10 Tips for Buying Concert Tickets

10 Tips for Buying Concert Tickets

Have you ever find yourself running out of ideas where to buy concert tickets or event tickets at a discount? You might be willing to pay a little more, but not scalped for something last minute. Let me share with you a list of ways to keep more money in your pocket and eliminate the frustration of being told the words: "SOLD OUT."

1) Join the Band’s Fan Club: Most everyone has a favorite band. Search for them online, and check their websites. If you have accounts, you can join their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter to be informed about their next venue, and subscribe to their email distribution list. Often they will email promotions of presale concert tickets to their club members first. Some presale tickets will be limited, but generally it does entitle you to a 10% off the concert tickets.

2) Your Favorite Radio Station: A great resource to find where your favorite band is playing would be the radio station. Not only that, many radio stations would run contests for FREE or discounted tickets to their listeners. The radio stations also have online websites for you to browse and check on their latest contests and promotions. And if you are just too busy to browse, make sure you can sign-up to receive email notifications of the upcoming presale concert tickets, and venue.

3) Local Newspapers and Entertainment Magazine: Check your local newspapers for list of the concerts that are coming to your town. You would be surprise with the discount that you can get since the newspapers now have to compete with online news, and promotions. There are also FREE Entertainment Magazines for concerts, parties, and clubs in your area. You can usually find the Entertainment Magazines stacked at the local library or the super markets.

4) Resale Sites. This option is one of the easiest ways to get tickets, but there are things to consider when buying through resale ticket places. You can find these resale ticket places online, and sometimes in your town. Beware that the tickets are not counterfeits, they could be expired, or you have to go with the person who purchased them. A red flag would be a seller that can’t tell you where your seat is going to be.

5) Location of the Event: Most of the time events are promoted through the location where they will be performing. Your local stadium or performing arts theater will post their events on a bulletin, or have a brochure for the season what will be playing. Make sure you sign-up to get their newsletters and mailings. This is also a great place to get discounts, if you buy their season tickets, which include the seats and the events. Season tickets are one of the best ways to buy, because if you don’t use them, you can always gift them to friends or family as gifts.

6) Credit Card Companies. Many credit card companies offer discount tickets on entertainment for their members. Check with yours. American Express Presales usually runs promotions and discounts all the time. They are quite popular with the presale tickets for concerts and events. Chase reward, Citi Bank, and Master Card also offers some entertainment venues promotions.

7) Your Work Place. Many work place have employee benefits to theme parks and entertainment venues for their employees. You might have to go to your Human Resources department or your Employee relations department to ask for a list of their Employee Entertainment Services. The bonus is that they are discounted and sometimes very family friendly in terms of prices for a large group.


8) Blogs, and Personal Websites: I am aware of a few media blogs and websites that are specifically focused on entertainment. From movies, concert tickets, events, to shows. They get a little commission for the reviews and the article, and when they can sell the ticket through their website. Since I am a blogger, naturally I would trust another blogger. It is like a newspaper or a box office ticket place. You do a transaction, they sell, you buy and that is as simple as it gets.

9) EBay, Craigslist: You can find almost anything on Ebay and Craigslist. There are specialized vendors in selling concert tickets and event tickets, and that’s their business. They are like the middle man who buys and sells the tickets for a little profit. Think of them like the tour guide agencies, they know where to get the tickets at a discount, and they know buyers that are willing to pay. Their job is to match-up the two. So unless you are willing to do some work to earn the discount tickets by doing some of the above mentioned ways, you might need to use one of these vendors on Ebay and Craigslist.

10) Private Selling Parties: Last but not least, Google search engine is a great place to find the private sell tickets. Sometimes people just have unexpected things come up in their lives, and cannot make the event. You can search for the name of the band and event date. Often if someone is trying to get rid of it, they will try to post it on the internet too. Again, beware of scalpers and scammers. You can make sure the ticket is legit, by asking for the license number and some sort of contact info. If they are real, they won’t mind providing you with some info, since concert tickets sometimes can run big bucks.

Please share with us where have you been able to find concert tickets and event tickets in your area?