TICKETMASTER
5 Tips for Safely Buying Event Tickets
We know the feeling. You’ve bought tickets for a long-awaited show or festival. You arrive at the entrance, full of excitement… only to suddenly find out that your ticket is invalid. That’s something you definitely want to avoid.
In this article, we share 5 tips on how to buy tickets safely and how you can protect yourself against ticket fraud.
TIP 1: Always book your tickets through official sales channels.
Whether you’re attending a major concert, festival or sporting event, the safest way to book tickets is through the event’s official ticketing partner. Only book your tickets via the organiser’s official website or through an authorised ticketing partner such as us, Ticketmaster.
Don’t simply click on the first result that appears in your search engine. You could end up on a resale platform or an auction website, where tickets are often (much) more expensive, may be invalid or may not guarantee entry to the event.
TIP 2: Always be extra careful when buying tickets via Instagram, Facebook or other social media platforms.
Recently created accounts or accounts with strange names are definitely a major no-go. But even tickets offered for sale by accounts belonging to real people should be approached with caution.
The stories you read there often sound convincing, but you never know whether they are actually true. What’s more, you have no guarantee that the seller hasn’t already sold the ticket somewhere else. Or worse, they could simply sell you a (digital) copy of their ticket and then happily turn up at the festival or concert themselves with the original.
Believe us, we’re not making this up. We’ve encountered situations like these at our box office on numerous occasions.
TIP 3: Never buy tickets before a tour has officially gone on sale.
If you do, you’re guaranteed to be buying fake tickets. Of course, this does not apply to official presales organised through, for example, the artist, venue or promoter.
TIP 4: Always double-check the URL (or web address).
Don’t quickly click through from your search results to websites that may look like our Ticketmaster website but aren’t actually so.
If you’re buying tickets from us, make sure you do so via Ticketmaster.be or through the official Ticketmaster mobile app.
Don’t have the app on your phone yet? You can download it here for iOS or here for Android.
TIP 5: Avoid printed tickets.
Scammers often distribute copies of the same ticket to multiple buyers. That’s also why we now almost exclusively use mobile tickets.
These tickets cannot be printed, are often only made available in the buyer’s account closer to the date of the show, and include additional security features.
Find out more about mobile tickets here.
What about sold-out concerts or festivals?
Looking for a ticket to an event that is sold out? The tips above are just as important – if not even more important – in this situation. That also applies when booking through well-known and trusted resale platforms. Even these platforms are rarely 100% foolproof, regardless of what they claim or whether you’ve successfully bought tickets through them in the past.
Tickets offered for resale on these platforms can also be listed simultaneously on social media or elsewhere and sold a second (or even third) time.
The only resale channel that is 100% reliable is Ticketmaster Resale. We can already hear you thinking: Yeah, sure, that sounds like a bit of self-promotion…
But there’s a reason: we’re the only platform that can guarantee entry 100%.
How? Whenever a ticket is resold through our platform, the original ticket code is invalidated first. We then generate a new code, which means the ticket in your account is unique and secure.
Check the same event page where you originally looked for tickets to see whether any resale tickets are available.
On our website, you can recognise resale tickets by their pink colour. They appear underneath the original ticket types.
No resale tickets available today? Don’t panic. The number of available tickets can change from day to day, so it’s worth checking regularly. Who knows — you might have better luck tomorrow.
👉 Get ready for an upcoming ticket sale with this guide: Get ready for the ticket sale
Buying tickets at a physical sales outlet
Some events work with physical ticket outlets. Always check the official list of partners to make sure you’re booking your tickets from an authorised seller.
In short
You can never take too many precautions when it comes to buying tickets. For a safe and guaranteed experience, it’s always best to buy your tickets through official channels.
Presales also always take place through official channels, such as the artist, venue or promoter.
Still have questions? We’re here to help. Find our customer service here, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok!
