Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster is the largest primary ticketing platform in the United States, part of Live Nation Entertainment, so pick your concert, game or show, then check out through ShopBack before you pay, where ShopBack Cashback works like a discount, only easier than a promo code. Its venue footprint runs across major NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS arenas and stadiums, along with a deep Broadway and touring theatre list, which is why most major artist tours and league fixtures list on Ticketmaster first.

The main categories are concerts and music tours, sports (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and NCAA fixtures), theatre and Broadway musicals, comedy tours, family shows (Disney On Ice, Sesame Street Live, Harlem Globetrotters), festivals and exhibitions. Most tickets are mobile e-tickets, delivered to the Ticketmaster account or app, with mobile-entry standard across major venues.

Most major concert on-sales run a presale window ahead of the general public on-sale, keyed to a code from a partner (radio station, credit card, artist fan club, promoter). Ticketmaster also runs its Verified Fan presale for high-demand tours, where fans register in advance and receive an individual access code if selected. Presales typically open 24 to 72 hours before the general on-sale and can carry the best seat allocations for that show.

Ticketmaster is the primary ticketing partner for the majority of NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS teams, including regular-season home games at arenas and stadiums across the league footprint. Season ticket members and team-partner cardholders typically get first access through the team portal, followed by a general on-sale on Ticketmaster. Playoff and championship-round tickets, including NBA Playoffs, MLB Postseason, Stanley Cup Playoffs and NFL Playoffs, also list through Ticketmaster with member windows first.

Ticketmaster US accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, plus PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay at checkout. Payment method availability can vary by event and by device, and some high-demand on-sales run a queue system that locks in the price for a limited window while payment is completed.

Generally yes. A pre-verified Ticketmaster account with saved payment details and confirmed mobile number shortens the checkout path when tickets are held for the queue timeout, which typically runs a few minutes per session. Signed-in accounts also see fan account presales, manage mobile tickets from the app rather than searching email inboxes on event day, and can register in advance for Verified Fan tours.

Most venues on the Ticketmaster network scan a barcode from the Ticketmaster app or from a mobile wallet pass rather than a paper printout. SafeTix, the rotating barcode format, is now the default for most major concerts and sports events, and works offline once the ticket has been loaded on the phone. Downloading the app and logging in on your phone before travelling to the venue tends to be smoother than relying on venue wifi.

Ticketmaster Marketplace is the official fan-to-fan resale platform for eligible sold-out or unwanted tickets, where sellers list and buyers receive a venue-recognised ticket transferred through Ticketmaster rather than a screenshot from an off-platform reseller. Face Value Exchange is a specific resale format on selected tours where sellers can only list at the original ticket price, keeping resale in a fixed range set by the artist or promoter. Not every event is enabled for resale, and the resale window closes ahead of the event start time.

Ticketmaster issues refunds when an event is cancelled, rescheduled or materially changed by the promoter, and change-of-mind refunds are not offered as standard. If you cannot attend and the event is enabled for resale, Ticketmaster Marketplace or Face Value Exchange is generally the intended path to recover the ticket value.

Rescheduled events typically hold the same seat and ticket for the new date, and Ticketmaster emails the ticket holder with the new date and any refund option offered by the promoter. Cancelled events receive a full refund to the original payment method, with timing dependent on the promoter's confirmation window and the card issuer.

Ticketmaster is a primary-market platform selling tickets from the artist, team or promoter to the fan first, with the largest US concert and league fixture inventory and integration with Live Nation tours. StubHub is a secondary-market marketplace where existing ticket holders list tickets for resale, with FanProtect guarantee coverage on eligible listings. The right platform depends on where the ticket is in its lifecycle: primary on-sales and presales run on Ticketmaster, and sold-out or off-platform seats often list on StubHub.

Ticketmaster is the primary platform for the majority of major concert tours, NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS fixtures and Broadway productions. AXS is the primary ticketing partner for a subset of arenas and clubs (including several AEG-operated venues) and overlaps with Ticketmaster on selected touring artists. SeatGeek runs a hybrid primary and secondary marketplace with Deal Score seat comparisons and is the primary partner for several NFL, NBA and MLS teams. Vivid Seats is a secondary marketplace with Rewards program credits. For a given tour or team, checking the artist or team's own site first is usually the fastest route to the correct platform.

Major tour on-sales cluster around tour announcements throughout the year, without a fixed calendar, and typically run a Verified Fan or partner presale (Wednesday to Thursday) followed by a general on-sale on Friday morning local time. NBA and NHL regular-season on-sales follow the league schedule release in August, with playoff on-sales in the round-by-round window from April onwards. NFL single-game tickets follow the schedule release in May. MLB single-game tickets typically open in February to March around Spring Training. Broadway and touring theatre launches often follow the show's season announcement.

Ticketmaster presales typically run through partner codes tied to the specific tour: Verified Fan access codes for high-demand tours (registered through the tour page in advance), credit card partner presales (Citi Entertainment, American Express, Chase), artist fan club and album presales, radio station partner codes, plus Live Nation and promoter partner presales. Presale codes are single-tour and are surfaced through the partner channel rather than published on the Ticketmaster site. Going through ShopBack before you pay is a separate step from any presale code, and part of what you spend comes back as Cashback.

