Hoping to score tickets to the upcoming Adele concert at Philips Arena ? Good luck!
As most savvy ticket buyers know, getting a seat at the hottest shows can be a challenge. Experts advise getting in on the presale action, but as Adele fans already know that doesn't always help.
On Wednesday, North American buyers who received a presale code by registering at Adele.com still had to wait in "line" to purchase tickets -- some as long as an hour and half -- and that still didn't guarantee they would get seats. Fans posted screen images on Twitter as they waited.
If the presale was any indication, anyone who is planning to buy a ticket when sales open to the general public had better be prepared. Here are a few reminders on how to maximize your chances for ticket buying success.
- Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 17 and are priced at $39.50-$149.50. You can buy tickets at Ticketmaster outlets, the venue box office, http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
- Keep in mind that ticket presales and holdbacks can amount to up to 90 percent of the total tickets, leaving only 10 percent available to the general public, according to Fan Freedom, a consumer advocacy group (initially funded by ticket reseller StubHub.com ). Holdbacks occur when artists, management, venues and ticketing companies sell or reserve tickets to fan club members, VIPs, premium credit card holders and personal acquaintances. Adele seems to be pretty conscientious about making sure her fans can get their hands on her tickets, so hopefully there will be a good number of tickets released to the public.
- Adele has chosen credit card entry for select seats to make sure the best seats go to her fans. Depending on the seat, buyers will get a restricted paperless ticket which means the buyer must show up at the venue on concert night and present the purchasing credit card and photo ID. You don't get a physical ticket and you can't easily transfer the tickets. So it would be best not to buy a gift for someone unless you plan on going with him or her.
- And speaking of going with other people, there is a four ticket limit for the Adele concert. If you try to buy more than that, your order can be cancelled without notice. On the other hand, one of the best ways to make sure you get a seat is to just buy one ticket. But of course, almost no one wants to go to a concert alone. Another option is to try buying for the second day. Most people will likely be trying to score a ticket for the first show. Start off shopping for day two and you may increase your chances.
- If you find that you are just not having any luck when tickets go on sale, don't give up. It's possible that someone may have tried to buy too many tickets and forfeited their sale or that a credit card gets declined, and just like that, four more tickets are back out for sale. This isn't the likeliest scenario, but it is worth trying a few more times even if it looks like you're shut out.
Related: Review of Adele's new album "25"
If you start looking for alternate ticket sources, a web search will turn up plenty of alternatives. But remember, Ticketmaster is the authorized seller and if you're going to buy from a secondary seller, make sure you read all the fine print to avoid scams. Here are some tips from Fan Freedom:
Pay attention to URLs: When buying tickets directly from a venue, check the website's URL to ensure you don't get duped by an imposter.
Use reliable sellers: Brokers like TicketNetwork.com and StubHub.com have tickets at prices higher than face value, but not as high as you may pay for leftovers from the public sale or VIP packages. Bryson Meunier of VividSeats.com suggests checking company ratings with the Better Business Bureau and verifying ticket brokers are members of the National Association of Ticket Brokers , whose Code of Ethics requires members to adhere to basic consumer protections.
Check your ticket vendor's guarantee policy: According to Fan Freedom, secondary ticket sellers like Stub Hub, TicketsNow , Ace Ticket and All-Shows guarantee every ticket sold on their sites and will replace them or provide refunds to consumers if they receive the wrong ticket, their tickets are invalid or an event is canceled. This may not be the case for all online ticket sellers.
Read the fine print: Just as when you are buying from Ticketmaster, ticket limits and credit card entry restrictions may apply to tickets purchased from secondary sellers as well. Be sure you know the restrictions that apply to the tickets you are buying no matter which website you buy them from.
Rate your deal: To determine if you're getting a good deal, check online ticket aggregators like SeatGeek.com , which offers Deal Score, a proprietary system that analyzes and rates available ticket for sale online to show you which ones offer the most value for the money. It also provides a link directly to Ticketmaster's official box office so you can check there for available tickets instead of using a secondary seller.
Buy with a credit card: Regardless of where you buy tickets, be sure to use a credit card so you can dispute any unfair or unauthorized charges.
Know the fees. This isn't always easy since fees tend to change with the wind. There are buyer fees, shipping fees and fees that don't seem to be for any reason other than charging a fee. Pay attention to your subtotal, says Fan Freedom, as it can change throughout the ticket buying process.
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