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5 Ways to Save on Event Tickets

Patience and flexibility are the keys to avoid paying top dollar

Getty Images News As more Americans are vaccinated and the number of cases wane, fans are once again starting to go to sports events and concerts. All 30 National Football League (NFL) stadiums have gotten the go-ahead to operate at full capacity, and many National Basketball Association (NBA) arenas can too.
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. And some top stars are hitting the road, after nearly two years of staying home or performing via Zoom. Tickets for Coldplay’s 2022 tour are on sale now; tickets for Bruno Mars' tour in December are on sale, too. And other acts, such as the Tedeschi Trucks Band, are adding dates to their 2022 tours. If you’re tempted to go see a big game or big name, you’re probably going to pay big bucks. The average price of an NFL ticket is $151, according to SeatGeek, a popular ticket seller. NBA tickets cost an average $94. Concerts cost an average of $96 in 2019, according to the latest data available from Statista, and big names, such as Taylor Swift or , can run way higher. But you don’t always have to pay that much to see your favorite team or artist. Here are five tips for saving money when you’re trying to get a glimpse of the sports and music stars live and up close.

1 Wait

Normally, you can get the best prices when they first go on sale at the box office. Many times, however, tickets sell out within a few minutes, and that’s often because ticket resellers snatch them up for resale. If you can’t get tickets from the primary source — the box office — then you have to buy them on the secondary market, via resellers such as , or . “We tend to see a price spike up until about a week before the game, when prices typically decline,” says Gametime CEO and founder Brad Griffith. The longer you wait, the cheaper the ticket gets, as sellers become nervous that they will get stuck with worthless inventory. If you buy NFL tickets 30 days before the game, you can expect to pay 10 percent more than average, but the prices will be 40 percent less than average the day before kickoff, according to Gametime. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Buy from a reputable ticket reseller, rather than some guy in front of the concert hall or stadium, who may be . Many resellers offer money-back guarantees that your seat is genuine. The risk is that you won’t get the seat you wanted. If you just have to be in the front row, be prepared to pay for it. On the other hand, you can often have as much fun in the upper deck as up close and personal.

3 Swing by the actual box office

Venues often hold back tickets for promoters as well as the artists and their guests, according to , a website for helping ticket buyers. If the box office has unused promotional tickets, they will sell them close to the time of the event. You never know, and it doesn’t hurt to ask.

4 Use credit card points

Some major credit-card companies, such as American Express and Citi, sometimes offer tickets at box-office prices before they are on sale to the general public — and you can use points to buy them, according to Stadium Help. Sometimes you need a to take advantage of credit card deals. This often is the support phone number on the back of the card or the first six digits of your card.

5 Be a fan

Many artists have fan clubs, and they sometimes offer presale codes that let you buy tickets before they’re for sale to the general public. Some artists charge to join their fan club: , for example, charges $29.99 to $75 annually. You’ll have to decide whether the fan-club cost is worth getting the presale tickets and other benefits, such as newsletters. Other fan sites, such as the one for country star Darius Rucker, are free. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. More on money AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS