The North American concert business saw a record year in 2015, with total gross of over $3.12 billion, up 14% from 2014. It’s safe to say that concerts are one of the most popular recreational activities out there, but trying to buy tickets online can be a bit of a hassle.
The best way to buy tickets online is to be prepared for any and all of the extra fees that might get tacked onto your purchase. Here are a few of the most common that you need to be wary of.
Service Fees
When you buy concert tickets or sports tickets online, the website you’re purchasing them from may charge a fee for the general service. The price of this fee will vary from site to site, especially when factors like payment method and payment amount are taken into consideration. But in some instances, this fee can be up to 50% of your ticket’s initial price.
Building Facility Fees
If you’re buying tickets directly from the venue’s website, then you may be subject to this kind of fee. It’s generally not at expensive as a typical service fee, and fortunately it goes right to the venue. This ensures that you’re supporting a venue and not solely the ticket provider.
Processing Fees
Processing fees typically don’t operate from ticket to ticket. Instead of working like the service fee, these fees are added per order. So if you’re ordering five baseball tickets for sale, then you’re only going to be subject to a flat fee, not one that is charged per ticket purchased.
Convenience Fees
Most online ticket providers will charge what is called a convenience fee for additional services. These services include providing a ticket by email, texting a ticket, or even providing tickets through their website. Convenience fees are sometimes the sneakiest and tend to catch people off guard.
Concert and sports tickets websites alike will charge these fees, so if you’re wondering how to buy concert tickets without fees, sometimes the best option is at the box office or will-call. Don’t let ticket fees take you by surprise!
