Purchasing tickets to concerts, shows, and sporting events as gifts is a great idea for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, or any special occasion. Many people buy tickets through Ticketmaster for a variety of different events. A common question that arises is whether tickets purchased on Ticketmaster can be printed out to give as a physical gift.
The Short Answer
Yes, you can print out tickets purchased on Ticketmaster to give as gifts. However, there are a few important things to keep in mind when printing Ticketmaster tickets as gifts.
Printing Options
Ticketmaster offers different options for printing tickets depending on the event. Some common options include:
- Print-at-home tickets – These allow you to print the tickets at home on regular printer paper.
- Collectible commemorative tickets – Special commemorative ticket stock that can be printed at home.
- Mail tickets – Hard stock tickets mailed to you by Ticketmaster.
- Will Call pickup – Tickets held at venue box office for pickup.
Print-at-home and commemorative tickets allow you to print tickets yourself as gifts. Mailed tickets and will call pickup may not work as well for gifting purposes.
Transferring Tickets
For print-at-home and commemorative tickets, the purchaser’s name is typically printed on the ticket. To give them as gifts, you need to formally transfer the tickets to the gift recipient through your Ticketmaster account.
This associates the tickets with their name in Ticketmaster’s system. You need the recipient’s full name and email address to transfer tickets to them.
Timing of Printing and Transferring
Don’t print out or transfer tickets until you are ready to hand them over to the gift recipient. If you transfer them too early, the recipient may try to access and manage the tickets before you’ve given them as a gift.
Can Tickets Be Transferred Multiple Times?
In most cases, Ticketmaster tickets can only be transferred once. This means:
- The original purchaser can transfer tickets to someone else one time.
- The person receiving transferred tickets cannot then transfer them to someone else.
So you need to be sure of who you are gifting the tickets to when initially transferring them. There are some exceptions where tickets can be transferred multiple times, but this is not the norm.
Does the Recipient Need a Ticketmaster Account?
The person you are gifting tickets to does not necessarily need their own Ticketmaster account for you to transfer tickets to them. However, having a Ticketmaster account can make the process smoother.
Benefits of the gift recipient having a Ticketmaster account include:
- You can send the transfer request directly to their Ticketmaster email address.
- They can accept the transfer without needing a separate link or ticket transfer code.
- They will have full visibility and access to view, manage, sell, or transfer the tickets on their account if needed.
Without their own Ticketmaster account, you need to enter their email address when transferring and they have to accept the transfer using a provided link or code. Their access to ticket management features is also more limited unless they create an account after the fact.
Does Ticketmaster Charge Fees for Transfers?
Ticketmaster does not charge any fees for transferring print-at-home tickets purchased on their site to someone else. The original ticket purchaser pays any applicable ticket fees at time of initial purchase.
There may be fees charged by Ticketmaster for re-issuing hard stock tickets, mobile tickets, or other specialty ticket formats. But print-at-home ticket transfers are always free.
What If Tickets Have Already Been Transferred Once?
If you purchase or receive ticket transfers but the tickets have already been transferred once, you will not be able to transfer them again yourself. The tickets are locked to your account.
If you need to transfer them to someone else, you will have to contact Ticketmaster customer service to request assistance. There may be fees involved for re-issuing the tickets if possible.
Ticketmaster’s policy is normally that tickets can only be transferred once. So don’t count on being able to transfer them again after the initial transfer without contacting customer service first.
Steps to Print Ticketmaster Tickets as Gifts
Here is a summary of the overall process to purchase tickets on Ticketmaster and print them as gifts for someone else:
- Purchase the tickets on Ticketmaster. Select print-at-home ticket delivery.
- When ready to gift tickets, access your Ticketmaster account online or via the app.
- Find the event tickets you want to gift and select the transfer option.
- Enter the recipient’s name and email address and send the transfer request.
- The recipient will receive an email to accept the ticket transfer.
- Once the transfer is complete, print out the tickets on regular printer paper.
- Place the printed tickets inside a greeting card or gift presentation of your choice.
- Give the gift of tickets to the recipient and enjoy the event together!
Tips for Gifting Print-at-Home Tickets
Follow these tips when giving print-at-home tickets as gifts for the best experience:
- Only print tickets once you are ready to hand over the gift. Don’t print them out weeks in advance.
- Use a high print quality setting when printing tickets.
- Consider printing tickets on specialty paper like photo paper or cardstock to make them feel more special.
- Put tickets in a greeting card, gift box, or special envelope to make a nice gift presentation.
- Include a note with additional event details like parking info, start time, venue contacts, etc.
- Provide transportation or arrange group travel if needed so the recipient can easily attend.
- Offer to go together if it fits with your plans and relationship.
