Having your card declined when trying to purchase tickets on Ticketmaster can be frustrating and concerning. There are a few potential reasons why this may happen repeatedly for some customers.
Your Card is Expired or Invalid
One of the most common reasons for a card to be declined is that the card information you have entered is expired or invalid. Here are some things to check:
- Make sure the card expiration date you entered is still valid and has not passed.
- Double check that the card number, security code, and billing zip code you entered match exactly what is on your physical card.
- If you have multiple cards saved in your Ticketmaster account, confirm you selected the correct card you want to use for this purchase.
If any of the details are incorrect or for a card that has expired, Ticketmaster will not be able to process the charge and the transaction will be declined.
Your Card has Insufficient Funds
Another reason your card may be declined on Ticketmaster is if there are insufficient funds in your account to cover the ticket purchase amount. Ticketmaster will check that the card has enough available credit or balance at the time you submit the order. Here are some things that can lead to insufficient funds:
- You have recently made other purchases that have lowered your account balance.
- The ticket total is higher than your credit limit or available balance.
- Other pending charges have not cleared yet, temporarily reducing your available funds.
Before trying to make a large ticket purchase, it’s a good idea to check your current balance and credit limit to ensure you have enough available funds for the transaction to go through.
Your Card was Reported Lost or Stolen
If your card provider has marked your card as lost or stolen, Ticketmaster will decline any purchases attempted with this card. This is done to prevent fraudulent charges when a card is known to be compromised. Some reasons your card may have been flagged as lost/stolen include:
- You reported the card lost/stolen to your bank or card provider.
- The card company detected suspicious activity on the card.
- Your physical card was stolen from your wallet or home.
If you need to update your card details with Ticketmaster, be sure to contact your bank and get a replacement card issued first. Updating with a card that is still marked as lost/stolen will result in declined transactions.
Your Bank Declined the Transaction
In some cases, it may be your bank or card issuer that is declining the charge instead of Ticketmaster. The bank may decline for reasons like suspected fraud, high-risk merchant codes, exceeding transaction size limits, or believing the charge is unusual and doesn’t match your regular spending patterns. Some potential reasons for a bank decline include:
- Making a large Ticketmaster purchase that exceeds your normal credit limit or transaction amount.
- Purchasing tickets from a different location than where you normally use your card.
- Triggering your bank’s fraud monitoring for unusual spending activity or locations.
- Going over your bank’s daily/weekly transaction or total purchase limits.
If you receive a decline message from Ticketmaster that mentions contacting your bank, then they are likely the ones declining the charge instead of Ticketmaster. You will need to reach out to your bank to understand why and see what options are available to get the charge approved.
You Exceeded Purchase Limits
Ticketmaster also implements some purchase limits that could result in a declined card. These include:
- Per Transaction Limits: There are caps on how much can be spent per ticket transaction, even if your card balance can cover it.
- Monthly Purchase Limits: There are also monthly caps across all your Ticketmaster transactions in a 30-day period.
- Quantity Limits: The number of tickets you can buy in a single order may be capped for high-demand events.
If you are exceeding the purchasing restrictions in place, Ticketmaster will decline the transaction regardless of your available funds. Check for any quantity or per transaction limits on the event page before making your purchase.
Your Account is Restricted or Suspended
In some cases, Ticketmaster may restrict transactions on accounts that show suspicious, abusive, or scalping activity. This can lead to increased declines as a way to limit further questionable purchases. Some scenarios that can cause account restrictions include:
- Purchasing tickets with the intent to resell them over face value.
- Using bots or automated tools to buy tickets faster than regular users.
- Making an exceptionally high volume of purchases within a short time.
- Entering incorrect billing details frequently across multiple declined transactions.
If you think your Ticketmaster account may have been restricted, you will need to contact their customer support team for assistance resolving it before being able to make further ticket purchases.
You Have a VPN or Proxy Connection
Ticketmaster blocks purchases made using VPNs or proxy connections to prevent scalpers and bots from abusing the system. If you are purchasing tickets over a VPN or proxy IP address, this security measure will cause your transactions to be declined. You will need to turn off the VPN or proxy and make sure you have a direct internet connection to complete your order.
Your Personal Information is Incorrect
Ticketmaster also runs fraud checks that cross-reference your billing details with personal information on file. If important details like your name, address, or phone number don’t match up across your user account and payment info, your purchase may be declined. Be sure all of these details are properly updated and consistent:
- The name on your Ticketmaster account matches your card.
- Your billing address is current and matches your card details.
- The phone number linked to your Ticketmaster account is correct.
Having mismatching details is sometimes an indication of fraudulent activity, so Ticketmaster will decline these orders as a precaution.
Their Site is Experiencing Technical Issues
Though rare, it is also possible Ticketmaster’s website is having technical glitches that interfere with processing transactions. This could be anything from temporary server outages to a wider problem with their payment system provider. Some signs of technical issues include:
- Error messages about the site being down for maintenance.
- Trouble loading pages or API errors across the site.
- Issues reported on Ticketmaster’s social media or status pages.
If it appears their systems are malfunctioning when you try to checkout, technical problems could be leading to declined purchases until it is resolved. Waiting and trying again later is typically the only option in this case.
Conclusion
Getting a card declined at Ticketmaster can happen for a variety of reasons. The most common are expired or invalid card details, insufficient funds, bank declines, purchase limits, account restrictions, technical issues, and fraud checks. If your card is consistently declined, carefully review your account details, purchase activity, bank policies, and Ticketmaster’s rules and restrictions. In most cases, identifying the specific factor causing the declines will point to the resolution needed to successfully make your ticket purchase.