Ticketmaster is one of the largest ticket sales and distribution companies, providing ticketing services for many major concerts, sporting events, and more. They facilitate both primary ticket sales for events as well as resale tickets through their Ticketmaster Resale platform.
If you purchased a resale ticket through Ticketmaster Resale, you may be wondering if you can cancel or get a refund if your plans change. The ability to cancel or get a refund on Ticketmaster resale tickets depends on several factors.
Can You Cancel a Resale Ticket on Ticketmaster?
Whether you can cancel a Ticketmaster resale ticket depends on the specific ticket listing you purchased. Some key things to keep in mind:
- Instant Download Tickets – Most Ticketmaster Resale tickets are instant download tickets. This means you get a barcode immediately after purchase that can be scanned at the event. Instant download tickets cannot be canceled or refunded on Ticketmaster.
- Electronic Delivery Tickets – Some Ticketmaster Resale tickets are electronic delivery, meaning you get an email with a link to access your tickets closer to the event. These also cannot be canceled or refunded.
- Hard Tickets – A small portion of Ticketmaster Resale tickets are hard tickets, which are physically mailed to you. These hard tickets are refundable until they are shipped out.
So in summary – Instant download and electronic delivery tickets are not refundable at all. Hard tickets are only refundable until they are shipped.
It’s important to carefully check the details of your specific ticket listing to see the format (instant download, electronic delivery or hard ticket) before purchasing. This will let you know whether a refund or cancellation is possible.
Getting a Refund on Hard Tickets
If you purchased one of the few Ticketmaster Resale tickets that come as physical hard tickets shipped to you, you may be able to get a refund, but only before the tickets are shipped out.
Here is the process to request a refund on hard tickets purchased through Ticketmaster Resale:
- Login to your Ticketmaster account and go to your Upcoming Events.
- Find the event under Upcoming Events and click “Cancel Order”.
- Select the reason you are requesting a cancellation. Options include:
- I can no longer attend the event
- I purchased the wrong type of ticket
- I purchased the tickets by accident
- Other
- Confirm that you understand tickets must be returned if they have already been shipped to you.
- If approved, you will receive a refund to your original payment method.
This cancellation request must be made before your hard tickets ship out. Once they are shipped, they are non-refundable.
So in summary, hard tickets can be canceled for a refund, but you must act quickly and request a cancellation before they get shipped out.
Selling Your Ticket on Ticketmaster Resale
If you have an instant download or electronic delivery ticket that cannot be refunded, you do have one option – reselling it yourself on Ticketmaster Resale.
While Ticketmaster does not allow you to return instant download or electronic tickets, you can list them for resale yourself at any price you choose. Here is how it works:
- Login to your Ticketmaster account and go to your Upcoming Events
- Find your event and click “Sell Tickets”
- Pick which tickets you want to resell and select “Sell”
- Enter the price you want to sell them for
- Agree to the terms and conditions
- Click “Post Listing” to list your tickets for sale
Once you complete the resale listing, other fans can purchase your tickets on Ticketmaster Resale. If they sell, you will receive an email that your tickets have sold.
The benefit is you get back some of your initial ticket payment, however there is no guarantee your tickets will find a buyer. You also need to hope they resell for enough to make the fees involved worthwhile.
Using Ticketmaster Ticket Insurance
One option that can provide the ability to cancel tickets and get a refund is Ticketmaster’s Ticket Insurance. This is an add-on you can select during the initial ticket buying process:
- When purchasing tickets on Ticketmaster, you will have the option to “Add Ticket Insurance”.
- For a fee (usually around 10% of the ticket price), this lets you cancel your tickets for a full refund for almost any reason.
- You can cancel for covered reasons like illness, travel issues, work conflicts, and more.
- Cancellations must be made by phone at least 2 hours before the event.
- The fee paid for Ticket Insurance is non-refundable.
So in summary, buying Ticket Insurance gives you the ability to cancel your Ticketmaster tickets and get a refund in most scenarios. The downside is you have to pay an extra fee upfront for this ticket protection.
It is generally better to purchase insurance during your initial ticket transaction, rather than trying to add it later. Adding insurance retroactively is difficult and may not be allowed.
Getting a Refund From the Seller
For resale tickets purchased directly from another fan through Ticketmaster Resale, you need to work with the ticket seller for any type of refund or cancellation. Ticketmaster does not control refunds on peer-to-peer resale transactions.
Some steps you can take:
- Contact the seller – If you purchased from an individual seller, reach out to them directly to request a cancellation and refund. Many are willing to work with buyers on a cancellation for a partial refund.
- Leave feedback – You can leave negative feedback about a seller’s lack of refund policy or cooperation with cancellations. This is visible to potential future buyers. Just be factual and accurate in any feedback comments.
- Review seller history – Before buying a resale ticket on Ticketmaster, thoroughly check the seller’s profile and feedback history. Look for any issues with past sales and refunds.
