fifteenth Might 2025
Studying Time: 8 minutes
The summer time is at all times a riot on the subject of leisure. From native outside festivals to huge occasions like Glastonbury, there’s a ton of enjoyable available within the sunny months. Nevertheless, tickets could be costly – and that additionally makes it straightforward to get sucked in by ticket scams. Discover ways to lower your expenses in your summer time leisure tickets with out being fooled by ticket scams.
Think about Cashback Websites to Save
Save Cash on Live performance Tickets
Learn how to Keep away from Ticket Scams
Why Ticket Costs Rocket
There was an enormous hoo-haa when Taylor Swift, Harry Types, and bands like BlackPink have been revealed to make use of one thing referred to as ‘dynamic pricing’. Because of this the extra folks which are making an attempt to purchase the tickets, the upper the worth would rise. Whereas some artists denied permitting this technique was their alternative, utilizing verified ticket retailers that do that (like Ticketmaster) could be seen as implicit settlement to utilizing dynamic pricing in ticket gross sales.
What this implies for you, the client, is that you simply may need budgeted round £300 for a pair of live performance tickets for the one you love’s particular birthday. You sit within the ticket queue ready for them to be launched… after which these tickets now value £600! And, as a result of reside music has die-hard followers, there are various who will take the hit on the upper value as a result of the expertise is a once-in-a-lifetime probability for them.
There aren’t any guidelines towards dynamic pricing within the UK. And whereas it’s imagined to be a method to ‘cease touts and provides extra again to artists’, what it’s truly doing is pushing second-hand ticket gross sales via the roof at even greater costs. And the individuals who can afford to purchase these tickets to resell? They’re typically the ticket touts this technique is designed to cease.
Use a Verified Retailer
So, how will you be sure you’re not a sufferer of ticket scams? Nicely, sadly, some venues and a few artists will solely use a single ticket gross sales outlet like Ticketmaster. This implies you possibly can solely formally purchase a ticket via them. Whereas it offers you some purchaser safety, for instance if the live performance is cancelled you possibly can declare a refund, it does restrict your choices.
Nevertheless, utilizing a verified retailer is way safer than shopping for tickets second-hand from public sale websites or your native Fb Market. Many tickets aren’t transferable to others, and must be offered again to the unique ticket vendor company if the client can now not attend. Because of this the ticket you’ve purchased from Mr. Mysterious down the native pub may not allow you to contained in the venue, and also you gained’t have any recourse for a refund from him both.
Whereas utilizing a verified retailer means you need to pay the worth they set, you do get purchaser protections. Additionally they have resale platforms that are official, so if it’s worthwhile to resell your ticket you are able to do so correctly with out risking shedding your cash or getting scammed.
Widespread Ticket Scams : The Final Minute One
Ticket scams additionally come within the type of ‘final minute’ gross sales – somebody says they will’t make it on the final minute, however you possibly can meet them on the venue to get the ticket off them should you ship them money to ‘reserve’ it first.
Once more, tickets are normally for the client solely – however even when they aren’t, assembly a stranger to get a ticket isn’t going to finish nicely (and so they normally gained’t even flip up). In the event that they do flip up, they may demand more money from you earlier than handing the (dud) ticket over.
Widespread ticket web sites embody TicketMaster, LiveNation, See Tickets and StubHub. TicketSwap and ViaGoGo are verified ticket reseller web sites. TicketSwap caps resale costs at 20% above face worth to keep away from ticket scams.
Get Cashback on Tickets
We discuss cashback websites lots on Moneymagpie – and for good motive! It’s an effective way to basically get a reduction on something you should buy via them. While you’re shopping for a gig or competition ticket, that would quantity to a pleasant chunk of change again in your pocket, for doing nothing!
All it’s worthwhile to do is signal as much as a cashback website and discover the ticket gross sales web site via it. So, should you use TopCashBack, you’d log in and search ‘TicketMaster’ or take a look at the ‘Tickets and Occasions’ class to discover a ticket gross sales retailer that will provide you with cashback. Click on the hyperlink and purchase as standard – simply keep in mind to pick ‘permit all cookies’ while you get to the ticket web site, as this implies your buy shall be tracked by the cashback website. It wants to do that so it may possibly pay you the correct quantity of cashback.
Going via a cashback website is one other technique to keep away from tickets scams as you’ll be assured to solely go to a verified ticket retailer.
Widespread Ticket Scams: The Money Solely Supply
In case you assume you’re on a verified retailer website, however you need to pay by financial institution switch or gather with money in individual, STOP!
Paying in your tickets on a credit score or debit card offers you shopper protections if one thing goes improper – whether or not that’s since you’ve been scammed, or as a result of the live performance has been cancelled, or comparable. Your financial institution or card supplier has an obligation to you underneath these safety legal guidelines to make sure a refund is processed – however should you pay by financial institution switch or money, you don’t get this safety.
Search for Companion Tickets
You probably have a incapacity, you would be entitled to a free companion ticket for occasions. The Cinema Companion Card is a nationally-recognised scheme, for instance. Theatre venues may also typically supply companion seats, although it’s worthwhile to purchase via the venue on to ebook.
