An Insider’s Guide To Getting Ed Sheeran 2019 Tickets
– on sale tomorrow
With tickets for the Ed Sheeran 2019 tour going on sale tomorrow (Thursday 27 September at 10:00am), how do you get your hands on the hottest tickets in town without falling foul of the touts?
Gigantic, one of the approved ticket sellers for Ed Sheeran, is working together with his promoters DHP Family and Kilimanjaro and other ticket companies to put measures in place aimed at combating unethical secondary ticketing and resale.
It will be the first time the industry has joined together on such a scale to come up with a co-ordinated way of selling tickets to keep them in the hands of fans and away from the touts with measures including going completely paperless and offering face value fan resale.
With tickets for Ed Sheeran often selling out in minutes, the market is awash with sites advertising tickets at hugely inflated prices that also often come with a lot of hidden costs at booking, and then turn out to be invalid.
It’s an issue that affects everyone who has ever bought a ticket for a music gig or live show or popular sporting event. Where do you go to buy a ticket safely? How do you avoid getting ripped off? Is the ticket genuine?
In the wake of the industry’s concerted efforts to take on the touts, primary ticket seller Gigantic gives an insider’s guide for getting hold of Ed Sheeran tickets for his 2019 shows.
So how will it work?
Face value tickets will go on sale using a completely new paperless ticketing system with no tickets issued in advance. The payment card used to purchase tickets will need to be shown to secure admission to the show on the day. This can be a debit or credit card.
Once tickets have been purchased, a simple email confirmation will be sent as proof of purchase but importantly this is NOT a ticket.
Upon arrival at the show, fans need to present their original payment card, original email booking confirmation and a Government-issued photo ID such as a driving license or passport that matches the name on the payment card.
From 1 November, fans no longer able to go can resell their ticket via the original point of purchase using the ticket company’s official face-value resale channels.
All official ticket agent websites will be listed on tour advertising and at EdSheeran.com. Only buy tickets from the authorised websites, all of which sell from the same single allocation of tickets which include www.gigantic.com.
For tickets for other in demand shows, check out Gigantic’s handy tips below:
1 Look for the STAR
Get to know what ticketing websites are primary and secondary. STAR – the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers – is the self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticketing industry in the UK. All STAR members are primary agencies and abide to follow a code of practice: https://www.star.org.uk/all-members.
2 Subscribe and stay in the know
Once you’ve distinguished what sites are in fact primary ticket sellers, sign up to its mailing list. You’ll receive regular updates of what is going on sale in advance; can set reminders and have the best chance of getting tickets the moment they go on sale.
3 Research before you buy
The official website for the artist or event should always be your first port of call, as it will tell you when and where to get tickets from. The site will provide links to ticket agencies that have been allocated tickets directly from the event promoter. You can also check the artist or event’s social media channels for ticket links. Plus, don’t forget to check for any purchase restrictions that may be in place, i.e. the lead booker needs to attend and all arrive together.
4 Miss out? Don’t fret!
If tickets sell out then don’t fret. Quite often extra tickets are added for shows at a later date. By signing up to the venue’s and agency’s waiting lists, these additional tickets will become available and you’ll be notified.
5 Branch out
Consider your options. Is the artist you want to see performing elsewhere? How about a UK city break or weekend trip to Europe to see your favourite band? If you’re able to be flexible and the budget allows it then tickets might still be available in other locations.
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