For many people, summer is about going to great outdoor events, such as summer concerts and baseball games. Enjoying those spectacles, however, requires the purchase of a ticket, and those tickets can be expensive, often overshadowing the fun of the event.
There are a number of strategies to curb that expensive cost, however, especially if you’re willing to put in some legwork. Here are five strategies for scoring cheap or even free concert tickets and sporting event tickets this summer.
[See: 10 Summer Savings Tips.]
Be flexible. If your heart is set on going to a specific baseball game on a specific date and sitting in a specific area, it’s going to be hard to find a cheap ticket. If you’re willing to go on a wide variety of dates and aren’t too concerned about your exact seat, you’ll find it much easier to get a ticket. The same thing is true for concert tickets. If only one concert is acceptable to you, and you have to sit up front, then you’re probably going to be paying a lot. But if you just like going to any live shows within your favorite musical genres and are willing to go at a lot of different times during the summer, you’ll likely find cheap tickets.
Flexibility almost always saves you money. Simply start by looking at the restrictions you’re putting on buying that ticket and relaxing as many as possible. Be willing to accept not having a ticket at all and finding something else to do because that allows you to be OK with not going to a show if you don’t find a ticket at a reasonable price.
Volunteer. Many performers give away tickets to people who do volunteer work to help promote the show. This group is often referred to as a “street team.” Get hold of your favorite musical acts on social media and see if they have a “street team” or some other form of fan-based concert and album promotion. These volunteers are often rewarded with album copies and concert tickets.
Another option is to volunteer to work on-site at the concert venue, unloading trucks or performing other services, in exchange for free admission to the show. Contact the concert venue to see if they offer any such arrangements. Concert venues also sometimes hire hourly workers for janitorial services, which does include being present in the building during the show, allowing you to hear the concert while being paid for it.
[See: 10 Offbeat Ways to Earn Extra Money.]
Watch Craigslist and Facebook buy-and-sell groups. Many individuals find that their plans have changed and they need to get rid of their tickets quickly. These people might turn to Craigslist or Facebook, which offer a simple and cheap way for them to dump their tickets. Often, when it’s close to the date of the event, those tickets will run at a discount, as the seller knows that they become worthless if they don’t sell before the event.
Take advantage of this and watch Craigslist and Facebook buy-and-sell groups regularly during the summer. If you approach it with some flexibility, you can often find very cheap tickets to all kinds of summer music and sporting events, even if you might not necessarily find tickets to a specific event.
Watch your social network. Another way to use social media to score cheap or free concert tickets is to widen your online social network as much as possible. Stay connected with a large group of friends by friending them on Facebook and following them on Twitter because people will often offer last-minute tickets to anyone who wants them in their social network.
Another strategy is to follow television stations, radio stations, local newspapers and other local media sources and community groups. These groups will often run giveaways and drawings for tickets for local events. Keep local radio stations on speed dial, so that you can call them when they run phone contests for concert tickets. Call in for any tickets to events that you could attend.
[See: 5 Easy Ways to Make Fast Cash.]
Check ticket brokers at the last minute. Online ticket brokers such as StubHub and even Ticketmaster will sometimes cut the price of tickets just before the event in order to squeeze any last-minute value out of the tickets. Start watching the day before an event of interest and see if there are any dirt-cheap prices online.
You can even find people reselling tickets outside of a venue just before the show, but there’s always a risk of someone selling you a fake ticket to the event. If you do this, carefully inspect anything you buy before paying cash and don’t spend a ton of cash on a front-row ticket in front of the venue from someone you don’t know.
Use these strategies in concert and you just might find some amazing deals on wonderful summer events.
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5 Ways to Score Inexpensive Summer Event Tickets originally appeared on usnews.com
