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If you’ve ever tried to buy tickets to an in-demand concert, then you know how frustrating — and expensive — it can be. Despite this, there are some who say concerts aren’t expensive enough, including Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, who argued that concerts are underpriced compared to sports. Music fans and musicians didn’t exactly agree.
But challenges like confusing waitlists and dynamic pricing shouldn’t deter fans from the joy of seeing their favorite artists live. Even as concert prices have gone up, there are still ways to score concert tickets for less.
As devoted music fans — and seasoned shopping editors — we have some tips and tricks for those looking to save money on seeing live concerts. Of course, much of this advice also applies to events like Broadway shows and sports.
Buy Early
Presale is one way to buy tickets early, and sometimes for less, giving fans an opportunity to nab better seats. But getting on a presale list doesn’t have to involve joining some secretive club. Companies, from credit card providers to phone service providers, offer members access to discounts and presales.
For example, companies like T-Mobile and Verizon offer member access to concert presales. Spotify also provides preorder access to shows based on the artists you listen to, so make sure you keep an eye on your inbox. Credit cards like Citi, American Express, and Capital One also offer presale perks to cardholders. In short, you might have access to presale without realizing it.
Otherwise, you can sometimes access presale by buying an artist’s album. You can also go to Ticketmaster’s site and pick your favorite artists to get notified of presale access.
Or Buy Last Minute
There’s always a risk with buying last-minute that a show will be completely sold out. But generally, there will be tickets available to buy at the last minute, including the day of the show. Whether they’re scalpers or fans who can’t make the show, resellers will typically look to offload any unsold tickets for less.
And while there’s always some risk involved with buying from third-party marketplaces, most resale websites offer some level of protection if you can’t get into the venue, including banning those who sell fake tickets and offering refunds for fans.
Shop In Person
Ticketmaster and resale sites alike have adopted all-in-pricing, showing fans the full price before they check out. It’s a step in the right direction, but that doesn’t mean those fees have gone away. You can often skip fees entirely by buying in person at the box office. Of course, this isn’t always possible, as not every venue has a physical box office, and for those that do, they’re often open during short windows on weekdays.
Price Compare
There are a lot of resale sites, and while there are subtle differences between them, many offer tickets to the same events. That’s why it’s worth checking more than one site to find the best possible deals. These are some of the resale sites worth checking out, which you can also save on with promo codes. Read on for some of our favorite sites for buying concert tickets for less.
StubHub
see at stubhub
StubHub is one of the most popular and likely the best-known websites for reselling tickets. It offers tickets to everything from concerts to sports, and the site has handy filters to find the best seats for the price. The Fan Protect program is designed to protect fans from inauthentic tickets, too.
TicketNetwork
see at ticketnetwork
TicketNetwork offers the ability to filter by price, section, and more, although it doesn’t advanced features like the ability to preview the view from your seat. Still, Rolling Stone readers can save with promo code RS150 for $150 off $500 orders, or RS300 for $300 off $1,000 orders.
Vivid Seats
see at vividseats
Vivid Seats is another popular option for scoring resale tickets, and it lets you filter by price or zone. Vivid Seats includes sports as well as concerts.
SeatGeek
Buy Now at seatgeek
SeatGeek’s homepage breaks down events into categories like Broadway, comedy shows, sports, and concerts, making it easy to find what you’re looking for. You can also preview the view from the section, and see available tickets by row.
Gametime
Buy Now at gametime
As the name suggests, Gametime has a focus on sports, but the ticket resale site also offers plenty of concerts, plus comedy and theater.
