Transferring tickets on Ticketmaster is a convenient way to get tickets to friends and family if you can no longer attend an event. However, there are some limitations on how ticket transfers work that prevent you from transferring the same ticket to multiple people.
The Basics of Ticket Transfers on Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster allows ticket holders to transfer tickets through its Ticket Transfer service. This allows someone who can no longer attend an event to electronically transfer their ticket to someone else.
Here’s a quick overview of how Ticketmaster’s ticket transfers work:
- Ticket transfers can only be done through a Ticketmaster account. Both the sender and recipient must have Ticketmaster accounts.
- Tickets can only be transferred to one recipient at a time. You cannot input multiple recipients for the same ticket.
- Once a ticket has been transferred, it is no longer connected to the original purchaser’s account.
- Tickets can be transferred at any time, even after an event has already occurred.
- There are no fees to transfer tickets on Ticketmaster.
So in summary, Ticketmaster’s system allows for tickets to be securely transferred between two parties – the original ticket holder and one recipient. The recipient gains full ownership of the transferred ticket.
You Cannot Transfer the Same Ticket to Multiple People
Based on how Ticketmaster’s ticket transfers work, it is not possible to transfer the same ticket to multiple recipients.
Because each transfer relinquishes ownership of the ticket from the sender, that original ticket holder no longer has the rights to that ticket. Once it’s gone from their account, it cannot then also be sent to additional recipients.
In other words, you can only transfer a specific ticket once. After that initial transfer, you cannot reclaim the ticket or send it again to someone else.
Trying to transfer the same ticket multiple times would also go against the terms of use on Ticketmaster’s website. It specifically prohibits duplicating and redistributing any tickets or ticket barcode information. This restriction helps protect both buyers and event organizers.
Why You Can’t Share One Ticket
Ticketmaster doesn’t allow sharing one ticket among multiple people for a few key reasons:
- Prevents ticket fraud – If one ticket could be sent to an unlimited number of people, it would be extremely easy to counterfeit and sell tickets fraudulently. This system prevents that from happening.
- Limits ticket resales – Sellers on secondary markets would be able to resell the same ticket infinitely if Ticketmaster didn’t cap it at one recipient. This might undercut Ticketmaster’s own ticket sales.
- Provides identity/security – Linking each ticket to one account holder provides a way to verify the identity and provide oversight for who is attending events.
- Upholds terms of use – Ticketmaster’s terms prohibit unauthorized ticket duplication. Allowing multiple transfers would go against those terms that buyers agree to.
So in summary, while it may seem restricting, allowing only one recipient maintains important security, fairness, and integrity in Ticketmaster’s ticket sales and transfers.
You’d Have to Re-Purchase or Re-Send to Share
Since each ticket on Ticketmaster can only be transferred once, there are limitations on how you can share a ticket if you want multiple people to be able to use it.
Here are two options for sharing a ticket if you want more than one person to gain admission to an event:
- Re-purchase – You would need to purchase an additional ticket from Ticketmaster for each extra person you want to bring. This ensures each person has their own valid ticket.
- Re-send – You could transfer the ticket from one person to the next after each use. For example, transfer to Friend A to use it, then have them transfer it to Friend B after. Not ideal, but doable.
Neither method is as seamless as sending one ticket to a group. But given Ticketmaster’s rules, re-buying tickets is really the only foolproof method for getting valid tickets for multiple people.
Exceptions Where Limited Sharing is Allowed
There are a few cases where tickets can technically be shared in a limited capacity on Ticketmaster:
- Mobile tickets – If you purchase mobile tickets, these are tied to your smartphone and app account rather than an individual person. This means you could pass your phone around to allow multiple people to scan in.
- Printed tickets – If you purchase print-at-home tickets, you could theoretically print out multiple copies to share. But this is prohibited by Ticketmaster’s terms and runs the risk of being flagged as fraud.
However, both of these approaches violate the terms of use. And print-at-home tickets also carry the risk of not scanning properly, getting flagged as duplicates, or being completely invalid if already scanned. Much safer to have each person have their own legitimate ticket.
How to Share Tickets Securely
Instead of trying to send the same ticket to multiple people, here are some fully allowed methods to securely share and distribute tickets with a group:
- Have each person purchase their own ticket through Ticketmaster. This guarantees each person has a valid ticket in hand associated with their own account.
- Purchase group tickets in bulk through Ticketmaster Groups or ticket packages. This allows you to manage a group order through one purchase.
- Use Ticketmaster’s transfer function to send tickets individually to each recipient. Just don’t re-transfer the same ticket more than once.
While you may end up with some fees, having legitimate tickets for everyone is worth the cost and provides assurance that everyone will be able to enter the event.
Downsides of Trying to Share One Ticket
Attempting to “hack” the Ticketmaster system and share one ticket among many people has quite a few potential downsides:
- You could be denied entry. If a ticket scans as already used or invalid, they will not let you in again.
- Your Ticketmaster account could get flagged or banned for violating terms of use.
- You run the risk of ticket fraud if printing and sharing scan-able barcodes.
- It’s very complicated to try coordinating use of one ticket among many people.
- You’ll have to pay expedited shipping fees to transfer tickets physically in time.
In the end, the effort and risk involved makes it impractical. Purchasing individual tickets eliminates all those downsides and headaches.
Key Takeaways
Here are the key points to remember about transferring tickets on Ticketmaster:
- Tickets can only be transferred one time through Ticketmaster’s system.
- Once transferred, the original ticket holder no longer has rights to that ticket.
- It is against Ticketmaster’s terms of use to duplicate or share tickets across multiple accounts.
- To share tickets among a group, each person needs to have their own legitimate ticket.
- Purchase group tickets in bulk or have each person buy their own to share properly.
Understanding the limitations around Ticketmaster ticket transfers helps avoid problems down the line. Follow their rules and set up each attendee with their own ticket for a smooth process getting into events.
Ticket Sharing Method | Allows Multiple People? | Pros | Cons |
---|---|---|---|
Re-sending the same transfer | Yes | – Only have to purchase one ticket originally | – Very complicated logistics – Risk of ticket not working – Violates Ticketmaster terms – Runs risk of fraud |
Passing around mobile ticket | Yes | – Don’t need multiple purchases – Relatively simple sharing |
– Violates terms – Risk of ticket failing |
Printing and sharing hard tickets | Yes | – Don’t need multiple purchases initially | – Violates terms – High fraud risk – Tickets may not scan properly |
Having each person buy their own | No | – No terms violated – No fraud risks – Guaranteed valid ticket for each |
– Must pay for multiple tickets – No way to share just one purchase |
Buying group tickets in bulk | No | – Get group discount – Guaranteed valid tickets – Can manage group in one place |
– Upfront cost of multiple tickets – Less flexible to change later |
Conclusion
Ticketmaster does not allow transferring the same ticket multiple times or to multiple recipients. Their ticket transfer system limits you to sending a ticket only once, after which point you no longer have ownership of that ticket.
Trying to “hack” the system by re-sending or sharing tickets is risky and in violation of Ticketmaster’s terms. The only way to securely provide valid tickets to a group is for each person to purchase their own ticket individually or buy as a packaged group.
While buying multiple tickets raises the cost, it provides peace of mind knowing that everyone will have guaranteed admission. Ultimately, following Ticketmaster’s rules helps ensure a smooth process getting everyone into the event safely and securely.