After the absolute clusterfuck that was yesterday’s Taylor Swift Eras Tour pre-sale, it’s no surprise that so many of us feel like we need a goddamn cigarette today. Over eight hours of ‘lining up’ in Ticketek’s Lounge of Doom, many of us — myself included — left completely empty-handed.
So to increase our odds for tomorrow’s general sale, successful Swifties on TikTok, Reddit, and the general internet are sharing their hottest tips, tricks and wild conspiracy theories that helped them buy tickets.
Yeah, we’ve already gotten some pretty generic advice on how to buy tickets from Ticketek: check your payment details are up to date, visit the site 15 minutes before, don’t refresh your browser, blah blah blah.
But what about all of those rumours like having multiple tabs open? Or clearing your cache? Y’know, all that weird spooky-ooky shit that allegedly led people to bask in the glow that is Taylor Swift.
Ahead, we’ve rounded up the top tips and tricks for how to get Taylor Swift tickets — from Redditors and TikTokers who actually managed to nab tickets.
1. It’s pretty much all random
We spoke to a spokesperson at Ticketek, and they told us the queue doesn’t operate in numerical order. So, in other words, you’re not assigned a place in the queue based on when you joined it. It’s pretty much all a game of chance.
“The randomisation starts once the on-sale commences, so there is no advantage for fans to jump on hours before. We recommend that fans log on 15 minutes earlier just so they are ready once the on-sale kicks off,” they told us.
2. You don’t need to queue up ahead of time
As we said before, the queue isn’t really a queue. It’s more of a little chaotic party filled with 800,000 rabid Swifties, with a couple randomly being invited into the gates of heaven every couple of minutes.
As a result, you don’t need to join the queue ahead of time.
While Ticketek recommends jumping in about 15 minutes before, you’ll find solace in knowing you don’t need to have the page up and loaded overnight.
“Spending hours in the lounge before the sale opens won’t give you an advantage,” Reddit user u/Fibijean said.
3. The more tabs open, the better (maybe???)
This is a bit of a spicy one. There are some different schools of thought here.
Some theories are floating around that say that if you have multiple browsers open on the same Wi-Fi network might be marked as spammy and not be pushed through in fear that the person behind the screen is a bot or a scalper.
But we’ve seen plenty of conflicting stories from people who successfully bought tickets with a fuck tonne of tabs open on their computer, so that theory could be caput.
“I had five browsers open but only my second one went through,” Reddit user u/notakid1 continued.
4. If you must multi-tab, use different browsers
Similarly, TikToker Angela Ngo (@angelaa.ngo) had a full system when it came to the tabs game. Honestly, I’m impressed.
“Have tabs open on different browsers on multiple devices, just don’t log in,” they said.
This can include Safari, Chrome, Binge, and our old friend, Mozilla Firefox.
“Do not sleep on Firefox, because after five hours waiting on my mum’s computer, it was Firefox that got us through.”
5. Use the quickest device you’ve got
This one makes sense. If your browser and computer are laggy AF, it’ll definitely affect your ability to buy tickets, especially with that pesky timer ticking away in the background.
“Close any programs/apps open on your device that you won’t be needing to improve the device’s responsiveness,” Reddit user u/Fibijean said.
“Use the device you’re most comfortable on, the device that is most responsive, and has the best internet connection (use an ethernet cable if you have one and will be joining on a computer),” they continued.
“Lots of people were successful on mobile, but lots were successful on desktop too.”
6. Clear your cache
In that same vein, if you want to make sure your devices are running as fast as possible, clear your cache.
“Clear your cache and history on anything that’s gonna make your browser slow,” one half of the Two Broke Chicks podcast said.
As someone who tried out this theory during the pre-sale, I can unequivocally say that I did NOT get tickets. That said, it still might increase your chances of hitting ‘Order’ once you actually get out of that fkd lobby.
When you clear your cache, it’ll usually clear all the passwords you’ve had stored on your computer. So if you can’t remember your Ticketek logins or bank details off by heart, now’s a good time to write them down.
7. Use different Wi-Fi networks
This one has been doing the rounds recently. The tip says that you’ll want to separate your sessions under different IP networks so you aren’t flagged as spammy.
“If you are home, don’t use the same internet on all your devices as you’re on the same IP [network],” wrote one Twitter user.
“Log one device on your home Wi-Fi [and] log one device using your mobile phone provider.”
BRB, signing up to Telstra, Optus and Vodafone in order to have three different IP addresses.
Or, you know, you could just use a VPN.
8. If you manage to get through, buy whatever tickets you can see right away
“Don’t sit around looking for ideal tickets,” Reddit user u/notakid1 said. “At this point, get what you can.”
They also shared that if you manage to get through and need to change the dates, DO NOT press the back button. We’ve heard horror stories of people losing their place and timing out for pressing the back button.
Instead, just choose your date from the drop-down menu on the seat map page.
9. If it says allocation exhausted, keep spamming the submit button
If you manage to get through but all you’re met with is a warning sign that says allocation has been exhausted, do NOT heed those warnings.
“Don’t be disheartened and panicked, just keep spamming that ‘Next’ button.”
“You may get what I got which is the tickets refreshing and coming through.”
10. Watch out for bait comments
When we’re all hanging out in the lobby for hours on end, it’s easy to look to other people for some tips and tricks on how to buy tickets faster. But one Reddit user warns that some of these could actually be bait comments designed to purposely sabotage you.
“Be careful about bait comments, people are trying to get others to leave the queue by making dumb claims,” wrote one Reddit user.
“Tickets are not sold out unless Ticketek announces it officially. Do not refresh your browser.”
Of course, you’ll also want to follow this basic advice from Ticketek:
- Double-check that your Ticketek account and payment details are up to date.
- Know what performance and ticket category you’re after.
- Visit Ticketek at least 15 minutes before tickets go on sale.
- Whatever you do, DO NOT leave the Lounge page or refresh your browser.
- Keep an eye on the timer.
Happy Hunger Games babes! Can’t wait to cry!
