A concert presale code is a password or link that lets you buy tickets before the general public can. Most come from an artist's email list, a fan club, a venue, a credit card issuer or a streaming service, and each one works only for the sale it was made for. Below you'll find where codes come from, how to enter one, why it might fail, and what to do if the show sells out before you get through.
TL;DR
- A presale gives you early access to tickets. Depending on the presale, you may need to sign up or enter a code.
- The most dependable sources are the artist's email list, the venue newsletter, your Favorites on the ticketing app, a fan club, and a card or phone-carrier perk you already have.
- A code is not a ticket. Presale codes do not guarantee tickets, so have a backup plan.
- Only trust codes that come from the artist, venue, fan club or ticketing company. Fake codes are a known scam.
Table of Contents
- What a presale code actually is
- Presale vs. general sale
- How to get a presale code
- How to enter a presale code
- Why your presale code might not work
- Spotting fake presale codes and sketchy sources
- Our perspective
- If you miss the presale
- Find tickets after the presale
- A simple presale plan for any tour
- FAQ
- Sources
What a presale code actually is
Think of a presale code as a key to a side door. Tickets for a tour are released in stages. The first stages are limited to specific groups: fan club members, cardholders, subscribers, people who signed up for an email list. Each group gets its own code or its own unlock method. When the stage opens, you enter the code on the ticket page and the seats appear.
Codes come in a few forms:
- A word or phrase that is shared with a group, such as everyone on a fan club list.
- A unique code tied to you, often sent by email after you register.
- No code at all. Some programs unlock automatically when you are signed in to the right account.
Not every show has a presale. Ticketmaster notes that not all events have presales or offers, so a code that someone is promising for a small show may simply not exist.
Presale vs. general sale
The difference is who can buy and when. During a presale, access is limited to people with the code or membership. The general sale is open to everyone. Ticketmaster says general sales require an account with the ticketing company and usually begin a day after presales conclude.
| Presale | General sale | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can buy | People with a code, membership or invitation | Anyone with an account |
| When | Before the public on-sale, often days earlier | Usually the day after presales end |
| Seat choice | Fullest inventory, picked over quickly | Whatever is left |
| Competition | Smaller crowd, but often still large for popular acts | Everyone at once |
| Cost to access | Free to join in most cases, sometimes tied to a card or paid membership | None |
Presales also have a business reason behind them. Third-party presales are often paired with tour sponsorships, which the artist team can use to offset touring costs and help keep ticket prices lower. That is why you see credit card and phone-carrier presales on big tours.
How to get a presale code
There is no single master list, and anyone claiming one deserves a second look. Codes are distributed through specific channels, so your job is to be in the right channels before the announcement. Here are the ones that matter, roughly from most to least reliable.
Join the artist's list and the venue's list
The simplest method is also the one that works most often. Sign up for the artist's email list and the newsletter of the venues near you before tickets go on sale. Many fan club and venue presales send the code only by email, often shortly before the sale starts.
Use an email address you check daily, and look in spam and promotions folders on the morning of the sale.
Use your Favorites and account activity
For presales where codes or passwords are emailed, you may be chosen based on artists you've added to your Favorites, past shopping behavior, or past interest in a sale. So open your ticketing app, follow the artists you want to see, and keep location settings and notifications on.
Check the card, carrier and streaming perks you already have
Ticketmaster lists several access routes: artist sign-ups, Favorites, Live Nation All Access, Cash App Cash Card, Citibank or Chase cards, T-Mobile or Verizon offers, and Spotify. A few details save frustration:
- The Cash App card must be active and have a balance that covers the purchase.
- Card presales usually require paying with that card.
- Streaming presales tend to reward people who listen to the artist, so your listening history can matter.
Live Nation All Access
For Live Nation Presales on Ticketmaster.com, All Access members don't need a code, as long as they are signed in with the same email they used to join. For presales on other ticketing sites, the codes appear on the livenation.com and Live Nation App show pages when the presale starts.
