Studying Time: 8 minutes
The summer time is at all times a riot in relation to leisure. From native outside festivals to large occasions like Glastonbury, there’s a ton of enjoyable available within the sunny months. Nonetheless, tickets could be costly – and that additionally makes it straightforward to get sucked in by ticket scams. Discover ways to get monetary savings in your summer time leisure tickets with out being fooled by ticket scams.
Contemplate Cashback Websites to Save
Save Cash on Live performance Tickets
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 might be attempting to purchase the tickets, the upper the value would rise. Whereas some artists denied permitting this technique was their selection, 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 shopper, is that you simply might 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 dwell 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 likelihood for them.
There are not any guidelines in opposition to dynamic pricing within the UK. And whereas it’s purported 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 way of the roof at even increased 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? Effectively, sadly, some venues and a few artists will solely use a single ticket gross sales outlet like Ticketmaster. This implies you’ll be able to solely formally purchase a ticket by way of them. Whereas it offers you some purchaser safety, for instance if the live performance is cancelled you’ll be able to declare a refund, it does restrict your choices.
Nonetheless, utilizing a verified retailer is way 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 have to 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 received’t have any recourse for a refund from him both.
Whereas utilizing a verified retailer means you need to pay the value they set, you do get purchaser protections. In addition they have resale platforms that are official, so if you might want to 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’ll’t make it on the final minute, however you’ll be able to meet them on the venue to get the ticket off them should you ship them money to ‘reserve’ it first.
Once more, tickets are often for the client solely – however even when they aren’t, assembly a stranger to get a ticket isn’t going to finish nicely (they usually often received’t even flip up). In the event that they do flip up, they could demand more money 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 speak about cashback websites loads on Moneymagpie – and for good purpose! It’s a good way to basically get a reduction on something you should buy by way of them. If you’re shopping for a gig or pageant ticket, that might quantity to a pleasant chunk of change again in your pocket, for doing nothing!
All you might want to do is signal as much as a cashback website and discover the ticket gross sales web site by way of it. So, should 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 offers you cashback. Click on the hyperlink and purchase as normal – simply keep in mind to pick out ‘enable all cookies’ while you get to the ticket web site, as this implies your buy might be tracked by the cashback website. It wants to do that so it will probably pay you the correct amount of cashback.
Going by way of a cashback website is one other approach 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 Provide
In case you suppose you’re on a verified retailer website, however you need to pay by financial institution switch or accumulate with money in particular person, STOP!
Paying to your tickets on a credit score or debit card offers you client 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
If in case you have a incapacity, you may 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 provide companion seats, although you might want to purchase by way of the venue on to e-book.
For stadium occasions, some ticket websites may 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 particular person wants area for a wheelchair. Whereas this feels very inclusive, it clearly excludes plenty of disabled folks (reminiscent of 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 provide free or discounted companion tickets.
Frequent Ticket Scams: Scattered Seats
You would possibly 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 folks.
Scammers that do that provide 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 decreased. So, they purchase all the one 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 straight to rearrange reductions.
Save Cash on Live performance Tickets
There are just a few extra methods you’ll be able to strive to economize on shopping for a ticket to 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 listing AND the artist mailing lists. Arrange a brand new electronic mail deal with only for these, should you don’t wish to get plenty of further spam. These newsletters will inform you how one can get monetary savings with group reductions, provide the likelihood to win tickets and VIP experiences, and in addition be sure you’re the primary to know when tickets will go on sale.
Test Your Cellphone Supplier
It sounds unusual, however some cell phone suppliers give you the prospect to economize on live performance and pageant 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 presents.
Use Loyalty Scheme Factors
Do you know that you may earn loyalty factors to spend in your dream pageant or live performance ticket year-round? Loyalty schemes like Virgin Pink help you do exactly that.
American Specific prospects may 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 plenty of journey. Ensure you’re utilizing your Tesco Clubcard or your Nectar factors to economize on the journey and lodging to your gig weekend.
Keep away from Ticket Scams
There are just a few steps you’ll be able to take to guard your self from ticket scams, each saving your self some huge cash and frustration – and never being disillusioned while you get turned away from that live performance of a lifetime you’ve been trying ahead to.
- Use a verified retailer – should you’re undecided the place it’s protected to purchase a ticket, the venue will at all times have this data, so use their web site. You may as well test the Safe Tickets from Authorised Retailers web site or the Affiliation of Secondary Ticket Brokers to see if a web site or reseller is on the listing.
- 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 to your ticket.
- Test your ticket Ts & Cs – legit tickets may 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 could 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 will not be the web site you wish 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 way of. A rip-off web site won’t have customer support you’ll be able to 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. Nonetheless, there may be one path to stepping into your required pageant: volunteering.
Competition volunteers work a shift (often 4-6 hours every day) and could be something from site visitors wardens to crowd management. In return for his or her work, they get free tickets to the pageant (often 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 specific time, nevertheless it’s a great way to see issues free of charge. Competition volunteering is bodily demanding, nonetheless, so that you’ll have to be in prime situation to do it!
