Annie
nineteenth Apr 2024
Studying Time: 8 minutes
The summer time is at all times a riot in relation to leisure. From native out of doors festivals to large occasions like Glastonbury, there’s a ton of enjoyable available within the sunny months. Nevertheless, tickets may be costly – and that additionally makes it simple 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.
Consider Cashback Sites to Save
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 can be attempting 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) may be seen as implicit settlement to utilizing dynamic pricing in ticket gross sales.
What this implies for you, the shopper, is that you simply might need budgeted round £300 for a pair of live performance tickets for your beloved’s particular birthday. You sit within the ticket queue ready for them to be launched… after which these tickets now price £600! And, as a result of stay 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 in opposition to 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 really doing is pushing second-hand ticket gross sales by the roof at even larger 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 to’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 by 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 far safer than shopping for tickets second-hand from public sale websites or your native Fb Market. Many tickets are usually not transferable to others, and should be offered again to the unique ticket vendor company if the client can not attend. Because of this the ticket you’ve purchased from Mr. Mysterious down the native pub won’t 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 must pay the worth they set, you do get purchaser protections. In addition they have resale platforms that are official, so if it is advisable resell your ticket you are able to do so correctly with out risking dropping your cash or getting scammed.
Frequent 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 when 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 effectively (they usually normally gained’t even flip up). In the event that they do flip up, they could demand extra cash from you earlier than handing the (dud) ticket over.
Frequent 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 loads on Moneymagpie – and for good purpose! It’s a good way to primarily get a reduction on something you should buy by them. Whenever 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 is advisable do is signal as much as a cashback web site and discover the ticket gross sales web site by it. So, when you use TopCashBack, you’d log in and search ‘TicketMaster’ or have a look at the ‘Tickets and Occasions’ class to discover a ticket gross sales retailer that provides you with cashback. Click on the hyperlink and purchase as typical – simply keep in mind to pick ‘permit all cookies’ while you get to the ticket web site, as this implies your buy might be tracked by the cashback web site. It wants to do that so it could pay you the correct amount of cashback.
Going by a cashback web site is one other option to keep away from tickets scams as you’ll be assured to solely go to a verified ticket retailer.
Frequent Ticket Scams: The Money Solely Supply
If you happen to suppose you’re on a verified retailer web site, however you must pay by financial institution switch or acquire with money in particular person, STOP!
Paying on your tickets on a credit score or debit card offers you consumer protections if one thing goes fallacious – 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 below these safety legal guidelines to make sure a refund is processed – however when you pay by financial institution switch or money, you don’t get this safety.
Search for Companion Tickets
You probably have a incapacity, you can be entitled to a free companion ticket for occasions. The Cinema Companion Card is a nationally-recognised scheme, for instance. Theatre venues can even typically supply companion seats, although it is advisable purchase by the venue on to guide.
For stadium occasions, some ticket websites can have disabled seats with companion seats, however bear in mind: typically, this implies an empty area subsequent to a seat, as a result of the belief is that the disabled particular person wants area for a wheelchair. Whereas this feels very inclusive, it clearly excludes a whole lot of disabled folks (similar to those that require mobility aids however want to sit down down for lengthy intervals of time). Test prematurely with a venue about their disabled seating preparations, and whether or not they supply free or discounted companion tickets.
Frequent Ticket Scams: Scattered Seats
You may suppose 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 attractive group reductions, typically utilizing social media posts that hyperlink to what seems to be like an official web site, as a result of single seats at venues are at all times diminished. So, they purchase all the only seats up in a present and promote them to you as a bunch package deal. If you wish to go along with a bunch 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 on your favorite artist’s world tour or one of many huge 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, when you don’t need to get a whole lot of further spam. These newsletters will inform you how one can lower your expenses with group reductions, provide the probability to win tickets and VIP experiences, and likewise be sure to’re the primary to know when tickets will go on sale.
Test Your Telephone Supplier
It sounds unusual, however some cell phone suppliers give you the prospect to economize on live performance and competition tickets, in addition to leisure just like the theatre, for his or her clients. O2 Precedence is a widely known instance, ensuring clients get unique entry to some presales and different affords.
Use Loyalty Scheme Factors
Do you know that you can earn loyalty factors to spend in your dream competition or live performance ticket year-round? Loyalty schemes like Virgin Red mean you can just do that.
American Express clients might do one thing comparable, with unique entry to specially-reserved seats at every kind of experiences and leisure nights.
Attending to and from festivals and concert events additionally typically includes a whole lot of journey. Be sure you’re utilizing your Tesco Clubcard or your Nectar factors to economize on the journey and lodging on your gig weekend.
The right way 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 dissatisfied while you get turned away from that live performance of a lifetime you’ve been trying ahead to.
- Use a verified retailer – when 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 as well verify the Secure Tickets from Authorised Retailers web site or the Association of Secondary Ticket Agents to see if a web 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 on your ticket.
- Test your ticket Ts & Cs – reputable tickets can have resale or refund directions
- Test the ticket Ts & Cs BEFORE you purchase – have 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 may be offered to a number of folks as a rip-off, however just one particular person 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 a web site hyperlink earlier than you click on it and if the URL displaying is just not the web site you need to go to, don’t click on!
- If a web-based fee fails, DO NOT pay once more – contact the ticket gross sales web site to substantiate in case your transaction went by. A rip-off web site won’t have customer support you possibly can discuss to, and will take a number of ‘failed’ funds from you.
Volunteer As an alternative
Tickets for any type of leisure are costly, even when you could find methods to economize on them whereas avoiding ticket scams. Nevertheless, there’s one path to moving into your required competition: volunteering.
Competition volunteers work a shift (normally 4-6 hours every day) and may be something from site 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 might need to compromise on which acts you get to see, in case your shift is scheduled for a selected time, nevertheless it’s a great way to see issues at no cost. Competition volunteering is bodily demanding, nonetheless, so that you’ll should be in prime situation to do it!