Artist-run fan clubs
Big tours often run their own presale through the artist's site. Metallica's help page explains that the usual process is a code from your profile, usually good for one use, and that you buy through a dedicated presale link rather than on the band's own site. Other artists follow similar rules, so read the fan club FAQ before the sale, not during it.
Third-party presales
For an artist presale ticketed by a company other than Ticketmaster, a code may be needed and will be sent by an email reminder the night before the presale begins. If you signed up and nothing arrives, that is the moment to check the artist's official social accounts and website, not a random code-sharing page.
How to enter a presale code
The steps differ by platform, but the Ticketmaster flow is the one most US fans will meet. Per Ticketmaster's help page:
- Sign in to your account.
- Select the event.
- Go to ticket search and select Unlock next to Filters.
- Enter the code to see the available seats.
- Select your tickets and continue to checkout.
If there is a queue, you may need to wait in it first and provide the code once it's time to shop.
Live Nation All Access members follow a different path. Sign in on Livenation.com or the app, search the event, tap Buy Tickets, and when the box of presale options appears, don't try to enter a password: tap OK, then find the Live Nation Presale box and select View Offers.
A short checklist for sale morning
- Sign in 15 minutes early and confirm your payment details are saved.
- Keep the code in a notes app so you can copy it exactly.
- Know your ideal section and a backup section.
- Use one device and one browser tab. Extra tabs rarely help and can cause errors.
- Know the ticket limit for the event before you start.
Why your presale code might not work
Most failures are small and fixable.
Typing errors and case. Fan club presale codes are case sensitive. Enter it exactly as provided, and if it is still reported as incorrect, contact the fan club. Copying and pasting can bring along a trailing space, so check for that.
Ticket limit. Check that you typed the code exactly as in your email and that you haven't exceeded the ticket limit.
One-time use. Many unique codes work once. If a page timed out mid-purchase, the code may be spent.
Wrong sale or wrong time. A code for one presale won't open another, and it won't work before the start time listed in your email.
It sold out. A valid code can still lead to nothing. Tickets may have sold out by the time you reach the seat map.
Getting better seats once you're in
Don't panic if the first search shows nothing in your section. Miranda Lambert's fan club advises that continuing to search in your preferred section gives the best chance, because availability changes often in the first hour or more as people add and remove tickets from their carts. Refresh the seat search patiently rather than settling for the first thing you see.
If you're deciding between standing and seated areas for a show, our guide to pit versus floor seats covers what to expect from each.
Spotting fake presale codes and sketchy sources
Presale hype creates an opening for scammers. The Better Business Bureau warns that some fraudulent resellers may provide phony ticket codes for legitimate ticketing websites. It also describes speculative ticketing, selling tickets the reseller doesn't have yet and may never have, ahead of an on-sale date.
A few habits protect you:
- Start from the official source. Reach the sale through the artist's, venue's or fan club's own page, or the named ticketing partner. Check the domain, the official event page, and that the presale logic fits the stated access type.
- Be wary of ads and social posts. The FTC's warning says scammers use search ads and social media to send buyers to fake ticket sites.
- Look for HTTPS and a lock symbol, and pay with a credit card. The BBB advises secure sites and payment methods that come with protection.
- Skip social media bargains. For festivals, the BBB says to buy only from official or verified sellers, skip social media deals and use a credit card.
- Never pay for a code from a stranger. A real code comes from an official channel for free or as part of a program you joined.
For a broader checklist, see our guide to the most reliable ticket sites.
Our perspective
Presales reward the people who plan ahead, and most fans who miss one did everything right and still lost to the clock. Popular shows can sell out in minutes, and AXS notes that access to a presale does not guarantee tickets.
That is why we think of resale as the second door. When a show is gone from the box office, a resale marketplace lets fans buy from other fans and sellers, and it can be the difference between watching the concert on someone's phone and being in the room.
