How to Get Cheaper Concert Tickets (12 Legit Tricks)

Concert tickets have gotten brutally expensive. Between dynamic pricing, service fees that add 30% to the face value, and scalper bots snatching up the good seats in seconds, seeing your favorite artist live can feel like a luxury purchase. I love live music and I refuse to pay $200 for nosebleeds, so I’ve spent years learning every legitimate trick for getting cheaper concert tickets. None of these involve sketchy resale sites or fake tickets — just smart timing, smart tools, and knowing how the industry works.

Buy at the Right Time

Timing is the single biggest factor in ticket prices:

• Presales are your best friend. Artist presales, venue presales, Spotify presales, and credit card presales (Citi, Amex, Chase all run them) let you buy before the general public — better seats, face-value prices, no panic. Sign up for the artist’s mailing list and follow the venue on social media; presale codes are usually announced there. Spotify often emails presale codes to top listeners automatically.
• Buy early for hot shows, late for slow sellers. For in-demand artists, prices only go up — buy the minute presales open. But for shows that aren’t selling out, prices often drop in the final week as sellers panic. Check prices 3-5 days before the show; you might find below-face-value deals.
• Go on off-nights. Tuesday and Wednesday shows are consistently cheaper than Friday and Saturday. Same artist, same venue, lower demand, lower prices.
• Consider the second night. When artists add a second date due to demand, the added show is often cheaper and easier to get tickets for than the original.

Where to Buy (Beyond Ticketmaster)

Ticketmaster dominates, but it’s not your only option:

• Venue box offices. Buy directly at the venue and you skip service fees entirely — often saving $15-30 per ticket. Many venues sell online too, but the in-person box office is the fee-free route. Call ahead to confirm hours.
• CashorTrade. A fan-to-fan exchange where tickets sell at face value — no price gouging allowed, enforced by the community. The most ethical resale option and often the cheapest. CashorTrade.org is the official site.
• SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, TickPick. Compare across resale platforms — prices for the same seats vary wildly between them. TickPick advertises no service fees (built into the price, but at least it’s transparent). Always sort by total price including fees, not the listed price.
• Gametime. A last-minute ticket app with genuinely good deals in the final hours before showtime. Prices drop as the event approaches — I’ve scored 40% off face value two hours before doors.
• Artist and venue lotteries. Some artists (and many Broadway-style productions) run ticket lotteries for cheap or discounted seats. Always enter — the odds are better than you’d think.

Strategies That Actually Save Money

• Sit (or stand) strategically. The cheapest seats with a great experience are often upper-deck center or general-admission floor. Avoid the overpriced middle tiers — the view difference rarely justifies 2x the price. For many venues, the lawn or GA is the best value in the building.
• Volunteer or work the show. Many festivals and venues need volunteers — you work a shift and see the rest of the show free. Check the venue’s website for volunteer programs.
• Follow artists on tour announcement day. The cheapest tickets are always the ones sold first. Set up alerts: Ticketmaster’s artist alerts, Bandsintown, and Songkick notify you the moment tours are announced.
• Check for promo codes. Radio stations, local blogs, and venue newsletters often have discount codes. A quick search for “[artist] promo code” before buying takes 30 seconds and sometimes saves 20%.
• Buy season or multi-show packages. If you go to a lot of shows at one venue, season packages or multi-show bundles discount heavily per ticket.

Avoiding Scams and Fake Tickets

Cheap isn’t cheap if the ticket is fake. Rules:

• Never buy from someone on social media DMs. The “I have extra tickets, DM me” replies are overwhelmingly scams.
• Use platforms with guarantees. CashorTrade, Ticketmaster resale, and major resale sites guarantee ticket validity. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace do not.
• Check the transfer method. Legitimate tickets transfer through the official app (Ticketmaster, AXS). Screenshots of tickets are a red flag — they can be duplicated and sold multiple times.
• If it seems too good to be true, it is. Floor seats at 80% off face value from a stranger are not a lucky break.

The Free Option: Live Music Without Tickets

Some of the best live music experiences cost nothing. Many cities have free summer concert series, and finding free live music in your city is easier than most people think — street festivals, park concerts, and local venue free nights are everywhere once you know where to look.

Get Cheaper Concert Tickets: Quick Answers

When is the cheapest time to buy concert tickets? During presales (before general onsale) for popular shows — prices only rise after that. For shows that aren’t selling well, the cheapest window is 3-5 days before the event, when resellers drop prices. There’s no single universal “cheapest day.”

Are resale tickets safe to buy? From platforms with buyer guarantees (Ticketmaster resale, SeatGeek, CashorTrade, TickPick) — yes. From strangers on social media or Craigslist — risky. Always insist on official in-app transfer, never screenshots.

Do ticket prices drop after the show starts? Often, yes — especially on last-minute apps like Gametime. Sellers would rather get something than nothing. If you’re flexible and nearby, checking prices an hour before doors can score steep discounts.

How do presale codes work? Artists, venues, Spotify, and credit cards each run presales with unique codes, announced via mailing lists and social media. Sign up for everything relevant, and you’ll usually have a code before the general onsale. They’re free — anyone charging for presale codes is scamming you.

Building your concert bucket list? Start with the essential classic rock albums — many of these bands still tour.

Practical Takeaway

Cheaper concert tickets come from: presales (sign up for everything), buying at the venue box office to skip fees, CashorTrade for face-value resale, last-minute apps like Gametime for slow sellers, and off-night shows. Never buy from social media DMs, always verify through official transfer. The $200 nosebleed is optional — with the right strategy, you’ll be closer to the stage for half the price.