There are a few potential reasons why you may be paused or put in a waiting room on Ticketmaster when trying to buy tickets:
High Demand
The most common reason for being paused is that there is extremely high demand for the event you are trying to buy tickets for. When a lot of people are all trying to buy tickets at the same time, Ticketmaster will intentionally pause people and put them in a virtual waiting room to control traffic. This prevents their website from crashing and allows them to process orders in an organized manner.
Being paused does not mean you have lost your place in line or that you won’t be able to get tickets. As long as you do not refresh, close your browser, or go back a page, your spot should be retained. You just need to wait until Ticketmaster decides to let you out of the waiting room. The amount of time varies based on demand. It could be a few minutes or over an hour in extreme cases.
Verification Step
Some high demand events will require Ticketmaster users to verify their accounts before proceeding. This is another measure Ticketmaster uses to deter bots and make sure real fans get first access. If you had not previously verified your account, Ticketmaster may pause you and prompt you to upload proof of ID, a credit card, phone number, etc. Once verified, you should be let through to continue purchasing.
Too Many Devices
Ticketmaster limits customers to only being logged into one device at a time per account. So if you are trying to buy tickets while also logged in on another computer, phone, etc., it may detect that and pause additional devices as a precaution. Logging out of other active sessions can often fix this problem.
Also, using browser privacy/incognito modes that prevent cookies can sometimes cause a similar issue to occur. Deleting your cookies for the Ticketmaster website before purchasing may help in that scenario.
Payment Issue
Occasionally users get paused if there is a problem processing their initial payment through Ticketmaster. This could be due to insufficient funds, expired cards, fraud alerts from your bank, etc. Going through verification steps or updating your payment details can typically resolve this.
Glitches
With any major ticketing website, unexpected technical issues can pop up from time to time. Server load spikes, website bugs, or temporary outages could all lead to users getting paused, even if none of the other reasons apply. Situations like this are usually resolved within a few minutes. Just hang tight and keep trying.
What to Do If You Get Paused
Here are some tips on dealing with a Ticketmaster pause:
- Stay calm – getting paused does not necessarily mean you are blocked from getting tickets.
- Do NOT refresh or go back – this will likely lose your spot in line.
- Wait for a redirect – you should get automatically forwarded after a few minutes.
- Complete any verification – if asked, upload your ID images quickly.
- Update payment details – switch cards or payment methods if requested.
- Contact support – if issues persist for over an hour, reach out to Ticketmaster.
- Try another device – you may be able to bypass the pause by logging in elsewhere.
Why Does Ticketmaster Pause People?
Ticketmaster intentionally pauses and uses waiting rooms for major events in order to:
- Control traffic – prevents website crashes from too many requests.
- Organize queues – puts people in an orderly line instead of a free for all.
- Limit bots – requires human verification to deter scalpers using bots.
- Stagger sales – distributes purchases over time instead of all at once.
- Reduce frenzy – limits the “fear of missing out” that spikes demand.
- Manage servers – does not overload their systems and cause them to crash.
While being paused can be an inconvenience, it does help ensure the Ticketmaster systems run smoothly and that as many real fans as possible get a fair shot at tickets.
How Long Could You Be Paused For?
There is no exact science to how long a Ticketmaster pause could last. It depends entirely on the specific event and current demand. Here are some general guidelines:
Event Popularity | Estimated Pause Time |
---|---|
Major concerts/festivals | 30 mins – 2 hours+ |
Medium concerts | 5 – 20 minutes |
Small club shows | 1 – 10 minutes |
Sports, theater | 5 mins – 1 hour |
Very unpopular events | No pause |
These are rough estimates only. For extremely high demand tours like The Rolling Stones or popular festivals, pauses could stretch over an hour easily. Even less popular events could see longer waits depending on other factors like venue size.
The best advice is to be patient. As long as you do not refresh or change pages, your spot should be retained. Keep the Ticketmaster tab open and wait for your turn to access tickets.
Does Closing Your Browser or Refreshing Page Lose Your Place?
Yes, it most likely will lose your place if you do either of those things. When Ticketmaster pauses people, they assign spots in a virtual line. As long as users stay on the waiting room page and do NOT refresh, close the tab, or go back, their order is remembered.
But if you do refresh or navigate away, Ticketmaster will see that as you abandoning your spot. And they will assign someone else there instead. So it’s vital not to refresh or close your browser if you get paused. You will lose your place and have to start over again from the back.
Your best bet is just to be patient, do not touch anything, and let their system guide you through. Avoid mashing F5 or clicking around frantically. That will only make the situation worse in most cases.
Some Key Points on Losing Your Place:
- DO NOT refresh the page or hit your browser’s back button.
- Avoid closing the tab or browser until you get through.
- Don’t panic click – remain patient and still.
- Interacting hurts – clicking around can lose your spot.
