Tips For Buying Concert Tickets On Ticketmaster
19 Foolproof Tips for Conquering Ticketmaster – Vulture
Photo-Illustration: Vulture
This week we’re providing a series of Vulture Hacks: expert advice, gear guides, and recommendations to help you maximize your entertainment experience.
There’s hell, and then there’s buying tickets through Ticketmaster, the decades-old gatekeeper to seemingly every popular event you’ve ever hoped to attend. To watch Ticketmaster’s countdown clock expire in real-time is to experience the emotional roller-coaster of glee, panic, and crushing disappointment in the time it takes to read “Sorry, no tickets match your search. ” Thankfully, there’s a hack for everything — even corporate America. Behold, Vulture’s guide to gaming the Ticketmaster overlords, which can easily be applied to any other big ticketing agency that’s ever done you wrong.
PRESALE TIPS
Sign up for a credit card Prior to the general sale, most events offer exclusive presale opportunities for credit-card holders. Not just any credit card, though: Ticketmaster’s Big Three of Citibank, American Express, and Chase are the ones that allow first dibs on tickets. Find out which credit card will unlock certain presales by clicking on the “Special Offers” tab of a specific event page. Right now, for example, an AmEx card will score you early tickets to the second leg of Kanye’s Saint Pablo tour.
Join a fan club The next-best presale rewards those who unabashedly stan the hardest. Plenty of your favorite artists have fan clubs and a membership (be it through payment or handing over your email) will get you exclusive codes to fan presales and VIP packages on Ticketmaster. Sometimes it’s even as easy as following an artist or sports team’s official social-media account (particularly Facebook) for special passwords to events. With streaming now in the fray, a subscription to certain services can also grant early ticket access. (Tidal members, for example, are first in line for tickets to Jay Z’s annual Made in America festival and several of its artists’ tours. ) To know when there’s an active presale, or how to get a code, it’s worth signing up for email alerts from both Ticketmaster and specific local venues you frequent.
Presale codes are hiding in plain sight When in doubt, crowdsource through less-official means. Just start with a simple Twitter search, whether it’s typing “artist name presale” or scouring fan Twitter accounts. Jack Slingland, director of client relations at reseller TickPick, tells Vulture that most presale codes (excluding those for credit cards) are generic, meaning the same code can be used by anyone to unlock an event presale. Look to fan accounts, other social media avenues, and especially forums (both on official sites and subreddits) to find threads created for specific events, where users sometimes share codes. If all those roads lead to a dead end, sites like Ticketcrusader, TickPick, PointsCentric, Presale Password Info, and offer endless presale loopholes and cheats.
GENERAL SALE TIPS
The mobile app is your friend If you couldn’t take advantage of a presale and the pressure’s on, you’ll want to first download Ticketmaster’s mobile app. It’s free, fast, and, more efficient than the traditional webpage. That said, Slingland notes that Ticketmaster has recently upped security measures on mobile, so you’ll have to deal with a image human-verification test to prove you’re not a bot.
Don’t forget to create a Ticketmaster accountImagine being one of the tens of people to get Adele tickets, only to lose them because you forgot to actually sign up for Ticketmaster beforehand. Don’t be that person: Create an account, make sure all of your information (especially payment method! ) is up to date, and log in ahead of time.
Be ready at least ten minutes before a sale begins An unspoken practice of the ticket-selling business is that you never actually sell all your tickets at the appointed on-sale time. (Ticketmaster has been in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission for this kind of tactic. ) Even Ticketmaster’s two-year-old countdown clock doesn’t necessarily mean that every ticket goes on sale when the clock runs out. According to Slingland, that’s especially true of less-in-demand events. One workaround is to sync your device’s clock to Ticketmaster’s clock — their system reportedly runs on, so yours should, too. (Vulture has reached out to Ticketmaster for comment. )
Speed mattersSyncing your clock with Ticketmaster’s countdown means nothing if you’re still using dial-up. (In which case, you have far more problems than buying Drake tickets, my friend. ) Get on the fastest Wi-Fi or ethernet connection you can find. You can even test your speed if you’re unsure.
Block those pesky CAPTCHA testsIf it seems like CAPTCHA was invented for the sole purpose of capturing your tickets just as they’re within reach, well, duh. Skip the headache by downloading a safe browser or mobile plugin that will disable those damned prompts, such as AdBlocker Plus, Rumola, Skipscreen, or Captcha Monster.
Practice makes perfectDo a trial run with another event to familiarize yourself with the process, the venue, and Ticketmaster’s timing. (It’s best to pick a less-in-demand event, for obvious reasons. ) That’ll help to scout out which section you want and get a sense of the hit your wallet’s about to take.
