Some sports tickets sites can even help you find tickets to events that show up as sold out online, while others will help you find resale tickets and cheaper options for events you might not think you can afford. And the best part is, most websites also offer guarantees and insurance on tickets, meaning you can book and have your mind at ease. You’ll be sure your tickets are totally legit, and have a money-back guarantee if your event ends up being cancelled. We’ve pointed out what kind of insurance you can get in each sports tickets site we reviewed. We also took admin fees, website accessibility and stability, offers, queue systems and hotel deals into account when we ranked these services. If you’re busy planning your next night out, you may also want to check the best concert ticket sites (opens in new tab), or to find super rare tickets you can head on to the best online auction sites (opens in new tab).
The best sports ticket sites
StubHub sells tickets to over 60 different types of sport events, making it one of the biggest sports ticket sites out there right now. It came out among the top sites in our price comparison tests, where we compared and averaged the prices of tickets to three sporting events. Also, like SeatGeek, the site only added $8 in shipping and handling fees to a $25 ticket – less than every other website we tested. This, paired with a mere 10-percent ticket resale fee, makes it the place to get the best value for sports tickets. With StubHub – which is owned by eBay – you can search for events based on where you live, the sport you’re interested or your favorite team. You see a little fire icon if tickets are particularly popular for any given event so you never miss out on getting seats. Once you select an event, you can see which seats are available in which sections of the stadium or arena, as well as the view from each spot, on the site’s interactive seating chart. You can also sort ticket results by price, best value or best seats. If you need to get a ticket right this minute, just download the free StubHub app. If something comes up and you don’t need your tickets anymore, you can resell them right through StubHub. The website only takes 10% of the selling price, which is one of the lower resale fees we saw. Like on most sites, you’re guaranteed legitimate event tickets and will receive a full refund if the event is canceled. StubHub now owns Ticketbis as well, so you have access to tickets for more than 10 million sports and other entertainment events happening in over 40 countries. There’s a lot to like about Vivid Seats, most notably the reward scheme which rewards regular buyers with up to 8% credit when they buy through the Vivid Seats app. This makes it a great option for regular sports-goers as there’s heaps of sporting events to choose from. With Vivid Seats you can get up to 8% credit on tickets depending on how much you spend and if you’re a ‘Hall of Famer’ (meaning you spend over $2000 annually) this credit won’t expire. If you haven’t got the budget to splash $2000 annually on tickets don’t worry, your credit will last a full year. There were also decent prices, comparable with our front-runners but not the lowest we saw. However, fees were often hefty and in one case cost more than the sports ticket itself! Most of the sports ticket websites we reviewed only give you a full refund if the event is totally canceled. This doesn’t include rescheduled events, and one website also excludes events canceled due to weather. This can be particularly frustrating, especially if you’ve already purchased a plane ticket to get to the game. Ticketmaster’s Fan Guarantee means you have three days to get your money back. While it doesn’t apply to every single ticket the site sells, it’s still a pretty great deal. And don’t worry; in the event of a total cancelation, you get a refund as well. The website doesn’t have the cleanest design, but it’s obvious where to look for tickets to various sports, entertainment and music events. Once you select an event, you can view the venue and see exactly where the available seats are. Ticketmaster has some of the most reasonable fees on sports tickets, but we found that ticket prices fluctuated depending on event. In one case, a ticket which most other sites priced at around $10 was on sale for $23. However, if you’re willing to potentially pay more for a customer guarantee that won’t let you down, Ticketmaster is a great option. SeatGeek is a sports ticket site you can feel confident using. The transparent fees and deal scores make it easy for you to know you’re getting the best deal possible, there’s a lot this site does very well. What’s more, fees were some of the lowest we found - making SeatGeek a great sports ticket site if you’re after a good price. We liked the clear emphasis placed on sports, with a drop down menu giving you hundreds of options for events and a search bar which lets you search by team, event or even venue. We liked SeatGeek’s shiny website and modern feel. It also has a great app which is available to Apple and Android users alike. What’s more, there’s a refer a friend scheme which saves you and a friend money. What’s not to like? Razorgator has now merged with ticket site TickPick, but it’s still packing the same great features. When first visiting the site, you might think it’s a site for concert tickets. The homepage shows a list of trending events which is geared toward music artists. However, there’s countless sporting events covered, making it a great place to buy sports tickets. The stadium chart is interactive and there’s the most filters of any site we tested. To name a few, you can search by best deal, price and best seat. You can also narrow results to ‘on aisle’, ‘wheelchair accessible’ and ‘elite sellers only’. All tickets have their type, be it physical or electronic, right next to the listing and you can double up on filters which is handy if you have a specific type of ticket in mind. It was close, but TickPick came out on top in our price comparison, during which we looked at the price of tickets to three events on all the sports ticket platforms we reviewed. It had low fees and low prices on all of them. We focused on sports tickets for this review but like most ticket websites, TickPick also sells concert and theater tickets. Every ticket is backed by a 100-percent Buyer Guarantee. If an event is postponed or rescheduled, you may use the tickets on the rescheduled date or list them for sale once more. There is email support and an urgent support line available, as well as contact via social media.