Register in advance for Verified Fan tours where available, sign up to the artist mailing list and check for Citi Entertainment or Amex Experiences presales that may open ahead of the general on-sale. For major concert on-sales, sign in to Ticketmaster with saved payment details and join the queue five to ten minutes before the on-sale time rather than reloading. Go through ShopBack before you pay to earn Cashback on eligible bookings, and see the current Cashback rate table on this page.

Ticketmaster lists a broad share of Broadway musicals, touring productions and comedy tours across the US. For Broadway, the earliest previews and opening-week windows typically sell out first at the strongest price tier, followed by mid-run pricing that softens after peak dates. Locking in dates further ahead of the show through the account tends to be the stronger saving lever. For comedy, headline arena tours often open with a Live Nation or partner presale ahead of the general on-sale. Go through ShopBack before you pay and the Cashback tracks to your ShopBack account.

Ticketmaster is the largest primary ticketing platform in the US, part of Live Nation Entertainment, with primary ticketing contracts across the country's major arenas, stadiums, sporting bodies and touring theatre productions. It issues mobile e-tickets and typically routes refunds directly through the customer account, with SafeTix rotating barcodes as the default entry format for most major events. Ticketmaster US booked through ShopBack US earns Cashback at the current published rate on eligible bookings.

Sign in to ShopBack US, open the Ticketmaster page on ShopBack and continue to Ticketmaster, then complete the booking there. The current Cashback is shown on the Ticketmaster page on ShopBack.

After clicking through to Ticketmaster from ShopBack US and completing a booking, the order is submitted to ShopBack by Ticketmaster and typically appears as pending Cashback within a couple of days. Cashback confirms after the event refund window closes and the booking is finalised. The current Cashback rate is published in the rate table on the ShopBack Ticketmaster page above.

Ticketmaster refund windows vary by event, and Cashback stays Pending for a period so the refund window on the underlying booking can close before it moves to Confirmed. If an event is rescheduled and the original booking stays active, the Cashback usually stays in place once confirmed.

Ticketmaster is the largest primary ticketing platform in the US, part of Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV), with primary ticketing contracts across the country's major arenas, stadiums, sporting bodies and touring theatre productions. It issues mobile e-tickets and typically routes refunds directly through the customer account, with SafeTix rotating barcodes as the default entry format for most major events. Ticketmaster US booked through ShopBack US earns Cashback at the current published rate on eligible bookings.

Ticketmaster promo codes are tied to a specific event or offer, so there is no general code for every order. Ticketmaster separates three kinds of code: a promo code is entered at checkout and takes a set dollar amount off the order, while passcodes and discount codes are entered before you pick seats to unlock tickets from a special sale or at a special price. None of them can be applied to resale tickets. ShopBack Cashback works like a discount, only easier than a promo code: go through ShopBack before you pay.

Ticketmaster has no sitewide student discount. When an event offers student pricing through Ticketmaster, it appears as one of the ticket types when you choose seats. If you see no student option, Ticketmaster suggests contacting the venue's box office, which you can find through More Info on the event page or on the venue's own site. Whichever ticket type you choose, go through ShopBack before you check out and check the live rate on this page.

Most Ticketmaster events in the US are delivered as eTickets, either Mobile Entry in the app or Print-at-Home, so there is nothing to ship. Mobile tickets show in your Ticketmaster account and app, with barcodes available three days before the event. Where an event offers physical tickets, the options can include US Mail, UPS two-day or three-day shipping (not to PO Box or APO/FPO addresses) or Will Call pickup with the card used to pay and a valid photo ID. Check the delivery method and the order total at checkout before you pay.

The cheapest way is usually to buy at face value during a presale or the general on-sale, rather than later on resale. Register for Verified Fan or artist presales early, have your account and payment details ready before the on-sale, compare the total price including fees across a few seat sections, and look at Face Value Exchange on tours that use it. Then go through ShopBack before you check out, so the cash that comes back lowers what you actually pay, and check the live rate on this page. read more

Ticketmaster does not run a sitewide sale calendar the way retailers do, because ticket prices are set for each event by the artist, team, venue or promoter. Ticketmaster has a Deals section on its site, and the most important dates are each event's presale and on-sale times. For a show you really want, waiting for Black Friday is usually a gamble, since popular seats can sell out at the on-sale. Buy when the event goes on sale, go through ShopBack before you check out, and check the live rate on this page. read more

Going through ShopBack is an essential step before you check out on Ticketmaster, so you pay less on the same order. Frequent shoppers treat merchants like Booking.com, Trip.com, Agoda and Expedia the same way: open ShopBack first, then book or check out. Sign in, open this page, tap through to Ticketmaster and complete the purchase there.

Yes, in effect. Going through ShopBack before you check out gives you a post-purchase discount on the order: Cashback comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the ticket price, not like points or miles. What you actually pay is the order total minus the cash that comes back, and the live rate is shown on this page.

ShopBack's guide on Ticketmaster covers ticket prices and seat choices at a big venue: How Much Are Sphere Tickets in Las Vegas in 2026? Best Value Seats.