WHEN THE SALE BEGINS
Do not refresh the page! Ticketmaster will automatically do this for you. And try to use more than one device or, better yet, multiple people on different accounts. This doesn’t have to be a solo race, especially if you’re after large group purchases. (It’s easier to get fewer tickets in one search. )
Use multiple browsers If you read up on Ticketmaster’s own tricks, they tell you not to search for tickets simultaneously in multiple browsers because “we’ll think you’re a bot and cancel your tickets. ” To quote Donald Trump, “Wrong. ” The real reason Ticketmaster advises this, Slingland says, is to “limit the number of attempts that are going on so people don’t potentially cheat other fans. ” In that same tip sheet, Ticketmaster recommends using more than one device; Slingland believes that searching for tickets on multiple browsers is virtually the same idea. To better your chances, search for different combinations (such as section, number of tickets, price) in each browser. Just don’t search for tickets to an event in multiple tabs within the same browser. That might trigger the bot sensors.
Read the fine printCircumvent one of Ticketmaster’s shadiest loopholes by always clicking the “Show Details” tab when searching for tickets. It’ll ensure you get the full scope of how much you’ll actually be paying, extra fees included (as high as 30 percent, according to Slingland). “That’s the trick a lot of these places pull: waiting until you get all the way through the checkout process, and then you see the additional service fees, ” Slingland says. “When you’re shopping around for tickets you need to know the full price for cost per seat before your credit card information is entered. ”
Use the cart to call “dibs” on ticketsBy doing so, you can keep searching for a better combination in another browser or device. Ticketmaster gives you at least three minutes to proceed with a purchase before you forfeit the tickets.
LAST-MINUTE TIPS
Never believe that a show is totally sold-outIt probably isn’t. If you try searching later that same day — even 45 minutes after the sale begins, in my experience — more tickets may suddenly appear. “If there’s an event that isn’t selling out, it may take you a lot longer to gain access to that inventory and they may not always be giving you the best inventory because they want to sell out something that’s higher up, ” Slingland says. When that happens, you’re more likely to be given a seat map (the one with all those blue dots) at a later time, which means “the show actually isn’t sold out and you could’ve actually bought better tickets if you had waited. ”
Use your phone to call So much ticket-buying happens online that calling Ticketmaster directly sounds like a giant, archaic waste of time. But it’s really no different than people who line up at dawn for tickets on Broadway. It can’t hurt!
Dip your toe in the resale markets …However questionable, Ticketmaster now offers its own fan-to-fan resale service. It’s verified by Ticketmaster, claims to be about as legit as it gets, and is easy to access on every event page, right at the top. Of course, StubHub and TickPick are other popular alternate sources to pick up resale tickets. One place Slingland strongly warns against, though, is Craigslist: “Even if they’re providing someone with a hard ticket, they can easily convert that into an E-ticket and there’s no guarantee, ” he warns. “Craigslist can’t give you the protection of a marketplace that screens all their sellers. Stay away from there. ” Similarly, browsing Facebook event pages for other attendees selling their tickets last-minute is an option, but, you know, try not to get catfished.
… or beat Ticketmaster at its own game If an event isn’t sold out yet, check elsewhere for better deals first. “The sellers on secondary markets know that event is not sold out and, a lot of times, they need to price below face value to cut their losses, ” Slingland says.
Don’t give up until the event beginsThough scalpers have made it harder for fans to wait it out, try calling or visiting your respective venue’s box office within days of the event – especially the day of — for delayed ticket releases and tickets resold to the venue by season-ticket holders. Scalpers can’t get a hold of those. Still, you need to be realistic about both the event and location: For Chance the Rapper and Kanye West’s recent shows in their hometown of Chicago, Slingland says the “market had exploded leading up to the event that there just wasn’t enough inventory and the prices went way up. ”
If all else fails, play the lottery So it’s the 11th hour and you’re feeling desperate but also a lil’ bit lucky, right? Keep an eye out for last-minute ticket giveaways on artists’ official social-media accounts, official venue accounts, fan pages, and local radio stations. @Bey_Legion, for example, partnered with several affiliates to promote giveaways to nearly every city on Beyoncé’s Formation World Tour.
19 Ticketmaster Tips for Easier Concert-Going
Tips on How to Buy Tickets on TicketMaster – TickPick
If you’re reading this, then it’s likely that you’re looking to buy live event tickets to a concert that will sell out. We’ve got you covered here with a few Ticketmaster tips on how best to quickly purchase tickets on Ticketmaster, and how to get the best seats possible at the cheapest prices.
