Ticketmaster Ireland does not directly accept Klarna as a payment method on their website. However, some ticket resellers and third party websites that sell Ticketmaster Ireland tickets may offer Klarna as a payment option.
An Overview of Ticketmaster Ireland
Ticketmaster Ireland is the leading ticket sales and distribution company in Ireland. They sell tickets for concerts, sports matches, festivals, theater shows, and more. Consumers can purchase tickets directly through the Ticketmaster Ireland website or mobile app. There are also many authorized ticket resellers that sell Ticketmaster tickets.
On the Ticketmaster Ireland website, the payment options are limited to credit/debit cards and pre-paid gift cards. Popular online payment services like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Klarna are not offered as checkout options. This is likely due to Ticketmaster’s exclusive contracts with event organizers and policies around handling payments.
Why Doesn’t Ticketmaster Ireland Accept Klarna?
There are a few potential reasons why Klarna is not available on Ticketmaster Ireland currently:
- Exclusive deals – Ticketmaster may have exclusive payment processing deals with certain providers like credit card companies, limiting their ability to offer other payment methods.
- Fraud prevention – Not accepting payments like Klarna reduces risks with fraudulent transactions or non-payments for high-value ticket purchases.
- Technical limitations – Integrating newer payment systems like Klarna into their website and app infrastructure may involve costs and technical work.
- Lack of demand – If customers haven’t specifically requested or expected Klarna as an option, Ticketmaster may not have prioritized adding it.
Additionally, Ticketmaster Ireland may be wary of introducing buy now, pay later type services that could potentially allow customers to get tickets now and default on payments later. This could create risks around unpaid tickets and negatively impact events.
Can You Use Klarna for Ticketmaster Ireland Tickets?
Even though Ticketmaster Ireland does not directly work with Klarna, it is sometimes possible to use Klarna to pay for Ticketmaster Ireland tickets purchased through a third party.
Many ticket resellers and secondary markets like StubHub, Viagogo, TicketSwap, and SeatWave sell Ticketmaster tickets. Some of these sites may offer Klarna as a payment method during checkout.
For example, on the Irish ticket resale site SeatWave, Klarna is listed as one of their online payment options. So an Irish consumer could potentially use Klarna to pay for Ticketmaster tickets bought on SeatWave.
However, availability of Klarna will vary depending on the third party site. Some may only accept credit cards or popular digital wallets like Apple Pay. It’s necessary to check each ticket reseller’s website for their specific payment options.
The Advantages and Risks of Using Klarna
Using buy now, pay later services like Klarna for event tickets can have both advantages and potential downsides:
Advantages
- More flexible payments – Spreading ticket costs over several smaller payments may be more affordable for some customers.
- Access to tickets – Klarna may help customers secure popular high-demand tickets by only requiring a fraction of the total cost upfront.
- Short term financing – For expensive tickets, Klarna can act as free short term financing if the full amount is paid off responsibly within the payment period.
Risks
- Missed payments – There’s a risk of not paying off the full ticket amount within the allocated time and incurring late fees or credit impacts.
- Hidden costs – Interest, late payment fees, and credit score impacts could make Klarna more expensive in the long run if payments are missed.
- Overspending – The ability to buy now and pay later may lead some customers to overspend on tickets they can’t really afford.
Klarna’s Services and How They Work
Klarna is a popular Swedish fintech company founded in 2005. They provide online payment services, including installment plans and payment methods, to customers in many countries. Some key facts about Klarna:
- Has over 147 million active users worldwide
- Offer services in 45 countries, including Ireland
- Processes over 2 million daily transactions
- Has over 400,000 merchant partners globally
Their main consumer products are:
Klarna Pay Now
This allows customers to pay for purchases in full using Klarna’s payment platform. The amount is debited from their chosen payment method immediately.
Klarna Pay Later
Lets customers pay for purchases in installments over time. Typically involves 4 interest-free payments spread over 6-8 weeks.
Klarna Slices
Allows splitting purchases into smaller regular installments over 3-36 months. Interest and fees apply with this longer term financing.