Creative Ways to Gift Printed Tickets
You can get very creative with how you physically present printed tickets as a gift. Some fun ideas include:
- Create your own concert t-shirt with a tour date and venue listed on the back. Attach printed tickets to the front of the shirt.
- For a sports fan, make a homemade team jersey or t-shirt and sew a pocket on it to hold the ticket printout.
- For a major event like the Super Bowl or Final Four, consider framing the printed tickets with photos or memorabilia from the teams/artists.
- Make a DIY ticket holder out of felt in the shape of a ticket stub.
- For a movie buff, recreate a vintage movie theater ticket booth and place printed tickets behind the glass.
- Attach printed tickets to inside of a handmade greeting card matching the theme of the event.
Let your creativity run wild and the gifted tickets will become an even more memorable part of the overall experience.
Can You Gift E-Tickets?
E-tickets, or electronic tickets accessed on a mobile device, are also an option for some events on Ticketmaster. However, e-tickets may not make the best gift option.
Reasons printed tickets work better than e-tickets for gifting include:
- You can’t gift or transfer an e-ticket until 24-48 hours before the event.
- No physical ticket to present as part of a gift.
- Recipient needs smartphone and Ticketmaster app to access e-ticket.
- Battery life or technical issues could prevent accessing e-ticket.
- Less exciting compared to unwrapping a printed ticket.
If e-tickets are the only option available, they can still work as a gift. Just be aware of the limitations compared to printed tickets.
Can You Gift Tickets Ordered by Phone?
If you order tickets for an event over the phone through Ticketmaster, you can still gift the tickets. However, the process is different than purchasing online.
With phone orders, you will need to call Ticketmaster again to process any transfers:
- Call Ticketmaster sales at 800-653-8000 (US) or your regional number.
- Provide the order number and billing details for lookup.
- Ask the agent to transfer the tickets to the recipient’s name and email.
- Ticketmaster will email the recipient details to accept transfer.
- You can print and gift the tickets once complete.
The steps are similar to online transfers but involve calling the Ticketmaster sales team. Make sure to have all required order details handy when you call.
Troubleshooting Printed Ticket Gifting Issues
Hopefully you don’t run into any problems when gifting printed Ticketmaster tickets. But if any issues pop up, here are some tips for troubleshooting:
- If tickets won’t transfer, verify the transfer limit has not been reached and there are no outstanding balances or other blocks.
- If the gift recipient can’t accept a transfer, confirm you have the correct name and email address entered for them.
- For unidentified issues, reach out to Ticketmaster Fan Support for assistance.
- If tickets get lost or destroyed, contact Ticketmaster immediately to review reprint options.
- Should the recipient be unable to attend after gifting, work with them on next steps based on Ticketmaster policies.
Act swiftly if any problems occur and leverage Ticketmaster customer service channels as needed. With proper care, you should be able to successfully gift printed event tickets.
Can You Gift Tickets from Other Ticket Sites?
Ticketmaster is not the only website where you can purchase tickets to concerts, theater performances, sporting events, and other live entertainment. Many ticket sales now happen online through various ticket marketplaces and seller platforms.
Some other major ticket websites where you can buy and gift tickets include:
- StubHub
- Vivid Seats
- SeatGeek
- AXS
- TicketNetwork
- TickPick
The specific procedures for printing and gifting tickets will vary depending on the platform. However, the overall ability to gift tickets is common across most major ticket sales sites.
No matter where you purchase tickets online, look for print-at-home PDF tickets. Make sure to review the transfer and re-issue policies before gifting tickets from any provider.
Are Print-at-Home Tickets Safe to Buy and Gift?
When you buy tickets online and print them yourself at home, some people have concerns about fraud, validity, and general safety compared to old-fashioned hard stock tickets.
However, print-at-home tickets from reputable sites like Ticketmaster are very safe and commonly used. Things that make print-at-home tickets secure include:
- Each barcode is unique to prevent duplication or counterfeiting.
- Barcodes are encrypted and will be scanned to validate entry.
- Website accounts provide visibility and control over ticket transfers.
- Official ticket marketplaces guarantee valid tickets.
- Tickets tied to original purchaser and payment details.
As long as you buy from and transfer tickets through official ticket channels, print-at-home tickets are very safe with multiple protections in place.
Conclusion
Gifting event tickets using Ticketmaster print-at-home tickets is a fun and convenient option. As long as you follow the proper steps for online ticket transfers, you can surprise someone special with tickets to a coveted concert, show, game, or other event.
Print-at-home tickets allow flexibility for gifting compared to other delivery methods. Make the gift personal and meaningful by pairing printed tickets with creative packaging, keepsakes, or experiences related to the event. Proper planning ahead helps ensure a smooth ticket gifting process.
Ticketmaster even allows free ticket transfers in most cases. So don’t be afraid to gift those prized extra tickets sitting in your account to create special memories together.