Entertainment Websites

There’s nothing like enjoying the experience of live entertainment, especially if you can swing it for a low cost. We’ve identified some different ways you can save money while expanding your concert, sport, and local-event horizons.

5 steps to make the most of your Entertainment sites:

1.  If you know the dates you want to target, start researching average prices for the event/place you plan to go to.

2. Explore multiple site options for the best prices. If purchasing tickets for an event, write down the seating sections for tickets you are considering.

3. If an event, confirm your seat location on the actual location’s website.

4. Use a site which promises a guarantee, this is important in case anything goes wrong and you need a last minute ticket. VividSeats, Ticketmaster, StubHub, & TickPick all are a guaranteed ticket sellers, meaning if you do not get the tickets, they will refund your money or will find you alternate tickets for the event.

5. If you do not have your tickets delivered by the day before the event, call the customer service line of the ticket broker you purchased from. Most of the complaints we have seen were from people who had issues receiving the tickets and didn’t have by them the day before but opted to wait. Call if your tickets haven’t arrived a week prior, so that the ticket company can contact the actual seller and figure out what is going on.

What To Look Out For Using Entertainment Sites

 • Convenience Fees – It is not convenient to pay an additional $40.00 for an electronic ticket that took an email and no human intervention to deliver. Be careful when you find what seems like a good deal that there aren’t some outrageous service or convenience charges attached to it.

 • Understand the Seating Chart Areas  I was burned pretty bad by a scam website when I paid $80.00 a ticket for a GA ticket that looked like it was right in front of the stage, when in fact it was actually at the back of the venue on the lawn. The other people sitting around me had paid $15.00 for the same seats. Be careful to choose a reputable company that has good reviews and reconfirm the seats before purchase with the seating chart from the actual venue.

 • Cancellation Policies  Most entertainment sites have a pretty strict non-refundable policy. If you are unable to use your tickets, you can always resell them on a site like StubHub or FlashSeats.

Tips and Tricks for Entertainment

✔️  Prices can be better through the actual venue – When tickets go on sale they are usually sold at the best price through the venue that is hosting the event. These are then purchased by 3rd party companies like TicketMaster, and are resold to the public at higher prices. If you can beat the 3rd parties to the punch, you will wind up paying the face value instead of the inflated price. Or, if you can find someone who wants to dump tickets because they can’t go, you can sometimes benefit from lower than face value prices.

✔️ Check fine print & expiration dates – I’ve had more than a few Groupon vouchers expire before I realized it or had some stipulation I wasn’t aware of, (can’t use on a holiday, etc.) Make sure you are reading the fine print carefully so that you aren’t disappointed or surprised when you go to redeem your voucher. Even better, call ahead to confirm that you are able to use it or book a reservation using your voucher ahead of time.

✔️ Cash value on vouchers doesn’t expire – Even if your voucher expires, the cash that you spent on the voucher does not. You can either ask the participating vendor if they will honor the cash value of the voucher, or you can call Groupon, Living Social, other coupon site, to redeem your money (which may be via a credit). 

✔️ The early bird doesn’t always get the worm – It sometimes pays to wait until the last minute when it comes to tickets. Although it’s a bit of a gamble, we have found great day-of deals for sporting events where you can snag a ticket from someone who couldn’t make the game and just wants to dump them cheap. If you are able to hold out, check Stubhub or FlashSeats on the day of or a few days prior to the event to see what is available. This does require a high level of flexibility as what is available may not be what you are looking for or there may not be seats together.