Wondering if you can get a refund for those concert tickets you bought on Ticketmaster? It may be possible in certain situations. Read on to understand Ticketmaster’s refund and exchange policies, when you can request your money back, and some insider tips for increasing your chances.
This comprehensive guide will cover:
- An overview of Ticketmaster’s standard refund policy
- When refunds and exchanges are issued
- How to formally request a refund
- Creative strategies for getting your money back
- Options if your tickets end up non-refundable
- Special refund considerations around COVID-19
- Who to contact for personalized Ticketmaster support
Let’s start by reviewing the fine print around returns and cancellations when buying tickets through Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster’s Standard Refund Policy: Tickets Are Non-Refundable
As a ticketing industry leader, Ticketmaster sells tickets to concerts, theater shows, sports events and more on behalf of third-party event organizers and venues.
As the intermediary between fans and event hosts, Ticketmaster’s standard policy is that all ticket sales are final and non-refundable. This applies whether you purchased primary tickets during presales or public sales, or resale tickets from other fans.
However, that doesn’t mean refunds are impossible. Keep reading to better understand the limited exceptions where Ticketmaster tickets can be returned for a refund or exchanged for new tickets.
When Are Ticketmaster Refunds and Exchanges Possible?
While generally strict around cancellations and returns compared to most ecommerce retailers, Ticketmaster does issue refunds and exchanges if certain criteria are met:
For Canceled Events
If an event is outright canceled by organizers:
- Full refunds are automatically processed by Ticketmaster back to the original payment method used at time of purchase. No action is required on your end.
- In some cases, you may be given the option to accept a credit towards a future event rather than the refund. Ticketmaster will provide instructions in your account if a credit option exists.
So for straight event cancellations, your Ticketmaster purchase is protected with a money-back guarantee.
For Postponed or Rescheduled Events
If an event organizer:
- Postpones an event to a later date
- Reschedules it to another day/time
- Or relocates it to another nearby venue
Here’s what happens in these scenarios:
- Your Ticketmaster tickets typically remain valid for the new event details.
- However, the organizer may allow refunds within a limited window after announcing the changes (e.g. 30 days).
- If you miss this window, the tickets then become non-refundable by default.
This means you’ll need to act fast if you can no longer attend the new event date or alternatively want your money back after a rescheduling takes place.
How to Request a Refund for a Postponed/Relocated Event
If the organizer opens up refund eligibility, you will be notified by email and provided instructions. Generally though, you would:
- Log into your Ticketmaster account
- Navigate to the order details under “My Tickets”
- Select the “Request a Refund” button
- Indicate which specific tickets to refund
If approved, allow 5-7 business days for the refund amount to process back to your original payment method.
Creative Ways to Get a Ticketmaster Refund
What if an event was postponed and you missed the narrow refund submission window? Or circumstances changed where you can no longer attend?
While Ticketmaster does generally stick to its published policies around cancellations and returns, consumers have successfully negotiated one-off refunds in extenuating circumstances when they get creative:
Ask the Event Organizer for an Exception
Since Ticketmaster is simply the ticketing middleman, try reaching out to the event organizer or venue directly to plead your case for a refund exception:
- Explain your extenuating circumstances in detail
- Highlight why their event’s postponement or rescheduling unfairly impacted you
- Provide evidence where possible of travel, health or financial hardships
Organizers want their true fans to have positive experiences and may issue exceptions if reasonable.
Cite State Laws Around Event Ticket Refunds
Did you know that many U.S. states have additional consumer protection laws regulating ticket sales and refunds for canceled, postponed and rescheduled events?
For example:
- New Jersey requires full refunds if a ticket broker cannot deliver tickets purchased
- Pennsylvania’s attorney general recently settled with an unauthorized ticket reseller accused of violating refund rules
Check if your particular situation violates similar rules where you purchased tickets. Reference the applicable state law when contacting Ticketmaster for a refund exception.
Appeal to Ticketmaster Executive Contacts
If regular Ticketmaster customer service cannot help get your tickets refunded, some buyers have elevated their cases to executive management contacts with success.
