The short answer is yes, there are a few ways you can avoid paying Ticketmaster’s service fees when purchasing event tickets on their platform. While Ticketmaster’s fees are unavoidable in many cases, savvy buyers can employ certain tricks and workaround to bypass or reduce the fees.
What are Ticketmaster’s service fees?
Ticketmaster charges service fees on top of the base price for event tickets sold through their platform. These fees help cover the costs of operating their massive ticket sales and distribution infrastructure. The exact fee amount varies based on the event, ticket type, sales channel, and other factors, but typically ranges anywhere from 10% to 25% of the base ticket price.
Some of the specific service fees Ticketmaster may charge include:
- Order processing fee – Charged per ticket order
- Delivery fee – For hard copy tickets shipped by mail
- Facility charge – Costs related to the event venue
- Convenience charge – For tickets bought online or by phone
In some cases, the combined service fees can add 50% or more to the base ticket price. These fees generate hundreds of millions in revenue for Ticketmaster annually.
Ways to avoid paying Ticketmaster service fees
While Ticketmaster’s fees are practically unavoidable if you want to buy tickets directly through their website or app, there are a few workaround consumers can use to bypass or reduce the fees.
1. Buy tickets directly from the venue box office
One of the best ways to avoid Ticketmaster’s fees is to purchase tickets directly from the box office at the event venue. Since you are buying directly from the venue, and not going through Ticketmaster as an intermediary, their service fees do not apply.
However, buying at the box office has some downsides. You usually need to purchase in person, which may not be feasible if you live far from the venue. Popular events will likely sell out at the box office first. Still, if you want fee-free tickets and can get to the venue, box office sales are the way to go.
2. Look for ticket presales
Many events offer special presales before the general on-sale date for things like fan club members, credit card holders, and venue email list subscribers. These presales frequently have lower or no service fees compared to the general on-sale.
Presale ticket supplies are limited, but if you can gain access through one of the presale promotions and buy early, you may score tickets with lower fees. Certain presales even offer fee-free tickets as an extra incentive.
3. Use a Ticketmaster discount code
Ticketmaster periodically offers promotional codes that allow you to save on service fees. These usually take the form of percentage discounts like 10% or $10 off your fees. Before purchasing, search online for any active Ticketmaster promo codes you can apply at checkout to lower your total service fees.
The discounts are typically modest, but can still result in meaningful savings on high-fee events. Just know the codes cannot be used in conjunction with other offers or applied retroactively after your purchase.
4. Buy season or flex ticket packages
If you plan to attend multiple events at a single venue over a season, buying a prepaid season ticket package or flex pass can be a great way to avoid per-ticket service fees. With season tickets, you pay one upfront cost to receive tickets for a predetermined bundle of events.
Flex passes work similarly, granting you tickets to a fixed number of events at a venue over a set time period. In both cases, fees are only charged once at the time of initial purchase, enabling big savings over buying individual tickets.
5. Purchase from a broker or reseller
Using a ticket broker or reseller like StubHub allows you to bypass Ticketmaster fees, albeit at the cost of fees charged by the broker. Still, in some cases the broker fees can be less than Ticketmaster’s, so this option may make sense for high-demand events where Ticketmaster service fees are exorbitant.
Just beware of counterfeit tickets when using secondary marketplaces. Purchase from a reputable broker and understand how you are protected as a buyer against fraud before going this route.
When is avoiding fees impossible?
Despite the workarounds mentioned above, there are some cases where paying Ticketmaster fees is simply unavoidable:
- If tickets can only be purchased through Ticketmaster directly, with no box office or presale options
- For super high-demand events where tickets sell out instantly
- When you need accessible seating options that require Ticketmaster
- If Ticketmaster is the event promoter or exclusive retailer
Certain artists, teams, and venues sell their tickets exclusively via Ticketmaster under commercial partnerships. In these instances, there is no way to circumvent Ticketmaster and their fees if you want to attend the event.
Before assuming fees cannot be avoided for a given event, research all ticket purchase options carefully. But be prepared to pay full Ticketmaster service fees when options are limited, or you risk getting shut out trying to avoid them.
Tips for minimizing Ticketmaster fees
When Ticketmaster fees are unavoidable, you may still be able to reduce them with a few helpful tips:
- Buy early – Fees tend to rise closer to event date as demand increases
- Avoid delivery fees – Use print-at-home tickets instead of hard copies
- Buy with a group – Order processing fees don’t increase with more tickets
- Look for fan club presales – These sometimes have discounted fees
- Choose cheaper ticket types – Fees are based on ticket face value
Carefully evaluating all purchase options, locking in tickets early, and avoiding unnecessary charges like delivery can help minimize fees. Following fan clubs and venue email lists can also give you a jump on special low-fee presales.
Is avoiding Ticketmaster fees worth the trouble?
Whether going to great lengths to dodge Ticketmaster fees is worthwhile comes down to a cost-benefit analysis:
Potential benefits:
- Save a significant amount off your ticket purchases
- Get the satisfaction of outsmarting Ticketmaster
- Gain access to promotions and presales
Potential downsides:
- Miss out on tickets by not buying directly through Ticketmaster
- Spend time and effort hunting down fee-free tickets
- Deal with sketchy brokers or scalpers
Avoiding fees requires effort many buyers don’t want to expend. But for frequent concertgoers or those buying multiple expensive tickets, the time investment to dodge fees can really pay off.
It comes down to your personal priorities. If saving money is critical, avoiding fees where possible makes sense despite the extra legwork. But expect to pay Ticketmaster’s price if convenience and reliability are more important.
The bottom line on avoiding Ticketmaster fees
Ticketmaster service fees are simply a reality when purchasing tickets through their massive platform. But contrary to popular belief, the fees are not completely unavoidable in all situations.
With persistence and flexibility, savvy buyers can bypass fees using presales, box office purchases, season packages, and other strategies. Yet when Ticketmaster holds all the tickets, your options are limited.
Avoiding fees requires effort and sacrifice. If saving cash is crucial for you, it pays to hunt for workarounds. Otherwise just build the fees into your budget as an unavoidable cost of convenience when buying through Ticketmaster.
