Organized events like concerts, tours, festivals, and sporting events tend to be extremely popular around the world and generate a lot of footfall, making organizers schedule many of these events throughout the year. So, one will almost always find one such event or another in their area to keep them occupied. That said, tickets to these events can be expensive. To avoid overspending, one can choose sites known for selling affordable tickets.

Sites to explore for affordable tickets
Certain sites have carved a niche for themselves by offering buyers cheap tickets and purchase protection. 

1. Ticketmaster
This site has a dedicated sales section where buyers can find cheaper tickets for their desired events.

2. StubHub
This platform has grown into one of the extremely popular ticketing marketplaces. StubHub is a ticket exchange and resale platform that offers an exclusive FanProtect Guarantee for valid tickets and responsive customer service, ensuring event-goers have a great experience. The platform’s buying and selling service has expanded to over 200 countries thanks to its merger with Viagogo—another international ticketing marketplace.

3. VividSeats
One can buy tickets for sporting events, concerts, festivals, and other live events on VividSeats—an online ticket exchange and resale platform. That said, if opting for this platform, one must stick to buying tickets offered by verified sellers (those with a checkmark against their name). These verified “supersellers” can guarantee instant delivery of the tickets to the buyer’s device. Additionally, one may be able to find discount codes to use on the site and sweeten the deal.

4. TicketNetwork
This website has a host of third-party sellers and over $5.5 billion worth of active ticket inventory. It promises buyers legitimate and on-time delivery of tickets from qualified and vetted sellers. In case of any discrepancies, buyers are covered by a 100% money-back guarantee. Additionally, the site offers a ranking of the most popular shows grouped by the genre of music. This allows users to find the biggest events in their area and plan accordingly.

5. SeatGeek
This platform offers users detailed event information and seat selection assistance. For starters, it categorizes everything based on trending events, genres, and other activities in the area. Once the buyer selects their preferred show, they are led to a new window where the site breaks down the seat choice and ranks the available deals on a scale of 1 to 10. This can be useful for first-time buyers who may not know what to expect when purchasing tickets.

6. Ticket Exchange by TicketMaster
This site is known for its cheap live event ticket sales passes for live events. It offers a Verified Ticket guarantee so one can have a safe and secure experience anywhere.

7. Gametime
Those looking to buy affordable last-minute tickets online to sporting events and concerts can also turn to Gametime. This site is known for providing verified impromptu tickets at a cheaper price than most other sellers. This mobile-first site, designed for people on the move, also offers a transparent pricing policy and guaranteed tickets valid at the time of entry, even if they are booked at the last moment.

8. Groupon
This well-known site’s offers and vouchers are not limited to shopping, restaurants, and hotels. One can also use Groupon to find discounts and promo codes for live events in their area. All one needs to do is search for their desired show and location on the app or website and book a ticket.

Tips for saving money on tickets
Buying tickets online has many advantages, such as the flexibility of choosing a spot or seat at the time of purchase and getting tickets delivered immediately, cost-effectiveness due to reduced printing costs, secure transactions through payment gateways, and lower risk of getting counterfeit tickets. That being said, tickets can still be quite expensive online. To beat the crowds and find cheap ticket sales online, one can follow a few tips.

1. Shop the presales
Many sites, artists, and teams offer exclusive deals at presale events. Details about presales can be found on the brand/artist/team’s social media pages or through promo codes on ticketing websites, the artist’s fan club, loyalty programs, and credit card benefits.

2. Opt for the primary seller first
Start by looking for tickets offered by the primary seller. If one doesn’t find what they want there, they can move on to third-party resellers like VividSeats, Gametime, or SeatGeek. That said, tickets on third-party sites can sometimes be more expensive than those on original sellers. Additionally, when buying tickets from third-party sites, one must ensure they are transparent about their fees and offer decent customer service.

3. Make the most of student discounts
Students may often be eligible for additional discounts or cheaper tickets for some events. So, while booking tickets, one can look for these deals before finalizing the payment.

4. Avoid buying tickets on social media
It is quite common to fall for ticket scams on social media. So, one must avoid buying and selling tickets on social media sites as much as possible.

5. Opt for midweek events
Events scheduled for the middle of the week can often be cheaper than those conducted over the weekends. So, opting for midweek events can help one find affordable tickets and avoid the weekend peak.