After explaining your circumstances in writing to contacts like:
- Ticketmaster’s Vice President of Ethics and Compliance
- The Ticketmaster CEO
Customers have received one-off refund approvals where technically disallowed in the official policy. Especially relevant around COVID-19 health and travel restrictions.
Give it a shot should your initial refund attempts hit dead ends.
What If My Ticketmaster Tickets Are Truly Non-Refundable?
If you missed all windows, failed to obtain exceptions from organizers or Ticketmaster, and have non-refundable tickets you cannot use, there may still be ways to recoup partial value:
Resell Through Ticketmaster’s Official Exchange
Ticketmaster facilitates safe ticket resales through fan exchange marketplaces. Depending on event demand, you often can relist unwanted tickets to sell to other attendees.
While likely at a lower price than paid, official exchanges enable recooping some costs on otherwise sunk tickets. Look for the “Sell Tickets” button in your Ticketmaster account.
Take Advantage of Presales for New Events
If you are an active concert or event goer willing to purchase more tickets, try joining future ticket presales to buy in-demand tickets at retail prices right away.
You can then relist those extra tickets at a premium on exchanges once public sales kick off. This lets you subsidize the loss on your other non-refundable tickets to some degree.
Gift Tickets to Friends or Family
If all else fails but tickets allow transfers (indicated by a Gift Ticket button in your account), consider gifting them to a friend or family member able to attend when you cannot.
At least this allows tickets not to completely go to waste while brightening someone else’s day.
Special COVID-19 Refund Considerations
The global pandemic threw Ticketmaster’s generally strict no-refund policy into chaos starting in 2020.
Countless concerts, festivals, conferences, and sporting events were outright canceled over health concerns. Even more were indefinitely postponed multiple times thanks to the uncertainty – often well outside what existing service agreements allowed for returns.
Ticketmaster and event organizers did make some buyer-friendly adjustments around refunds due to COVID-19:
- Most outright event cancellations triggered refunds automatically.
- Refund time windows got extended for postponed events.
- Organizers issued account credits more liberally.
- Some state regulators intervened on consumers behalf’s during the chaos too.
However many buyers still unfairly lost money during COVID as old refund rules didn’t fully anticipate such far-reaching impacts. Class action lawsuits related to these issues continue winding their way through courts.
For future events, carefully weigh COVID or other systemic event risks before buying tickets without enhanced protections. Explore Ticketmaster’s ticket insurance and enhanced purchase policies when available.
Who To Contact for Personalized Ticketmaster Support?
If you have reviewed all official refund, exchange, resale and credit options with no resolution on unusable tickets, last resort is reaching out to Ticketmaster customer service to plead your individual case.
Whether by phone, online chat, email or snail mail, be sure to have key details handy including:
- Event name, date and impacted ticket numbers
- Your original Ticketmaster purchase date & order #
- Applicable dollar amounts for refund requests
Some top contacts avenues include:
Online Form: www.ticketmaster.com/contactus
Phone: +1 800-653-8000
Mail: Ticketmaster Customer Service PO Box 798, Manchester, M60 1WU.
Emphasize any extenuating personal circumstances around cancellations, travel restrictions, health reasons, financial hardships, etc that unfairly prohibit your event attendance.
While refund policies remain stringent in aggregate, customer service reps can request one-off exceptions and escalate difficult cases to management upon review.
Can You Return Tickets on Ticketmaster: Final Thoughts
Ticketmaster sets policies around cancellations, returns and refunds on behalf of the events they sell tickets for. While generally strict compared to retail return policies, buyers can request refunds in limited cases:
- Full refunds are processed automatically for outright event cancellations
- Postponements or rescheduling may open short windows for refund or credit eligibility
- Persistent buyers may get one-off refund approvals by highlighting unique hardships
Carefully review all event and ticket details before finalizing a Ticketmaster purchase. For high-demand events with inherent scheduling risks, insurance and other value-adds may offset losses if purchased upfront yet later unable to attend.
What has been your experience requesting Ticketmaster refunds during event cancellations or postponements? Did persistence pay off when initially denied? Share any tips in the comments for fellow ticket buyers!
