value printed on the ticket. Completed tickets add their value.
The rule:
Yes, in Ticket to Ride every ticket you kept but didn’t complete subtracts its printed value from your score at the end of the game, while each completed ticket adds its value.
At the end, everyone reveals the tickets they kept:
- Completed: add the ticket’s value. A ticket is complete when one continuous path of your trains links both cities.
- Not completed: subtract the ticket’s value.
That’s why drawing new tickets late in the game is a gamble. Each one you keep is points gained or lost.
Example:
Ben completes a 9-point ticket but misses a 5-point one. He gains 9 and loses 5, for a net 4 points from tickets.
Why players argue about it:
Some groups only count completed tickets, which makes drawing extra tickets risk-free. The rulebook warns at the start that failed tickets cost points.