For stadium occasions, some ticket websites could have disabled seats with companion seats, however remember: generally, this implies an empty area subsequent to a seat, as a result of the belief is that the disabled individual wants area for a wheelchair. Whereas this feels very inclusive, it clearly excludes quite a lot of disabled folks (reminiscent of those that require mobility aids however want to take a seat down for lengthy durations of time). Verify prematurely with a venue about their disabled seating preparations, and whether or not they supply free or discounted companion tickets.
Widespread Ticket Scams: Scattered Seats
You may assume you’ve discovered an incredible group ticket cope with an enormous low cost on seats for the theatre or a gig… however while you get the tickets, you realise they’re single seats all through the venue and also you’re not going to be sitting with your pals.
Scammers that do that supply engaging group reductions, typically utilizing social media posts that hyperlink to what appears like an official web site, as a result of single seats at venues are at all times lowered. So, they purchase all the one seats up in a present and promote them to you as a gaggle bundle. If you wish to go along with a gaggle that’s bigger than the utmost ticket allowance on the verified ticket retailer, contact the venue immediately to rearrange reductions.
Save Cash on Live performance Tickets
There are a couple of extra methods you possibly can strive to economize on shopping for a ticket in your favorite artist’s world tour or one of many massive music festivals this summer time.
Signal As much as Mailing Lists
Search for the occasion mailing record AND the artist mailing lists. Arrange a brand new e-mail handle only for these, should you don’t need to get quite a lot of further spam. These newsletters will let you know how one can lower your expenses with group reductions, provide the probability to win tickets and VIP experiences, and in addition be sure you’re the primary to know when tickets will go on sale.
Verify Your Telephone Supplier
It sounds unusual, however some cell phone suppliers give you the possibility to economize on live performance and competition tickets, in addition to leisure just like the theatre, for his or her prospects. O2 Precedence is a widely known instance, ensuring prospects get unique entry to some presales and different provides.
Use Loyalty Scheme Factors
Do you know that you would earn loyalty factors to spend in your dream competition or live performance ticket year-round? Loyalty schemes like Virgin Pink help you just do that.
American Categorical prospects may do one thing comparable, with unique entry to specially-reserved seats at all types of experiences and leisure nights.
Attending to and from festivals and live shows additionally typically entails quite a lot of journey. Be sure to’re utilizing your Tesco Clubcard or your Nectar factors to economize on the journey and lodging in your gig weekend.
Try LNER Perks App
Even should you don’t use LNER trains to journey, you possibly can nonetheless join the LNER perks app. Why would you do this? As a result of till July 2024, you will get 30% off an annual ATG membership, ranging from £35. In case you’re a frequent gig or theatre goer, this membership will provide you with advance entry to tickets and particular costs, so the annual price may simply pay for itself inside a few occasions.
And should you do use LNER to journey by practice, it’s also possible to make the most of the free £5 credit score to spend on an LNER journey simply by becoming a member of the app!
Learn how to Keep away from Ticket Scams
There are a couple of steps you possibly can take to guard your self from ticket scams, each saving your self some huge cash and frustration – and never being upset while you get turned away from that live performance of a lifetime you’ve been wanting ahead to.
- Use a verified retailer – should you’re unsure the place it’s secure to purchase a ticket, the venue will at all times have this data, so use their web site. You may also test the Safe Tickets from Authorised Retailers web site or the Affiliation of Secondary Ticket Brokers to see if an internet site or reseller is on the record.
- Don’t use social media – don’t purchase tickets from somebody on-line in a discussion board, native promoting group, or perhaps a web site that advertises too-good-to-be-true resale costs.
- Use your debit or bank card – by no means pay money or financial institution switch in your ticket.
- Verify your ticket Ts & Cs – authentic tickets could have resale or refund directions
- Verify the ticket Ts & Cs BEFORE you purchase – take a look at tickets from the ticket retailer to see if they’ve a resale coverage, buyer-specific QR codes, or something that identifies the ticket purchaser as this might imply you might be shopping for a dud ticket (for instance, a QR code ticket could be offered to a number of folks as a rip-off, however just one individual will be capable of get contained in the venue with it).
- Search for dodgy hyperlinks earlier than you click on – at all times hover over an internet site hyperlink earlier than you click on it and if the URL exhibiting will not be the web site you need to go to, don’t click on!
- If an internet fee fails, DO NOT pay once more – contact the ticket gross sales web site to verify in case your transaction went via. A rip-off web site won’t have customer support you possibly can speak to, and will take a number of ‘failed’ funds from you.
Volunteer As a substitute
Tickets for any sort of leisure are costly, even when you will discover methods to economize on them whereas avoiding ticket scams. Nevertheless, there’s one path to stepping into your required competition: volunteering.
Pageant volunteers work a shift (normally 4-6 hours every day) and could be something from visitors wardens to crowd management. In return for his or her work, they get free tickets to the competition (normally together with tenting tickets in a particular employees space, too). It does imply you may need to compromise on which acts you get to see, in case your shift is scheduled for a specific time, but it surely’s a great way to see issues without spending a dime. Pageant volunteering is bodily demanding, nonetheless, so that you’ll must be in high situation to do it!