- Use buyer protection – Ticketmaster offers buyer guarantees up to the stated value on resale tickets purchased directly from another fan. This provides some level of fraud protection.
In summary – For peer-to-peer ticket resales, you need to directly work with the ticket seller on cancellation requests or refunds. Review their profile before buying tickets from another fan on Ticketmaster Resale.
Cancelling Season or Multi-Event Ticket Packages
Some tickets on Ticketmaster are part of season ticket packages or multi-event deals, such as a bundle of tickets to every home game for a sports team.
The rules for cancellation and refunds on these types of multi-event ticket packages also depend on the specifics:
- Electronic Season Tickets – Most modern season tickets are electronic and accessed via your online account. Like electronic delivery single game tickets, these are non-refundable and cannot be canceled once purchased.
- Hard Season Tickets – Some older style season tickets still come as books of physical tickets mailed to you. Like other hard tickets, you typically can request a refund and cancellation before they are shipped.
- Partial Seasons – If you purchase a partial season ticket package, you may be able to individually re-sell games you can’t attend. Check your account.
- Ticket Packs – If you purchase a flex pack or other multi-event bundle, these are generally non-refundable as they offer discounted pricing.
If you are looking to cancel season tickets, partial season deals, or multi-event ticket packs, your specific options will depend on the details of your purchase. You will need to check with your team or Ticketmaster for the official policies.
Some teams or venues do allow you to re-sell individual games from a season ticket package if you can’t attend every event. But the overall season ticket purchase is typically non-refundable after purchase.
Getting a Refund for a Cancelled or Postponed Event
If an event itself is cancelled, postponed, or rescheduled by the organizer, Ticketmaster will automatically process refunds for ticket holders:
- You will receive an email from Ticketmaster if your event is cancelled or postponed. This will explain next steps.
- For cancellations, you will automatically receive a full refund to your original payment method within 30 days.
- No action is required on your part to get this refund.
- For postponements, you will have the option to request a refund if you can’t make the new event date.
So if the event is called off and not rescheduled, Ticketmaster will handle the refund process directly. Just make sure your contact information is up to date so you receive any notifications.
If an event moves to a new date, you can request a refund if you cannot attend. Refunds are generally guaranteed in this case, but may take longer to process depending on volume.
Steps to Help Get Ticket Refunds
While most Ticketmaster tickets are non-refundable, here are a few tips that may help in certain cases:
- Act quickly – Request cancellations and refunds as soon as possible, before tickets are shipped out.
- Provide details – Give clear reasons and documentation for any refund requests due to unforeseen circumstances.
- Resell when possible – If refunds are not allowed, resell your tickets to recoup costs.
- Insure your purchase – Add Ticketmaster’s Ticket Insurance during initial purchase for cancellation flexibility.
- Understand policies – Carefully review the details and fine print when buying tickets to confirm the refund rules.
Having a clear understanding of the nuances around Ticketmaster’s refund and cancellation policies is key. While refunds are limited, taking quick action and reselling tickets gives you some options if plans change unexpectedly.
Recap of Key Points on Canceling Ticketmaster Resale Tickets
To summarize some key points on whether you can cancel or get refunds on Ticketmaster resale tickets:
- Instant download tickets are completely non-refundable.
- Electronic delivery tickets are also non-refundable in most all cases.
- Hard copy tickets can be canceled for a refund before shipping.
- Season tickets and multi-event packs are usually non-refundable.
- Sell unwanted tickets through Ticketmaster Resale to recoup costs.
- Purchase Ticket Insurance during your initial ticket buy to enable cancellation.
- Cancelled or postponed events allow refunds directly through Ticketmaster.
Make sure to carefully check the details of any Ticketmaster Resale ticket purchase and understand the specific policies before completing your transaction. Act quickly if you need to request any type of cancellation or refund.
While refunds are quite limited in most cases, you do have some options to recover value for tickets you can no longer use. Understand the policies and resell unwanted tickets if refunds are unavailable.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster Resale provides a major secondary marketplace for event tickets. But when it comes to canceling or getting refunds on resale tickets, options are very limited in most cases.
Instant download mobile tickets and electronic delivery tickets are completely non-refundable according to Ticketmaster policy. Hard tickets can be canceled for a refund, but only if action is taken quickly before they are shipped.
If you cannot attend an event, your best recourse is try to resell the tickets through Ticketmaster Resale yourself to recoup the costs. Alternatively, purchasing Ticketmaster’s Ticket Insurance at time of initial ticket purchase will allow you to cancel tickets for covered reasons.
Carefully check the details of any Ticketmaster Resale ticket listing before you complete your purchase. Understand the format (electronic, instant download, hard ticket) and any posted policies on cancellations from the specific seller. This will set the right expectations on your ability to get a refund if your plans change unexpectedly.
While getting refunds on Ticketmaster Resale tickets is not always possible, having the right information on the policies provides the best ability to make smart purchasing decisions.