With big concerts and music festivals announced for 2023, you may be wondering if you should buy tickets now or wait until closer to the event. There are pros and cons to buying concert tickets early versus waiting until the last minute. Here are some key factors to consider when deciding when to purchase tickets.
Pros of Buying Concert Tickets Early
There are several potential advantages to buying concert tickets as soon as they go on sale or several months in advance:
- Better seat selection – When tickets first go on sale, you often have access to the full seating chart. This allows you to pick the exact seats you want rather than being limited to what’s still available closer to the show. Getting seats in the front rows, in the center, or in other prime locations is usually only possible when buying early.
- Access to presales – By joining fan clubs, following artists on social media, or registering for verification through ticket sellers, you can sometimes get access to special presales before the general public. Presales give you first crack at the seats before anyone else.
- Lower prices – In many cases, ticket prices are lowest when they first go on sale. As the event draws nearer and remaining ticket inventory declines, prices often go up. Buying early locks in a lower price.
- Peace of mind – When you secure your tickets months in advance, you don’t have to worry that prices will jump or that the event will sell out before you get a chance to buy. You know you are all set and can look forward to the concert.
Cons of Buying Early
There are also some potential drawbacks to purchasing tickets far in advance:
- Nonrefundable purchases – In most cases, tickets bought early are nonrefundable. If your plans change and you can no longer attend, you are out the money spent on tickets.
- Unknown schedule conflicts – When buying tickets months ahead of an event, it’s impossible to know if other commitments like work events or family obligations might arise and prevent you from attending. This risk is avoided when waiting until closer to the actual concert date.
- Changes in interest – You may be excited about an event when tickets first go on sale, but your tastes are likely to evolve. By the time the concert comes around, you may no longer be interested in attending.
- Additional fees – On top of the ticket price, there are often service fees, delivery fees, facility fees and more that substantially add to the total cost. Fees are sometimes lower when buying closer to the event date.
Pros of Waiting to Buy Tickets
Here are some potential perks of holding off on purchasing tickets:
- Avoid nonrefundable commitment – Waiting until closer to the event date means you can back out if needed without losing money spent on tickets.
- Schedule certainty – By waiting, you will know if anything pivotal has arisen that conflicts with attending the concert. You can make plans accordingly.
- Last-minute deals – As the event date approaches, the remaining unsold tickets may be discounted or promoters may offer flash deals. You could score seats at a fraction of the original price.
- Reassessed interest – Time passing will help clarify if attending the concert is still appealing and worth your time and money. You aren’t stuck going to a show that no longer excites you.
Cons of Waiting to Buy
However, delaying your ticket purchase also comes with some downsides:
- Limited ticket availability – The longer you wait, the greater the chance the event completely sells out. You may miss out altogether if you don’t act quickly enough.
- Fewer or worse seat options – The prime seats typically go first. Waiting often means you’ll have to settle for whatever leftovers you can get or obstructed view seats.
- Potentially higher prices – Unlike early bird discounts, last minute pricing can sometimes go up rather than down as demand intensifies right before a show. No guarantees of a deal.
- Counterfeit ticket risk – When buying so close to event time, the risk of scam third-party sellers with fake tickets goes way up. Do thorough vetting when purchasing tickets at the last second.
Key Factors to Consider
When deciding the best timing for your concert ticket purchase, keep the following important factors in mind:
- Artist/event popularity – The more in-demand the performer, the greater the advantage of buying early before tickets disappear. Act fast for big names.
- Venue size – For arenas or amphitheaters with huge capacities, you may be able wait longer without sell-out risk. Smaller venues require quicker action.
- Obstructed views – If you don’t mind imperfect sightlines, waiting can get you deals. But the good seats go quick, so buy early if obstructed views are unacceptable.
- Schedule flexibility – Consider how flexible your schedule is and if a nonrefundable purchase now is risky. More flexibility equals less risk buying in advance.
- Price sensitivity – Weigh how important getting the lowest price is to you. Buying early does not always guarantee the best deals.
- Peace of mind – If securing a ticket now and knowing you are set brings you joy and reduces anxiety, that peace of mind has real value.
Tips for Buying at the Optimal Time
Taking the above factors into account, here are some tips for timing your ticket purchase wisely:
- Sign up for presales to get early ticket access before the general public.
- For extremely popular artists or small venues, buy early to avoid getting shut out.
- For expensive tickets, wait to buy if possible to assess your schedule and budget closer to the event.
- Monitor ticket resale sites leading up to the event to spot price drops as it approaches.
- Set a reminder for yourself for when tickets go on sale to secure a spot in the virtual queue.
- Follow the event and band on social media for special promotions you can take advantage of.
Tools for Getting the Best Deals
To maximize your chances of scoring the best ticket prices whenever you decide to buy, utilize these helpful tools:
- Price history tools – Sites like TicketIQ let you see how ticket prices for a particular event have fluctuated over time. This can identify trends and optimal times to purchase.
- Mobile apps – Official ticket seller apps like Ticketmaster and AXS typically offer the fastest interface for buying and securing prime seats.
- Virtual queuing – Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan and other virtual queue technologies can save your spot in line before the on-sale rush.
- Presale codes – Follow artist fan clubs and tour social media accounts to gain access to special ticket presale opportunities before the general public.
- Alerts and reminders – Set up price drop alerts on resale sites. Set calendar reminders for presales and general public on-sales so you don’t miss key purchase windows.
Budgeting and Payment Tips
Making room in your budget for concert ticket purchases and knowing payment best practices can also help you secure the seats you want at the right time:
- Save up extra cash in your entertainment budget if you know you want to buy tickets the moment they go on sale.
- Put ticket purchases on a credit card with strong fraud protection in case of security breaches when buying online.
- Consider payment plans if offered when buying far in advance to split up the cost over multiple months.
- Use mobile payment apps to checkout seamlessly when racing to buy coveted tickets.
- Compare prices across multiple ticket sellers and resale sites for the best deals.
Sell Unwanted Tickets
If your plans change after buying nonrefundable tickets, keep in mind you can try to sell them on ticket resale marketplaces. Sites like StubHub, Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster allow you to sell your tickets to other fans. You likely won’t recoup 100% of your costs, but reselling unwanted tickets can help you recoup some of the money spent. Be sure to factor in time needed to sell them when making your initial ticket purchase timelines.
Weigh the Tradeoffs of Buying Early vs Waiting
In summary, weighing the pros and cons of buying concert tickets early versus waiting until closer to showtime can ensure the best outcome. Buy early for high-demand, small capacity concerts you are 100% committed to attending. Wait to buy when flexibility is helpful and you are willing to risk more limited selections. Use presales, price drop alerts and comparison shopping to find deals. Consider reselling unwanted tickets to offset costs. With strategic timing, you can lock in great seats at reasonable prices and look forward to amazing live music experiences.