Are Ticketmaster e-tickets safe?
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Ticketmaster e-tickets, also know as “TicketFast” are becoming more popular every day with fans in the United States. In simple terms, when you buy tickets from Ticketmaster, you are now given the option of having your tickets sent via snail mail (regular mail,) expedited mail (1, 2, or 3 day service,) or email.
E-mailed tickets are extremely safe, especially directly from Ticketmaster. If you choose the TicketFast option, you will receive your tickets within a few minutes via email as a PDF attachment. You simply open the attachment, and print off your tickets on any printer. If you do not have Adobe (the program required to open and read a FDF file) you can download it free from Adobe’s website. (The Ticketmaster email provides the link and instructions in the email they send.)
Each ticket requires one sheet of paper, and contains everything you see on a normal ticket, and then some. It includes the stadium and event information, along with your name, Section, Row, and Seats. Most e-tickets also contain a bar code so it can be easily scanned at the gate for admission to the event.
Using an e-ticket does not require any extra steps on event day. You do not need to show ID, or exchange them for so called “hard” tickets. You simply proceed to the gate and enter the event.
E-tickets have fees associated with them. These fees are collected when you purchase tickets - not when you use the tickets. They vary by event, but are usually $2-$5 per ticket. This fee replaces your shipping costs, but does not replace all the other fees Ticketmaster adds.
Many Professional Sports teams now allow season ticket holders to convert “hard” tickets into e-tickets. Let’s say you can’t make it to a game and want your friend from work to have your tickets. You can simply log into your season ticket account on your team’s website. You cancel your “hard tickets” and issue new e-tickets. The process takes about 2-3 minutes, and usually costs between $2-$5 per ticket. Some teams are free. many teams allow you to forward your tickets to charity.
When converting tickets, it is important to remember that your old tickets are cancelled immediately and cannot be reactivated. Also, I recommend having the new e-ticket sent directly you, not your friend. That way you can forward it, and still have a copy in your email if something happens. You can only forward tickets up until 2 hours before the event.
As for safety, I believe e-tickets are as safe, or safer than “hard” tickets.
For one, they can’t get lost in the mail. Second, they arrive immediately in your inbox - so you know you have them, and you know where they are filed. Third, if you misplace or damage the tickets you can simply reprint them.
Fans lose or damage tickets all the time! They lose them at home. They forget to take them when they fly to a weekend getaway. They leave them in the car to get ruined by the sun. Their dogs eat them. They get lost in the mail. All of these are correctable with a few clicks with e-tickets!
Good luck and please continue to send me questions. Feel free to subscribe to my RSS feed or weekly newsletter. Both will provide links to my articles and information about tickets going on sale in the near future. Thanks!
