I know how to buy cheap gig tickets to acts like Coldplay and Sam Fender – and you’ll even beat the queues
COMPETITION for affordable concert tickets has been fiercer than ever this year.
Last month Oasis made headlines when they announced their reunion tour – for all the wrong reasons.
Dynamic ticket prices and lengthy online queues frustrated fans and highlighted problems in the ticket industry.
Coldplay and Sam Fender have also announced big UK tours in recent weeks, leaving concertgoers scrambling for tickets.
Meanwhile, earlier this year fans paid up to £540 to see American songstress Taylor Swift on her hugely popular Eras Tour.
Although most of us are unable to splash that kind of cash on a concert, there are still ways to bag the hottest ticket in town.
Today consumer expert Martyn James explains the best ways to get cheap tickets.
Sign up to fan sites
Martyn said there is no way to guarantee cheap tickets but there are a few options if you can hold your nerve.
One option is to sign up to fan sites, he recommends.
“This won’t get you cheap tickets generally, unless the band isn’t well known,” he said.
“But you will get priority booking and potentially better tickets.”
Some artists will also release tickets early to fans who have bought their CDs and vinyls.
For example, Taylor Swift’s label pre-sale was only open to fans who had pre-ordered a copy of her album Midnights between Monday 29 August, 2022 and Thursday 27 October, 2022.
These fans were given priority access to her concert ticket sale.
Meanwhile, Jorja Smith fans could get their hands on tickets to see the singer at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London if they pre-ordered her album “Falling or Flying” on vinyl.
Look for unfilled seats
Some artists book big venues or add extra dates to their tour if their first release of tickets have sold well.
How to get Oasis tickets if you missed out
SENIOR Consumer Reporter Olivia Marshall explains how you can still bag tickets to see Oasis.
WHEN I heard the news that Britpop favourites Oasis were reuniting after 15 years, my thoughts immediately turned to the inevitable scramble for tickets to next year’s tour.
Despite playing 17 dates across the UK and Ireland, many will have been left empty handed after yesterday’s general sale.
If you’re one of the unlucky ones who missed out, stop crying your heart out, because there may be hopes of a ticket yet.
Oasis have partnered with resale platform Twickets. The site only allows fans to resell tickets at face value. This means that sellers can’t add more than 15 per cent to the price of the ticket to cover booking fees and they can also reduce the price if they’re not selling.
Delivery is agreed between the buyer and the seller, so Twickets can see who is responsible should a ticket not be delivered on time.
You can also set up alerts on the Twickets app, so you’ll be the first to know if Oasis tickets become available.
Ticketmaster also has its own Fan-to-Fan resale platform, which works on the same premise.
If you’re thinking of just rolling with it and buying from an unauthorised platform, you may want to think again.
The Gallagher brothers have already said that selling tickets through unauthorised resale platforms will breach the terms and conditions and tickets may be cancelled.
You also run the risk of scammers sliding away with your cash by going through unofficial routes.
Scammers will piggyback onto popular events and earlier this year, Lloyds Bank estimated that fans of Taylor Swift had lost more than £1million to ticket scammers ahead of her UK tour.
Don’t feel pressured to pay rip off prices. Keep an eye on official platforms and you may find you’re making memories that will live forever at Oasis after all.
But after doing this they sometimes find that they can’t fill them fully.
“A number of big ticket artists this summer offered reduced prices to fill these seats – often considerably less,” Martyn said.
“Keep an eye on the ticket agencies and ‘last minute’ ticket sites for offers.”
Seattle grunge band Pearl Jam were forced to slash the price of tickets to their Dark Matter World Tour by more than 50% in June.
Premium standing tickets were initially £249.45 but tickets were later available through re-sale for £155.25.
Seventies pop legend Leo Sayer also had to halve the price of tickets to his London Palladium show this year.
Some tickets were available for just £20 plus a £4 booking fee.
Meanwhile, a festival which indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs were headlining slashed its ticket prices by half.
The band performed on July 27 at the annual festival in Seaton Reach in Hartlepool.
Plus Girls Aloud were forced to slash ticket prices after their tour, The Girls Aloud Show, failed to sell out.
Grab mates rates
You cannot resell tickets for profit other than to the box office that you bought them from, but there are other ways to work the system, suggests Martyn.
“You are allowed to gift tickets to mates if you can’t go to a concert, so if you know someone who can’t attend then you could get a cut price deal.”
If you are going to go down this route beware, Martyn warns.
Resale tickets are often used by scammers to con fans.
“This is the single most common way people get stiffed by strangers selling tickets,” he said.
“Only give money to ticket holders who you know and trust. Taylor Swift fans alone lost zillions through this scam.”
Join a loyalty scheme
Some credit cards and loyalty programmes come with a range of exclusive offers which are only available to members.
These can include pre-sale access to popular concerts, VIP experiences or discounted ticket prices.
For example, American Express card members can get exclusive access to club seats and terrace suites at the Ovo Arena Wembley.
Prices start at £150 but could end up being cheaper than buying tickets during official sales.
Meanwhile, O2 customers can get access to priority tickets for gigs including Sam Fender and Busted vs McFly.
Make sure you enable notifications from the programmes you join and subscribe to newsletters to avoid missing out.
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