Last year, more than half of the US population enjoyed going to live concerts and why not? Going to a live gig is a totally unique experience that you can share with friends. So whether you’re planning an event or looking for a gift, concert tickets are a great idea!
But getting your hands on concert tickets can be tricky. Last month, Ticketmaster had nearly 60 million hits and tickets for major events often sell out in a matter of minutes.
If you have your heart set on a certain event then you need to know how to buy tickets on Ticketmaster successfully. In that case, you’re in the right place!
Read on to find out our top Ticketmaster tips for securing your dream tickets every time.
1. Create Your Account in Advance
Setting up an account with Ticketmaster doesn’t take a long time but it could mean you miss out on tickets. While you set your account up, the tickets you want will already be selling out.
You can set an account up on Ticketmaster at any time without having to buy a ticket. So set some time aside to do this before the ticket release date and get yourself signed up.
When you do go online to buy your tickets, make sure you have your account details and passwords noted nearby. This will save you time trying to remember passwords or having to reset them on the day.
2. Use Your Credit Card
How to get tickets on Ticketmaster is all about getting through the queue before anyone else can and presale tickets are a good way to do this. Ticketmaster offers some presale tickets to specific credit card holders so you may be able to skip the queue by using yours.
Anyone with a credit card from American Express, Chase, or Citibank may be eligible for a presale ticket. For in-demand tickets, it may be worth signing up for a card from one of these banks in advance.
To check which cards are open to these offers, check out Ticketmaster’s ‘Special Offers’ page.
3. Keep an Ear Out for Offers
Missing a presale offer could mean you miss a golden opportunity to get your hands on tickets easily. This will also mean that there are fewer tickets available at the time of the general release.
You can save yourself time from trawling through concert news regularly by signing up for fan club sites for artists that you like. These will send you email or text alerts about up-coming concerts and presales that may be of interest to you. This is a quick and easy way to stay aware of concert or event news.
If you have the time to do some extra searching, you can also have a look for presale codes online. Twitter is a good place to start looking for presale codes. Simply search for the chosen artist’s name along with the word ‘presale’.
For a more in-depth search, have a look at online forums or Reddit threads. These often contain links to presale information.
4. Use the Mobile App
When it comes to buying your tickets there are a couple of Ticketmaster hacks to keep in mind.
A lot of people think that the best way to score concert tickets is by opening up multiple tabs on their computer and refreshing these as they go. But this can actually slow your search down a lot.
Instead, try installing the mobile app on your smartphone or tablet and buying tickets from this instead. It’s really easy to use and often is a lot faster than the website itself. This is probably because fewer people use it so it doesn’t have as much traffic slowing it down.
Just make sure you download the app before you need to order tickets. To use it you need to go through an image-verification test, which can take a while to complete.
5. Set Yourself Up Before Tickets Go on Sale
Whatever you do, don’t try to log onto Ticketmaster at the exact moment that tickets go on sale. Make sure you’re ready at your computer or on your phone at least ten minutes before tickets go on sale.
This is because tickets don’t always go on sale at the exact second they say they’re going to. If they get released thirty seconds early and you aren’t online you could miss them entirely!
To make sure you aren’t late by even a second, sync your buying device up with Ticketmaster’s clock. They reportedly run on time according to time.gov, so sync up to this and you shouldn’t miss ticket release.
To make sure this is working properly, you can even do a trial run with another event. This is a great way of making sure that you understand the process before the big day!
6. Make Sure Your Internet is Up to Speed
You can use all the Ticketmaster tricks in the world but if your internet freezes or fails you on the day they won’t do you any good.
Make sure you check your connection with plenty of time before ticket release. This will ensure that you have time to fix any problems without having to stress.
To secure a place in the queue as quickly as possible, make sure that you’re using a fast Wi-Fi connection. Or, to avoid potential interruptions, plug your computer into an ethernet cable.
7. Don’t Refresh Your Page
A lot of people think that a key step in how to get the best concert tickets is refreshing the page while you wait. Do not do this.
Refreshing the page once you’re in the queue may mean you lose your place entirely while you wait. The Ticketmaster site will automatically refresh and update while you wait in the queue so hold your nerve and wait patiently.
To avoid the temptation to hit refresh, make sure you have something else to do at your computer while you wait in the queue. And if you want to secure multiple places in the queue from your computer, open a couple of browser windows (not tabs) to apply for tickets.
Get the Best Gifts with these Ticketmaster Tips
Tickets for gigs or events make the perfect gift and with these Ticketmaster tips, you’ll be sure to secure them!
Or for more great gift ideas for your loved ones, check out our gift idea blog.