To use Klarna, customers complete a quick sign-up and add their payment information. When buying through a partner retailer, they select Klarna at checkout and agree to the repayment terms. Reminders and payment instructions are all handled within Klarna’s app.
Klarna’s Availability in Specific Countries
Klarna is available in most European countries. Here is a table summarizing some key European markets for Klarna:
Country | Klarna Products Available | Year Launched |
---|---|---|
Sweden | Pay Now, Pay Later, Slices | 2005 (HQ in Stockholm) |
United Kingdom | Pay Now, Pay Later | 2014 |
Germany | Pay Now, Pay Later, Slices | 2011 |
Ireland | Pay Now, Pay Later | 2018 |
Klarna first launched in Ireland in 2018, starting with their core Pay Now and Pay Later products. Slices installment plans are not currently available, but may be offered in future.
How Popular is Klarna in Ireland?
Since launching in 2018, Klarna has grown to become a popular online payment option for Irish consumers. A few statistics showing Klarna’s adoption in Ireland:
- Over 500,000 users as of 2020
- 1 in 3 Irish consumers have used Klarna
- Partners with over 3,500 Irish retailers
- Processes over 2 million Irish transactions annually
Their market penetration is helped by partnerships with prominent Irish retailers like Smyths Toys, JD Sports, Elverys, and Applegreen.
However, research by AIB in 2021 estimated that only 13% of Irish shoppers preferred to use buy now, pay later services. So while growing quickly, Klarna still lags behind cards and other established payment methods.
Klarna’s Growth and Competition
Globally, Klarna is the largest buy now, pay later provider. Their strong growth is disrupting the payments industry:
- Valued at over $45 billion currently
- Grew total sales volume by 40% YoY in 2021
- Expanded to 24 new markets between 2020-2022
- Expect to have over 150 million global users by 2023
However, Klarna faces increasing competition from other buy now, pay later fintechs looking to take market share:
Major Competitors
- Affirm – US firm, popular in North America
- Afterpay – Leading Australian BNPL provider
- Paypal ‘Pay in 4’ – Launched globally in 2020
- Laybuy – Focused on UK, Australia, NZ markets
As the payments landscape evolves, Klarna will need to keep rapidly innovating and growing their merchant network to maintain their position as the top player.
Should Ticketmaster Ireland Partner with Klarna?
Based on Klarna’s growth and popularity with younger demographics, there could be a strong case for Ticketmaster Ireland to partner with them in future.
Some potential benefits if Ticketmaster enabled Klarna payments:
- Appeal to younger ticket buyers – Klarna is popular with millennials and Gen Z.
- Increase ticket sales – Klarna’s flexible payments could help customers buy more tickets.
- Enhanced checkout – Klarna’s smooth UX may improve conversion rates.
- Expanded revenue – Ticketmaster could generate revenue by working with Klarna.
However, Ticketmaster would also need to carefully assess risks such as fraud, defaults, and disputes. Implementing Klarna would involve substantial technical integration work to ensure a seamless payments process.
Overall, partnering with an innovative fintech like Klarna could help keep Ticketmaster competitive vs. other ticketing platforms. But a decision would require extensive evaluation of costs, risks and implementation requirements.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster Ireland does not currently offer customers the option to use Klarna buy now, pay later services during checkout. This is likely due to a mix of contractual restrictions, fraud risks, lack of consumer demand, and technical constraints.
However, Klarna can sometimes be used to pay for Ticketmaster Ireland tickets when purchasing through authorized third party resellers. Availability varies across different ticket resale sites.
Klarna is growing steadily in the Irish market, though still lags behind traditional payment cards in popularity. If Ticketmaster Ireland did eventually partner with Klarna, it could attract younger demographics but would also need to manage risks around unpaid tickets.
For the foreseeable future, customers buying directly through Ticketmaster in Ireland can expect to only have standard payment card and gift card options available. But integration with innovative fintech services may emerge down the line as both Klarna and Ticketmaster continue evolving their payment capabilities.