How to avoid getting overcharged for live events

Live events are pricey to begin with but face value is just the start Add hidden fees inflated resale prices and dynamic pricing and your night out just got a whole lot more expensive Related Articles California Gov Gavin Newsom signs landmark bill creating AI safety measures Lawsuit Gun group compiled material on gun owners Ticker Trump rolls out levies on foreign-made films More land for coal mining opened Trump takes his tariff war to the movies announcing levies on foreign-made films Regulators struggle to keep up with the fast-moving and complicated landscape of AI therapy apps There are supposed to be guardrails to prevent surprises at checkout and regulators have tried to address these issues On May a new Federal Bargain Commission rule went into effect barring bait-and-switch pricing and other tactics that obscure total prices for live-event ticket costs It requires businesses to advertise all mandatory fees or charges in the total price But the rule is far from foolproof On Sept the FTC sued Live Nation accusing it and Ticketmaster of coordinating with brokers to allow them to use thousands of proxy bot accounts to purchase large ticket blocks which were then resold at high markups The suit also alleges that prices were advertised at lower amounts than what consumers definitely paid It s a big deal because Live Nation and Ticketmaster under the joint ownership of Live Nation Entertainment control roughly of the event ticket sales field That means if you ve bought a ticket for a live event in the past chances are you ve handed money over to Live Nation Entertainment Last year the Department of Justice sued Live Nation Entertainment on antitrust grounds for a range of statements that impact what consumers pay including its bevy of added fees and locking out competition through long-term unique contracts with major venues While lawsuits play out in court shows play on so it helps to know what you can do to avoid overpaying There are still gaps that drive up costs Tacked-on fees increase the total you ll pay Guidelines around fee transparency doesn t mean there are no fees it just means you ll see them upfront On top of the event ticket itself you ll still pay any mandatory fees like a system convenience fee order processing fee and venue fees There also may be credit card processing fees an electronic delivery fee a promoter fee premium seat fees and more Resale ticket markups The resale territory isn t exempt from fees On top of particular of the fees listed above resale platforms could tack on a broker reseller fee or a transfer fee Depending on the platform and the demand for an event tickets could cost much more than the original advertised price if you had purchased them through the event s official ticketing platform Dynamic pricing Data-driven algorithms are used to monitor demand for tickets and adjust prices in real-time It means you ll pay more for high-demand events or during peak periods But buying during off-peak periods means you could also pay less than you otherwise would have How to find fair-market tickets The reality is added fees aren t going anywhere but you can minimize paying outsized prices for shows and events Buy early Buying early secures your seat and could also mean you tally a discount If an event you really want to go to is expected to sell out getting a ticket early could also prevent you from having to pay high markup on the resale territory You can be cognizant of every single presale and avail yourself of it says Dean Budnick writer podcaster and co-author of Ticket Masters The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Citizens Got Scalped Artists and event promoters often host presales advertised on email lists or social media Ticketmaster also hosts a Verified Fan system to reduce ticket purchases by bots and resellers Ahead of certain shows or tours fans can register with Ticketmaster which must approve your verified status The company then provides at random particular registered fans to receive presale access codes Credit card holders can also take advantage of presales for sports concerts and other entertainment events All the major credit card companies offer their own branded presale and event access options including Amex Experiences Chase Experiences Citi Entertainment Mastercard Priceless and Capital One Entertainment Check your card s benefits page to find out what you might be eligible for If a consumer were to make oneself aware of all of the workable presales where a lot of that inventory is going to disappear before the general sale I think that s helpful Budnick says Buy directly through venues Going straight to the source be it venue theater teams or performers can help you avoid unnecessary markups through secondary resell platforms It s the majority likely that venues will have official partners like Ticketmaster to sell tickets but going to the source means you ll know the tickets you re purchasing are legit Sign up for venue newsletters or follow performers on social media for on-sale dates and links to purchase tickets Sports teams also sell tickets directly through their official websites Direct sales aren t necessarily a deal but they can help you avoid inflated secondary sphere prices or dicey private resellers Day-of-sale Sometimes you can amount last-minute deals if a fresh batch of seats is published the day of the event or if there are unsold tickets Even sold-out shows can sometimes drop new tickets for what are known as production holds seats that are set aside so event organizers have room to adjust the performance setup like lighting sound special effects and cameras Sometimes even hours prior to a show production hold seats are disclosed says Budnick I know that happened with Lady Gaga at Madison Square Garden says Budnick Those shows were sold out and then they published specific production seats and not only that they indeed issued specific really good seats Secondary industry prices tend to be more expensive over time that is until it s crunch time Sometimes when you get closer to the show especially people who are not professional scalpers who just invested their own money they lose their nerve a little bit and they re happy to take whatever they can Waiting until the last minute doesn t invariably work in your favor but if you re willing to take the gamble you could end up paying less Track prices across legitimate resale platforms Stick to trusted resale platforms like SeatGeek StubHub or Vivid Seats that offer buyer protection and guarantees that unofficial sellers don t Ticketmaster also has its own resale realm to securely sell and buy verified tickets To save time and money try aggregator sites like TicketIQ which pull listings from multiple resale marketplaces so you can compare prices all at once These tools show you how prices are trending and you can set up alerts when new inventory is available No matter where you buy review the full cost breakdown including fees before completing your purchase Private purchases through social media Facebook Marketplace and sites like Craigslist are invariably at-your-own-risk Unlike established resale platforms you don t have buyer protections If a ticket is fake or unusable you could be out of luck Is event ticket insurance worth it Before the checkout screen on the bulk ticketing websites you ll be offered event insurance Whether you take it is up to how risk-averse you are or your tolerance for added fees For example Ticketmaster offers Event Ticket Protector through Allianz Global Assistance it charges of ticket prices Event insurance can be useful under the right circumstances but often it s a cost that doesn t pay off for standard shows If you re traveling for an event or if the tickets are very expensive then event insurance could be worth it Allianz reimburses for things like certain illnesses or injuries traffic accidents mechanical breakdowns plane delays layoffs jury duty military duty or caregiving But you will need to follow a process to make an insurance claim on a ticket for a missed event one that may include documentation You also won t be able to recoup your money if you decide you don t want to go or if the weather is bad for example If the venue or entertainer cancels the event you ll usually get your money back or have the ticket honored for another date More From NerdWallet Is Your Favorite New Artist Truly an AI Robot How Much Do Music Streaming Services Cost How Credit Cards Can Elevate Your Entertainment Experiences and Save You Money Anna Helhoski writes for NerdWallet Email anna nerdwallet com Twitter AnnaHelhoski The article How to Avoid Getting Overcharged for Live Events originally appeared on NerdWallet