Do you travel for special events? I have friends who follow sports teams from city to city or visit a new stadium each year. Another friend is on a mission to visit every state fair (I joined her once). My event-related travel is usually booked around concerts or exhibits.
The best practices for buying event tickets, however, don’t necessarily follow ticket conventions for other travel purchases. For example, purchasing early is common practice for airline tickets but is not always recommended for events. The event gurus at Stubhub shared some ticket-buying tips for travelers. Check them out if you plan to attend events on the road.
1. Be Patient
Ticket prices tend to drop as you get closer to events. You can find great deals if you wait until minutes before an event.
2. Limit Sharing on Social
Bragging about your tickets on social media? Be sure to cover up the ticket barcode and serial number. Otherwise, you’re inviting counterfeiters to steal your ticket.
3. Use Ticket Tools
Some sites offer price alerts similar to travel sites to help you find tickets within your budget. StubHub’s mobile app also has Virtual View, offering a 360-view to preview seats before purchase and a “best value” option to find the best deals in any venue.
4. Seek Reputable and Secure Ticket Resources
As tempting as it is to scalp tickets with the cash in your pocket, purchasing from companies by credit card is a safer option.Some sites also invest in guaranteeing the tickets. Any ticket resource should have a toll-free customer service number in case you encounter issues.
5. Be Safe and Smart
Buying a ticket on the street is too risky to be worth it. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
What ticket-buying tips do you have?
This post isn’t sponsored, we just love sharing travel tips.
Jessica Mlinaric founded Urban Explorer in 2010 to inspire curious travelers by highlighting history, culture, and hidden gems in Chicago and beyond. She is the author of ‘Secret Chicago’ and ‘Chicago Scavenger.’ Jessica has visited 20+ countries and 30+ U.S. states. She has more than 16 years of experience as a marketing strategist and works as a freelance writer and photographer.
I totally agree that it’s not a good idea to scalp tickets. A friend of mine lost a chunk of money doing that. I think that always remembering the first tip about being patient will most likely get you the best deal for the event you’re interested in going to.
Oh that’s a shame! I have been lucky scalping tickets so far, but since ticketing websites are so easy to use and prevalent these days it seems like the safest way to go.