Our promise to buyers is a 100% money-back guarantee: tickets should arrive before the event and be valid for entry. We built that guarantee for the moment right after a sellout, when buyers worry most about authenticity and delivery. Resale prices are set by sellers and can run above face value on high-demand shows, so we encourage buyers to check the full price, including fees, before checkout. Our guide to ticket fees walks through what you pay and why.
Capital
If you miss the presale
Missing a presale is not the end. A few things to try, in order:
- Try the general sale. Not everyone with a code buys, and carts expire. Inventory can reappear.
- Check again in the days after. Held seats and returned tickets are often released later. Our piece on getting sold-out tickets lays out what works before and after a sellout.
- Look at resale. Resale listings come from other ticket holders, and you can compare sections and prices at your own pace. If you're curious how it works behind the scenes, read how ticket resale works.
- Watch prices as the date nears. Whether they drop depends on the event, and we've covered it in last-minute ticket prices.
Find tickets after the presale
If the presale passed you by, we can help. Nashville Ticket Brokers is a resale marketplace for concerts, sports and theater, with listings across seating levels and delivery options. Every order is covered by our 100% money-back guarantee: your tickets should arrive before the event and be valid for entry. Browse concert tickets or head to our country music and pop and rock pages.
Sports fans can also look through UFC, NBA and NFL events, and our verified resale tickets guide explains what the guarantee covers.
A simple presale plan for any tour
You don't need a list of codes. You need a routine, and you can run it each time a tour is announced.
Before the announcement. Follow the artist in your ticketing app, join their email list and fan club, and add your local venues' newsletters. Check whether your credit card, phone carrier or streaming service offers presales. If you want Live Nation shows, think about All Access membership.
On announcement day. Read the tour page for the full presale schedule. Many tours stack several presales, so you may have more than one chance. Note which one you qualify for and its start time in your own time zone.
The night before. Look for the code email, save the code, and confirm you're signed in. Decide on your section, your backup section and your budget.
During the sale. Unlock, search, and keep searching. Check out quickly and don't share your code in public posts, since many are single-use.
After the sale. If you got tickets, keep the confirmation and use the official transfer method. If you didn't, move to the options above.
FAQ
What is a presale code?
It's a password or unique string that grants early access to buy tickets before the general sale. It's issued through a channel such as an artist email list, fan club, venue, credit card issuer or streaming service. You enter it on the ticket page to unlock the sale.
How do I get presale codes?
Sign up for the artist's and venue's email lists, add the artist to your Favorites, and check card, carrier and streaming perks. Codes for artist, venue and credit card presales are distributed through those channels and aren't decided by Ticketmaster. Start from the official tour page.
Why won't my presale code work?
The usual causes are a typo, a capitalization mismatch, a stray space, an exceeded ticket limit or a code that was already used. Retype it exactly as written. If it still fails, contact the fan club or the presale organizer.
Does a presale code guarantee tickets?
No. A code only gets you in line early, and popular shows can sell out during the presale. If that happens, you can check the general sale, look again closer to the date, or browse resale listings.
Are presale codes from social media safe?
Treat them with caution. Scammers use social posts and ads to spread fake codes and fake ticket sites. Use only codes from the artist, venue, fan club or ticketing company, and pay with a credit card.
Sources
- How do presales work? – Ticketmaster Help
- Where do I get a presale or offer code? – Ticketmaster Help
- How Ticket Presales Work – Ticketmaster Blog
- How do I unlock access to Live Nation Presales? – Live Nation Help
- Purchase Presale – Metallica.com
- Presale FAQ – Miranda Lambert
- What is a Pre-sale? – AXS Help Center
- BBB Tip: What to know about buying tickets from an online reseller
- Verify Presale Ticket Links Before Buying Online – Daily Genius
- BBB urges caution as 2026 concerts and baseball season near – Rockford Register Star
- BBB: Don't fall for Scamapalooza schemes – Audacy