Contents1 Ticketmaster Tips2 Ticketmaster Presale Codes3 Use Multiple Browsers When Tickets Go On Sale4 The Best Way To Buy Ticketmaster Tickets – The Mobile App5 General Ticketmaster Tips6 Expert Tips For Buying Tickets
Ticketmaster Tips
Check Ticketmaster for Verified fan presale opportunities, fan club presales, special credit card presales and Facebook Ticketmaster presales, among wnload the App (avoid the security code, instructions below) frequently; presales and special offers for different credit cards come and the direct link to that specific event page and have the general on-sale saved in your a Ticketmaster account created on the website before trying to buy around: compare ticket prices on TicketMaster vs. other ticket sites (tips below).
Ticketmaster Presale Codes
Ticketmaster presale codes are easy to find when you’re looking for the credit card presales; however, these presale codes won’t work unless you have one of the actual credit cards.
For the Ticketmaster American Express Presale you can enter the code: INGOLD. This will allow you to see the tickets, but when you get to the checkout you’ll have to use an AMEX card.
The Ticketmaster Presale code for Citi Card is: 412800
The Chase Presale code for Ticketmaster is: 541712
Having these cards are the only chance to getting access to these specific presales, but Fan Club, Mobile, Facebook and other Ticketmaster presales are fair game, and easy to find via a quick Google search. We at TickPick always are up on the latest concert tours being announced and the presale codes for those tours.
Use Multiple Browsers When Tickets Go On Sale
When tickets go on sale, don’t worry about the warning Ticketmaster gives users that instructs them not to use more than one web browser. For example, let’s say you manage to get tickets into your checkout cart at 10:01 am, and you have two seats in your cart. How do you know that those really are the best available seats?
By using multiple web browsers (I recommend Google Chrome because it’s the fastest; but Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer work, as well), you’ll be able to maximize your options. If you only use one browser with multiple windows or tabs looking for tickets in Ticketmaster, the last window or tab that loaded is the only one that can move forward through the checkout process.
Here’s the key: focus on one browser. Leading up to the on-sale, start refreshing the page often.
The Best Way To Buy Ticketmaster Tickets – The Mobile App
If you have a smartphone, downloading the Ticketmaster app for the iPhone or Android will be your best bet for speed and even ease (as long as you already have an account). This will also enable you to have your mobile ticket scanned from your phone at the venue in order to be admitted vie mobile entry.
Two reasons why you should download the Ticketmaster App:
As we mentioned before, both Ticketmaster and LiveNation allocate tickets specifically to mobile sales. This makes sense, since Ticket Broker Software, aka “bots, ” don’t work with a mobile device, so this is one way to reduce the resale of Ticketmaster tickets on the app is the fastest way to buy tickets online. That’s because by following some simple steps (provided by Ticketmaster) you can avoid having to enter the security code, which apparently checks if you are a human. Unfortunately, this only works on the iOS app and not the Android app, as far as we can tell.
Step 1. Exit the Ticketmaster app and go to your iPhone settings (then)—> Notification Center—> then select Ticketmaster or Live Nation and make sure to change the “Alert Style” from None to Banners or Alerts (see picture below).
Step 2. Then go back into your Ticketmaster / Live Nation app, go to More – > Settings -> Notification Settings and then select push notifications to “On. ” Once complete, restart your app: say goodbye to typing security codes (note: on occasion you may need to enter the code, particularly if you refresh too quickly).
Note: If you didn’t follow Step 1, then the screenshot labeled Step 2 is what you would see, so try it again. If you have problems let us know in the comments below.
General Ticketmaster Tips
Don’t get greedy; it’s easier to get a pair of tickets (two) rather than four.
Once you get through the security checkpoint, start searching for tickets in your other browser(s).
Remember: the clock is ticking. The first page in the checkout process only gives you 2 to 3 minutes before you need to choose if you want to proceed or search again.
The whole point of the second browser is to keep the tickets that you got in the first browser while searching for new tickets, so if time is running out on the first pair of tickets (before a second pair of tickets becomes available in a different browser, or if the second pair of seats is worse than the first), move through the process on the first pair of tickets.
You’ll have roughly ten minutes of time to search for a second pair of tickets (in a different browser) while you hold on to the first pair in the other checkout. If within 10 minutes you don’t find anything better, we highly recommend that you buy the tickets you found in your first browser. You can spend an hour doing this, and ultimately you may not get anything better as other, better tickets are being purchased by others..
Ticketmaster themselves recently published their own Insider Tips, and to be honest, we didn’t find any information that was particularly valuable. Additionally, they say one thing that we disagree with, which is to only use one browser. If I refresh a browser too quickly, I have had my IP address blocked for a couple hours, but this never happened by using multiple browsers. Ticketmaster suggests that you use multiple computers, but unless you’re a ticket broker, there’s no reason to have to do this.
Expert Tips For Buying Tickets
Have you thought about what tickets may already be available for sale on other sites such as TickPick and Stubhub? We previously discussed how Ticket Brokers Get Their Tickets, and this may come to you as a surprise, but you can often benefit from ticket brokers.
