Find Out The Secret to Scoring $20 Concert Tickets

Find Out The Secret to Scoring $20 Concert Tickets

Don't wait for the next promo to get $20 concert tickets. Here are a few tips to make sure you get access to discount concert tickets for every show.

In May 2019, major event ticket seller Live Nation made waves with its release of "all in" 20 dollar concert tickets for National Concert Week. The tickets were limited in supply, but featured some of the largest acts on the concert slate, including country star Jason Aldean, and the Chainsmokers, one of the hottest acts on the electronic dance music scene.

Why are we talking about this? Because real savvy concert-goers don't have to wait for the next Concert Week promo to get concert tickets for 20 bucks. Here are a few tips to make sure you have access to discount concert tickets for every show.

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First, An Anecdote

If I can be honest for a minute - it's no accident that I'm writing about $20 concert tickets. It comes from an experience I had not too long ago. I'm one of the countless people who loves going to concerts but doesn't love the price tag. I've become just like other people I know, reserved to only going to concerts featuring a handful of artists because I just can't justify paying huge sums - sometimes over $150 - for concerts multiple times per month.

And then, last month, something happened. One of my favorite artists came into town and it was one of those can't miss shows, the ones I usually save up and wait for. I figured I'd buy tickets on my way home after work, but when I got online, there weren't any left. The show was sold out.

It happens. I wasn't thrilled to be missing out on a show I really wanted to see, but I thought to myself, it's not the end of the world, and it wasn't. A strange thing happened on the day of the concert, though. On a whim, I decided to check a ticket resale app - a shot in the dark, I thought, but it's worth a try.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the app (my go-to, but I won't reveal which one... yet) and immediately saw tickets... for only 20 dollars. You already know what happened next, and it got me thinking: $20 concert tickets are out there - what are the secrets to finding them?

I did some research, and here's what I found.

Be Really Early or Really Late

Getting the best prices for concert tickets is all about understanding the economy. It all comes down to supply and demand. If you get there first, you can get the first pick of the tickets for sale, and you might get lucky and find a few cheap before they hit the resale market.

The better bet for 20 dollar seats, though, is to look online as late as possible, because the odds are good that one of two things will happen:

1. The ticket seller will lower the prices of any tickets that go unsold at the start of the event. Notoriously, this happened with a 2017 Jay Z concert - 5 hours before the show started, there were tickets unsold, so the venue released them for as low as 6 dollars per ticket.

2. Resellers will get desperate. Plenty of people buy concert tickets just to resell them. It's not the most ethical practice, but it happens. Right before a show, if the "scalpers" have tickets left, they're losing money on them. They paid top dollar for those tickets, and this late in the game, they just want to recoup their losses. That's when you swoop in for the discount concert tickets.

Show Up at The Box Office

People - myself included - love complaining about the fees that online ticket sellers like Ticketmaster and Live Nation charge for the so-called convenient of having those tickets on your smartphone. A quick trip to the venue or the box office can enable you to get instant access to the same tickets, without the fees. Suddenly, that show you want to see is right in your price range.

Look for Loyalty Programs

Am I advocating destroying your email inbox for the chance to get 20 dollar concert tickets? Yes, I am. Credit card companies, radio stations, even the musicians themselves - they may have loyalty programs, merch deals, email lists, and sponsored giveaways. By signing up for as much as possible, at least where your favorite shows are concerned, you can lower the prices on the concerts you want to go to with exclusive discounts.

Top Three: The Best App for Concert Tickets

Here's the moment you've been waiting for. What are the three best cheap concert ticket apps? As it turns out, there's only one winner here... the other two options aren't bad, though.

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StubHub

I bet you're wondering where I found the cheap tickets in my story from before. The secret is out - it was StubHub.

Far and above, Stubhub is my favorite app for cheap concert tickets. The main reasons for that is the sheer number of other people that use it.

If you're looking to test the secondary market to find the cheapest tickets leading up to an event. StubHub has the best seats, the best options, and it's extremely secure. I'm always afraid of getting ripped off when I buy tickets secondhand... but not on StubHub.

The app is user-friendly and convenient, and 9 times out of 10, I find the lowest prices on StubHub.

Ticketmaster

If you're looking for solid deals from concert venue or seller, Ticketmaster is probably the best option. The app is easy to use, the tickets can be transferred instantly, and the fees are low.

Social Media

Sites like Craigslist and Facebook can be unpredictable, but if you're willing to brave the wilderness (make sure you read up on how to avoid ticket scams and fakes), you can find some of the best prices available.

The bottom line is this: concert tickets for $20 or less are out there. You just have to know where to find them.

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