Trying to get tickets to a hot concert or sporting event on Ticketmaster can be incredibly frustrating. As soon as tickets go on sale, they seem to sell out in seconds. During the mad rush to get tickets, many people wonder if constantly refreshing the Ticketmaster page will increase their chances of grabbing tickets before they’re gone.
How Ticketmaster’s website works during high demand events
When an event is very popular and a large number of people are trying to buy tickets at the same time, Ticketmaster’s website can get overloaded. To help deal with the high traffic, Ticketmaster uses virtual waiting rooms and queues to stagger when people enter the website to purchase tickets. This prevents the site from crashing and allows them to handle the spike in traffic.
Once you enter the waiting room, you are assigned a random place in line. Ticketmaster notes that “continually refreshing your browser or excessively clicking does not improve your position in line.” Your position is held from the moment you enter the waiting room, so refreshing the page cannot move you ahead in line.
The downsides of constantly refreshing
Refreshing the Ticketmaster page repeatedly during peak traffic times can actually work against you in several ways:
- You may lose your place in line – If you already secured a spot in the waiting room queue, refreshing may reset your session and bump you to the back of the line again.
- You create unnecessary server load – Adding extra burden to the site with constant refreshing will just slow the system down even more.
- You could get IP banned – Ticketmaster tracks IP addresses and excessive refreshing from one IP risks getting it blocked, potentially locking you out.
- Captchas may appear – Refreshing too much may trigger captcha verification screens which take time to complete and can cause you to lose tickets.
- Your connection may time out – Server timeouts or error messages are more likely to occur if the site is flooded with refreshes.
Excessive refreshing can overwhelm the servers, slow down page loads, and ruin your chances of getting tickets. The best approach is to wait patiently after entering the queue without continuously hitting refresh.
Tips to improve your odds without constant refreshing
Here are some tips to increase your chances of securing competitive tickets on Ticketmaster without obsessively mashing the refresh button:
- Use multiple devices – Try entering the waiting room queue simultaneously on a computer, phone, and tablet to give yourself multiple chances.
- Ensure internet connectivity – Use a wired ethernet connection instead of WiFi whenever possible for the most reliable speeds.
- Be ready and waiting – Log in ahead of time so you can join the queue the instant it opens.
- Use private/incognito browsing – This prevents your session from logging you out or presenting captchas.
- Have payment info saved – Speed through checkout by storing credit card details and billing/shipping addresses.
- Aim for off-peak times – Traffic is lighter early in the morning and late at night compared to peak hours.
- Try alternate sales channels – Purchase through the box office, ticket broker sites, band fan clubs, or resellers if needed.
Following these tips will give you an optimized experience on Ticketmaster for hot ticket sales. Avoid refreshing excessively and stick to waiting patiently in the virtual queue for the best results.
Should you ever refresh the waiting room page?
Generally, it’s best not to continuously refresh your browser once you’ve entered the Ticketmaster virtual waiting room. However, there are a few cases where performing a manual refresh may be warranted:
- The page glitches or doesn’t load properly – Occasionally page elements may fail to load or function, necessitating a refresh.
- You get stuck on a loading screen – If it seems to be loading indefinitely, a refresh can reset it.
- Error messages appear – Refreshing may clear up temporary connection issues or error warnings.
- You lose connection – If you get kicked offline for some reason, refreshing is needed to get back in.
- The queue seems stalled – If wait times aren’t counting down, refreshing may nudge things along.
- Nearing the ticket selection phase – When you’re close to the front of the line, refreshing can pull up the tickets.
In these cases, a single refresh or two can help get things back on track. But avoid hitting refresh continually – just use it sparingly to deal with specific problems that pop up.
Best practices for refreshing strategically
If you decide that a refresh is needed in certain circumstances, use these best practices:
- Don’t refresh on multiple devices simultaneously – This multiples the server load impact.
- Space out your refreshes at least 30-60 seconds apart – Don’t just mash the button non-stop.
- Refresh gently – Click once then wait for the page to fully load before doing it again.
- Make sure you’re waiting in the queue first – Refreshing early can lose your place in line.
- Stop if errors worsen or persist – Refreshes may dig you into a deeper hole if problems continue.
- Don’t refresh on final ticket selection page – You could lose tickets you already have in your cart.
With just a little patience, it’s often better to see if things resolve on their own before refreshing. Strategic, limited refreshes may occasionally get things moving again, but avoid overdoing it.
Conclusion
Hammering Ticketmaster’s website with constant page refreshes is unlikely to help you get tickets any faster. In most cases, you’re better off just waiting patiently in the virtual queue after initially joining it. But occasional strategic refreshes can be used to deal with errors or issues that arise during the process. Just be judicious and limit them to when it’s truly needed to maximize your chances of snagging those coveted seats.