- Trust the process – Ticketmaster will advance you automatically.
Can You Open Another Browser?
Sometimes. Opening an entirely different browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc.) or going into an incognito/private browsing window can occasionally let you bypass a Ticketmaster pause. But keep a few things in mind:
- No guarantee it will work – Ticketmaster may still recognize you.
- Don’t lose original place – keep initial window open just in case.
- Make new account – use different Ticketmaster account if possible.
- Verify ahead – do ID verification early to avoid additional pauses.
- One device only – Ticketmaster limits 1 browser per account.
If you do manage to get a second browser through, proceed quickly to checkout before Ticketmaster flags you. And do not close your original paused browser window until you have confirmed tickets. Having two browsers greatly increases your chances over being stuck in one place.
Does Using Multiple Devices Help?
It can potentially help, with a few big caveats. Because Ticketmaster limits people to only one device login per account at a time, you either need:
- Multiple accounts – each device logs into a different Ticketmaster account.
- Different browsers – use browser privacy modes to appear as new devices.
But keeping your place in line on multiple devices means not losing your spot on any single one. As soon as you fully close a browser or logout, that spot is abandoned, and you are now fully on the other device.
Running two devices simultaneously definitely beats just one. But it requires keeping all browsers open. And even then, Ticketmaster may still recognize duplicate accounts or locations and thwart you.
Tips for Using Multiple Devices:
- Use different accounts – do not duplicate logins.
- Keep all browsers open – do not fully logout anywhere.
- Verify early – complete ID checks ahead of time.
- Watch for errors – duplicate login warnings, etc.
- Have backups – phone, tablet, computers, etc.
- Note order summary – to avoid buying tickets twice.
Is There Any Way to Avoid Getting Paused?
There are a few tricks that may help you avoid or minimize getting paused on Ticketmaster:
- Buy early – right when tickets initially go on sale to beat crowds.
- Use presales – take advantage of special presales before general public.
- Choose less popular shows – lower demand means less pauses.
- Don’t wait until last minute – buy as far in advance as possible.
- Use Ticketmaster app – may work better than website.
- Try Fan-to-Fan resale – could have more inventory.
- Avoid peak times – middle of the night or weekdays are better.
But even with the above tips, there are no surefire ways around getting paused. Even buying immediately at the moment tickets go on sale does not guarantee you won’t hit a waiting room. For truly high demand events, it is extremely hard to avoid at least some pause on Ticketmaster.
Why Does Ticketmaster Have So Many Problems?
Ticketmaster seems to have an inordinate amount of issues with long wait times, website crashes, and unhappy customers unable to get tickets. Why does the experience of buying tickets through them seem to be so problematic?
There are a few key reasons Ticketmaster runs into so many problems:
- Monopoly power – They have few major ticketing competitors.
- High demand – More people want tickets than supply available.
- Bots and scalpers – Using automated tools to buy up tickets.
- Technical limits – Volume exceeds website capabilities.
- Deliberate throttling – Intentionally slowing sales.
- Account limits – Restricting how many tickets one person can buy.
- Verification checks – Pausing sales for ID verification.
In many cases, the blame does not just fall on Ticketmaster. The root cause is sky-high demand from fans combined with limited ticket availability. Until that supply and demand imbalance improves, Ticketmaster’s job of managing the process will continue to be extremely challenging.
How Can Ticketmaster Improve Their Service?
Here are some ways Ticketmaster could potentially improve their platform and ease fan frustrations:
- Increase server capacity – handle larger volumes of traffic.
- Redesign interface – simplify ticket buying process.
- Stronger bot defenses – better tech to stop scalpers.
- Limit per person sales – restrict bulk purchases.
- Lower service fees – reducing add-on costs to tickets.
- Enhanced APIs – make it easier for other apps to integrate and innovate.
- More transparency – explain reasons for waiting rooms, pauses, etc.
- Better load balancing – smoothly control traffic surges.
- Less downtime – improve reliability and uptime.
Ticketmaster is already making efforts on some of the above, like upgrading their underlying technology stack. But there is still plenty of room for improvements to make the ticket buying experience less frustrating for fans.
Conclusion
Getting paused on Ticketmaster can be an annoying and confusing experience. But in most cases, it just means high demand is slowing down the system. As long as you don’t refresh, close your browser, or otherwise lose your place in line; you just need to wait patiently in the Ticketmaster waiting room until you are let through.
Just be ready with your payment and shipping details saved to move quickly once unpaused. Have backup devices ready in case you encounter any other issues. And if paused for an abnormally long time, reach out to Ticketmaster Fan Support for personalized help getting tickets.
While not ideal, the pauses are Ticketmaster’s method of making sure their systems don’t crash and that tickets end up in the hands of genuine fans instead of scalpers bots. So just hang in there, and your time will come to access those coveted tickets.