Why you should trust us when choosing sports ticket sites
We spent 20 hours researching the most popular and unique sports tickets websites, considering how transparent their prices and fees are, their return policies, and their buyer and seller guarantees. Rather than use confusing percentage points or divide out all the shipping and processing fees, we instead found the same ticket on each website and noted how much the fees were on top of that. That way, we could give you an exact dollar amount rather than a rough estimate, and take this into account in our final rankings. A cheap ticket isn’t worth much if you have to pay heavy fees on top! You should note that shipping fees sometimes vary by how you choose to receive your ticket, whether it’s shipped in the mail, sent electronically or picked up at the event. The ability to use will call is oftentimes up to the discretion of the arena or stadium, not the ticket website. We also checked to see if each website has a rewards program as well as whether it has a mobile app, lets you set ticket alerts or uses interactive seating charts. You can sell tickets on many of these sites, and some will even buy your tickets directly from you. We favored websites with low resale fees. Return policies are generally the same across all the websites – you can’t get your money back unless the event is flat-out canceled. Tickets to rescheduled concerts aren’t usually eligible for refunds. In addition, we checked whether each site is intuitive to use and offers ticket alerts and interactive seating maps. Our research shows SeatGeek is the best site to buy sports tickets from because it is affordable, interactive and easy to use.
Super Bowl tickets
We wish you all the luck in the world if you’re after some Super Bowl tickets. They’re incredibly hard to procure, and when they’re available, they’re often not the best seats. That being said, you can check Ticketmaster, SeatGeek or TicketCity if you’re a diehard fan. These websites have them available for thousands of dollars. Season ticket holders wherever the Super Bowl is played might sell their spots, so it’s also worth checking out websites that resell.
Before game day
After you purchase your tickets, there are other things to consider before you arrive at the game. First, make sure you have the correct ticket method to get in the door. Some websites require you to download an app to present an electronic ticket on your smartphone. If your confirmation email says this, a printed out receipt or paper ticket won’t work. Other venues may require you print a paper ticket, so it’s important to make sure you’ve done what’s required before you head to the game. Either way, the ticket purchase confirmation email will give you the information you need. You should also look up information about security at the stadium you’re going to. Some have metal detectors and don’t allow anything inside that could be used as a weapon. Others don’t have such stringent rules. Either way, knowing ahead of time will make it easier when you arrive. This information most likely won’t be available on the ticket website, so you need to do the research separately. One last thing to keep in mind is parking. For events at large stadiums, it will most likely be easiest to purchase a parking pass online alongside your ticket. That way, you’re guaranteed a spot. Depending on the location, there may be other parking options, though they could be expensive and not secure. Most sites will sell ticket packages including parking, so if you’re after this keep an eye out and you might get lucky.
What’s the difference between primary and secondary sellers?
A primary ticket seller, as the name suggests, is someone that gets you the tickets first-hand. Ticketmaster, for example, does this, working with the seller directly as the two decide on pricing for the tickets. A secondary seller, offers tickets from a third-party or bought directly and sold on to you. This means a price markup so you will likely pay more. These are useful where tickets have sold out officially and you still want to find ones from elsewhere. Both options listed here are secure with guarantees in place so you can rest easy knowing you’re getting legitimate tickets that will arrive in time.