If you’re a pro, you’ll keep an eye on ticket prices on the secondary ticket industry. That’s because the ticket price often drops below face value, or available face value tickets may not be the best deal. For instance, for a Jay-Z concert like this previous one, you should check TickPick before committing to the assigned seat & tickets to which Ticketmaster limits you.
Ticketmaster Ticket Option – Section 124 row 7, total price $200 a ticket:
TickPick Ticket Option – Section 23 row 12, total price $216 a ticket
If you were looking to spend around $200 a ticket, would you not spend $15 more to sit in a lower section and 10 rows closer?
This situation may be a toss up, but you should always price shop for tickets to live events, and yes, of course we’re biased, but thanks to our fee structure (which never includes any fees for the buyer) TickPick has the cheapest resale tickets the vast majority of the
For more great tips on how to get cheap concert tickets you should check out our latest guide, which provides tips and info that can save you tons of money on your ticket purchase. For example, did you know that 80% of concert ticket prices go down as it gets closer to the event?
With that said, we know you can’t always gamble and wait for ticket prices to go down (plus 20% of the time prices go up). So here’s our last tip: if tickets on Ticketmaster sell out, there’s typically a small window where tickets are available at a small mark up. Once the concert is officially announced as a sellout, ticket brokers know to raise their prices, but if you act fast, you can get a good deal.
Tips and Tricks for Securing Tickets Through Ticketmaster
As the parent of a teen who loves to go to concerts, I’ve had to figure out how to increase the odds of scoring tickets on to increase your odds of scoring concert tickets on, you wanted tickets to see BTS or another hugely popular musical artist only to find all tickets sold out on Ticketmaster. You impatiently sat in front of your computer for an hour or two and were left empty handed. Now, you’re only option is to buy tickets at inflated prices from a service like Stubhub. While getting tickets is never guaranteed when demand outstrips supply (partially because scalpers buy up tickets for resale), you can increase your odds of success. Here’s ReadyLog into early and make sure you already have a credit card saved to your account. Have your credit card with you as well because you may be asked to enter the security code. Ticketmaster has a queue which you absolutely want to be in. I usually log in and wait about thirty minutes before tickets go on sale. When you log in, find the concert you want to attend, and click More Info. This will take you to a countdown clock. Refresh the page every minute until you see the blue button for the queue appear and solve the CAPTCHA. Make sure you don’t refresh the page once you’re in the Multiple DevicesOkay, I’ve said to log in and join the queue but you don’t want to do this on just one device. The more the better. Download the Ticketmaster app to your phone or tablet and log in. Open in your browser. And have a phone ready to call Ticketmaster’s automated was my experience buying tickets to see Stray Kids. I had the app open on three mobile phones, and open on two laptops. When the countdown reached zero, the screens automatically refreshed on both laptops and I was informed there were 2000+ people ahead of me. You might think if there are ten thousand tickets available for a show that isn’t so bad. Alas, 2000+ seems to be a default for any number over 2000. So there could be 20, 000 people ahead of you but you’ll still see 2000+. You will also see a line beneath this with a man walking painfully slow while tickets get scooped ankfully, one of the mobile phones immediately went to the ticket purchasing page. Less than a minute later, so did a second phone. Two out of three mobile devices gave me the option to purchase within about a minute while the laptops were still stuck on 2000+. I’ve read suggestions that Ticketmaster places a priority on mobile sales because scalping bots don’t work on mobile devices. I don’t know if that’s true but I did get into two mobile devices almost immediately while both laptops were stuck on 2000+. A Screenshot of Ticketmaster’s QueueA walking man will give you an idea of how long you’ll have to wait on mOrder by PhoneYou can also order by phone. I’ve never succeeded in getting into their automated phone system for popular shows, but it does work for some people. If you get a busy signal, call back. Some people have reported calling dozens of times before they get in. Preferably use a landline phone for this to avoid tying up your mobile and possibly miss out on tickets through the app. “Use our completely automated phone line for self-service ticket sales, even after hours. 866-448-7849″To SummarizeHave an account set up with a saved credit card. Log in on multiple devices at least twenty minutes before tickets go on sale. Refresh until you get the button to join the queue on each device. Once you’re in the queue, don’t refresh. If you have a long wait on all devices, try the automated phone system. Hopefully this will help increase your odds of getting mmentsFizaFarhan on February 08, 2020:How should i get to know when do tickets go on rmudez on February 05, 2020:I was looking at the que and i left and when i came back to check it once again it said i can’t join the que que because im already in line what should i do? LT Wright (author) from California on October 21, 2019:Sadie, Just one Vergara on October 16, 2019:So I have a question. When you use multiple devices to get tickets, were they all on one account or different ones? Christopher Thomas on September 06, 2019:Thank You so much for this Article!!
