American Express cardmembers have access to Front Of The Line presale tickets for concerts, shows, and events through Ticketmaster. This allows AmEx cardholders early access to tickets before the general public onsale. The Front Of The Line program provides cardmembers with a more seamless ticket buying experience.
What is Front Of The Line access on Ticketmaster?
Front Of The Line is a presale ticket program from Ticketmaster that gives American Express cardmembers early access to tickets for concerts, theater shows, and other events before the general public. This presale window typically takes place 1-3 days before the tickets go on sale to everyone else.
During the Front Of The Line presale, AmEx cardholders have the chance to purchase tickets before others. This gives them first pick of available seats and tickets before the general public has access. It helps avoid sell outs and gives cardmembers a better chance at getting good seats to popular shows and events.
How does Front Of The Line work?
Here is how American Express Front Of The Line presales work on Ticketmaster:
- Eligible AmEx cardmembers receive advance notice of upcoming Front Of The Line presales for concerts and events.
- Notification is sent by email and is also visible when logged into an AmEx account.
- The presale event page shows the presale start time, which is earlier than the general onsale time.
- At the presale start time, cardmembers can access the Ticketmaster site to purchase tickets.
- The cardmember must checkout with an eligible American Express card to get the Front Of The Line access.
- This gives the cardholder early ticket buying access before the general public.
So in summary, AmEx cardholders get a special presale code or link to buy tickets early before non-cardmembers. This typically provides better ticket availability compared to the stressful public onsales.
What events offer Front Of The Line presales?
Front Of The Line offers presale ticket access to a wide variety of events, including:
- Concerts – For major concert tours from top artists.
- Theater shows – Broadway, off-Broadway, and other theatrical productions.
- Comedy shows – Standup comedy tours and comedy festival events.
- Sports – Select sporting events and seasons.
- Arts & culture – Museum exhibits, cultural festivals, and more.
- Family shows – Events like Disney on Ice, Sesame Street Live, and similar family productions.
- Las Vegas shows – Popular Vegas productions and residencies.
In any given week, there are typically dozens of presale events available to AmEx cardholders across multiple cities in the U.S. Popular tours and shows sell out fast, so it gives cardmembers better access.
What American Express cards offer Front Of The Line access?
Here are the American Express cards that include Front Of The Line presale access as a standard benefit:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
- Marriott Bonvoy BrilliantTM American Express® Card
Most premium AmEx cards include this benefit. Entry-level cards typically do not. You can check your specific AmEx card’s benefits guide to see if Front Of The Line is included.
How to get access to Front Of The Line presales
As an eligible AmEx cardholder, here is how to access Front Of The Line presales:
- Make sure your American Express account is updated with your latest contact info so you get presale notifications.
- Check your email inbox and AmEx account for presale event announcements.
- Click the Front Of The Line link to view the presale site on Ticketmaster.
- Have your AmEx card number handy to purchase tickets.
- Buy tickets during the allotted presale window before the general onsale.
You need an eligible AmEx card linked to your Ticketmaster account to checkout with Front Of The Line access. If you checkout as a guest, you also need to input your AmEx card number.
Tips for using Front Of The Line presales
Here are some tips for making the most of American Express Front Of The Line presales when buying tickets:
- Sign up for AmEx and Ticketmaster email notifications to get presale announcements.
- Log into Ticketmaster early – up to 15 minutes before the presale starts.
- Be flexible on dates if possible to increase ticket options.
- Have a Ticketmaster account already created with your payment details saved.
- Only purchase from Ticketmaster’s official site to avoid scams.
- If tickets sell out, check back later for releases from holds.
- Use Ticketmaster’s interactive seat maps to preview options.
Getting on as soon as the presale starts gives you the widest selection of seats before othersbuy. Being flexible on show dates also helps in case certain dates sell out first.
Why Front Of The Line presales are valuable
American Express Front Of The Line presales provide significant value to cardholders in these key ways:
- Better ticket availability – Presales have a better selection of seats before sell outs.
- Less competition – Fewer buyers are competing for tickets versus public onsales.
- Relaxed buying process – Avoid the stressful rush of general onsales.
- More date flexibility – Weekday or off-peak shows may have more options.
- VIP packages access – Special packages can sell out to the public.
- Simple verification – Easy checkout with saved AmEx card.
Between fewer buyers and exclusive inventory, presales give cardmembers a major advantage to get tickets.
Downsides and limitations
While valuable, there are some potential downsides of Front Of The Line to be aware of:
- Popular shows still sell out quickly, even during presales.
- Some presales have short windows, like just 4-6 hours long.
- Only covers Ticketmaster events, not all concerts and shows everywhere.
- Requires paying annual fee on eligible premium AmEx cards.
- May include service fees, though often less than resale sites.
Even with early access, the most in-demand events will still have high competition. Having an eligible AmEx card is required, which has an annual fee depending on the card.
Comparison to other presales
American Express Front Of The Line is not the only presale option. Here is how it compares:
Artist and venue presales
- Direct presales from the artist, band, or concert venue.
- Typically 1-2 days before AmEx.
- Requires pre-registration on the artist’s site.
- More work to manage pre-sale codes for each event.
Artist presales give the earliest access. But they require more effort to unlock versus AmEx’s blanket access.
Spotify presales
- For users who stream an artist frequently on Spotify.
- Unlocks day-before presale access.
- Must stream artist’s music in advance to get offer.
- Focused just on concerts based on your listening.
Spotify offers presales tied directly to the bands you listen to most on their platform.
Chase card presales
- Select live entertainment presales for Chase cardholders.
- Typically same timing as AmEx presales.
- Available on cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve.
- Seen as less valuable than AmEx Front Of The Line.
Chase also has some presale offers, though typically considered less robust than AmEx’s program.
Resale sites
- Sites like StubHub and Vivid Seats resell tickets.
- Lets you buy after sell outs, often at higher prices.
- Risk of fraud with resale sites.
- No ability to select exact seats.
Resale sites provide later access, but with higher prices, fees, and risks.
Conclusion
American Express Front Of The Line provides a valuable way for eligible cardholders to access presale tickets and get earlier access to top concerts, shows, and events through Ticketmaster.
The presale window typically takes place 1-3 days before the general public onsale time. This gives AmEx cardmembers better inventory, reduced competition, and a smoother ticket buying experience. While not every event is included, Front Of The Line presales remain a key perk for premium AmEx cards like the Platinum and Gold.