Getting tickets to popular concerts and events can be incredibly difficult these days. As soon as tickets go on sale, they seem to sell out in seconds. This leaves many fans disappointed and wondering if they’ll ever get a chance to see their favorite musician or comedian live.
Luckily, Ticketmaster provides a useful tool to help you secure tickets even for the hottest events. This feature allows you to get notifications when tickets you want become available.
How does Ticketmaster’s ticket notifications work?
Ticketmaster’s notification system is tied to your Ticketmaster account. When you try to buy tickets and they are sold out or only partial tickets are left, you’ll see a button or link to “Get Notified When Tickets Become Available.” Clicking this will save the event to your Ticketmaster account.
Then when more tickets are released, you’ll get an email alerting you that tickets you previously tried to buy are now available. The email will include a link to purchase the newly available tickets. This prevents you from having to constantly check the event page hoping more tickets will be released.
The notification system works for both general admission tickets and reserved seating tickets. For reserved seating, you can select exact seats you want to purchase and get notified if those specific seats become available.
When will I get notified about ticket availability?
There are a few scenarios where you may get notified about new ticket releases for an event you selected:
- The event sales originally didn’t open up all tickets, holding some back for pre-sales, fan club sales, etc. When those other sales end, Ticketmaster releases the remaining tickets.
- The event venue or organizers release additional tickets due to production changes, expanded capacity, etc.
- Other customers’ tickets get released back into the pool because they canceled their purchase or their tickets went unpaid.
In most cases, the notifications come within a few days or weeks after the initial on-sale date. But it varies case-by-case based on how many tickets the venue or artist chose to hold back.
Does a ticket notification guarantee I’ll get tickets?
Unfortunately, a ticket notification does not guarantee you will be able to buy tickets. It simply gives you the chance to access tickets when they become available again.
The notifications go out to everyone who asked to be notified about that event. This means tons of other fans are likely to jump on the new ticket release all at once. Demand often still outpaces supply even for the newly opened tickets.
So when you get a notification, you need to act fast. Be ready to find the emailed link and purchase tickets as soon as possible. Have your Ticketmaster account logged in and payment details saved to make the buying process as smooth as possible.
How long is my ticket notification active?
Your ticket notification stays active until the event takes place. If any tickets get released between when you originally signed up for notifications and the event date, you’ll get alerted.
However, Ticketmaster does recommend signing up for notifications as far in advance of the event on-sale date as possible. Getting your name on the notification list sooner increases your chances of being able to buy newly available tickets.
After the event takes place, your notification is automatically deactivated. At that point, no new tickets will become available anyway.
Can I get notified about multiple events?
Absolutely! There is no limit to the number of events you can get notifications for through your Ticketmaster account.
Any time you attempt to buy sold out or low availability tickets, just make sure to select the notification option. Your account will then be set to alert you across all the different events you picked.
This makes it easy to track opportunities to get tickets to multiple concerts, games, and other events you want to attend. Instead of having to regularly recheck each event individually, Ticketmaster consolidates notifications so you get an email whenever any of your selected events have new ticket releases.
Does notification work for all events?
Ticketmaster’s ticket notification system works for the majority of events listed on their platform. However, a few exceptions exist:
- Small local events may not use the notifications system. The feature is primarily for major concerts, sports leagues, and other popular events.
- Very exclusive events where all tickets are sold directly through fan clubs or other special sources rather than public on-sales may not utilize notifications.
- For festivals with multiple separate performances on different stages, you may only be able to get notified about specific acts rather than the whole festival.
If an event doesn’t give you the option to get notified when trying to buy tickets, that likely means notifications are not available. Those cases should be rare for most high-profile events though.
Can I get notified about pre-sales or special promotions?
Unfortunately, Ticketmaster’s notification system only applies to general on-sales, not pre-sales or special promo offers.
Pre-sales give exclusive early access to tickets for groups like fan club members or customers of a sponsor brand. Those tickets are set aside ahead of the main sale.
Special promo codes also often unlock ticket access early before the general public on-sale. Subscribers to Ticketmaster’s various newsletters sometimes get these codes.
You cannot get notifications specifically about pre-sale or promo code access for an event. Those offers are only available to qualifying groups, not the general public waiting for the main sale.
However, you can still sign up for notifications on top of trying to access pre-sales or promotions. This gives you two opportunities to get tickets – through the early access AND notifications about general on-sale tickets.
What if I can no longer attend the event?
If you secured tickets through a notification but then cannot attend the event after all, make sure to cancel your ticket order. This will release your tickets back to Ticketmaster for other fans to purchase.
To cancel, log into your Ticketmaster account and find the order details for the event. There should be a cancel option. This is usually available up until a certain cutoff point before the event takes place.
Cancelling a Ticketmaster order is easy and ensures your unused tickets don’t go to waste. Released tickets often get snapped up fast by other eager fans waiting for notifications.
Are there any other ticket outlet notification options?
A few other major ticket sellers also offer notification services similar to Ticketmaster’s. These include:
- AXS – This ticketing platform has its own version of notifications called AXS Waitlist. It works similarly to Ticketmaster by emailing you when more tickets become available.
- StubHub – StubHub is a ticket reseller marketplace. You can set alerts here for newly posted tickets for sale rather than waiting on more official releases.
- Vivid Seats – Another ticket reseller, they allow you to get notified if desired tickets become available to purchase from people reselling them.
Third-party fan exchange sites like Lyte and Twickets also let fans resell extra tickets directly to other fans. You may be able to set alerts when specific events get new postings on those platforms.
Ticketing notification options are not as universally available across all vendors. But Ticketmaster remains the most widely used alert system since they are an official primary ticketer rather than a resale marketplace.
Tips for using Ticketmaster notifications successfully
Here are some top tips to improve your odds of scoring tickets through Ticketmaster’s notification system:
- Sign up for notifications as early as possible – Get on the list when tickets first go on sale even if you don’t plan to buy right away.
- Make sure your Ticketmaster account and payment details are up to date – This saves time at checkout.
- Only sign up for notifications if you can definitely attend – Don’t prevent real fans from getting notified unless you plan to buy.
- Act instantly when you get the notification email – Competition is stiff so you need to buy ASAP.
- Be flexible about things like date or seat location – Taking any tickets increases your chances vs. holding out.
- Follow fan forums and artist social channels – Sometimes more tickets are announced there before Ticketmaster sends notifications.
- Keep trying general on-sale too – Don’t rely only on notifications as your ticket strategy.
Does Ticketmaster charge any fees for notifications?
Ticketmaster does not charge any additional fees for their ticket notification service. Signing up for notifications about an event is free.
The only charges you’ll pay are regular service fees when you actually complete a ticket purchase after getting notified. And of course the cost of the tickets themselves.
There’s also no spam or advertising associated with the notification emails. They only contain direct links to buy the specific event tickets you requested.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster’s event notification system provides a valuable way to gain access to hard-to-get tickets even when initial on-sales sell out fast. Thanks to the notifications, you don’t have to incessantly check sites hoping more tickets will be released.
The tool isn’t a guaranteed ticket strategy, but it can dramatically improve your chances. Just be sure to act quickly when you do get an alert so you can actually complete the ticket purchase.
Given how competitive buying the hottest event tickets is these days, Ticketmaster’s notifications are your best bet for scoring seats to see your favorite musicians, comedians, sports teams, and other entertainment.