Strategy for Ticketmaster Drops
(This guide is for Ticketmaster drops that do not require a code and are open to the general public. These public drops tend to start 1-2 days after the code sales, and lately seem to be most frequent the day of the show. Drops that require a code are generally more lax, just make sure to go to ticketmaster as soon as they send you a link/code and try to pick your tickets relatively fast as they will sell out at some point.)
(Update- Ticketmaster seems to be changing it up every week, likely in an attempt to slow down bot buying. Lately you have to select seats by clicking on stadium sections, at one point you had to click individual seats.
 |
| Ticketmaster Drop Seat Select On Stadium Map - Look for Sections Highlighted in Blue |
1. Follow https://twitter.com/erastourticks and turn on notifications to get alerted to ticketmaster drops (no code needed).
- Addendum: with the insane competition for tickets now, if you are trying to get a ticketmaster drop the day of the show, it is recommended to start refreshing the ticketmaster page the day of the show around noon so you can get in the queue before it is 15k+ people long. You can use an extension like this on chrome to automate the refresh process (I am not sure if it will ever get you flagged as a bot, I wouldn't refresh on shorter than a 5 second interval, and hand refreshing is preferable if possible):
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/easy-auto-refresh/aabcgdmkeabbnleenpncegpcngjpnjkc
 |
| Auto Refresh Extension |
Once the queue appears, you should deactivate the auto refresher (with a hotkey if possible) and enter the queue. Then get ready to buy once you are through the queue. Do not refresh while in the queue (although if you do, it doesn't seem to kick you out).
To see your exact position in the queue on a PC with google chrome, right click the webpage and select "View page source". Then control+F and search for "usersinline", that will take you to your exact position in the queue.
 |
| View Page Source |
 |
| Exact Position in Queue |
2. For best results, use ticketmaster on a browser (desktop or mobile) instead of the app, so you can refresh the page when you get through the queue if you don’t see any tickets. If you are on the mobile Ticketmaster app, you can only refresh if you get to the ticket quantity selection page.
You can use an auto refresh program on desktop but it is recommended to not go less than 5 seconds per refresh or ticketmaster may flag you as a bot. If you are flagged as a bot, I heard that you can just come back the next day or sometimes within a few mintues. I'm not sure what happens if you get flagged multiple times.
If you get to the ticket quantity selection page where you can choose 1-4 tickets, stay there and flip between 1 and 2 tickets. You can refresh this way as fast as you want without being flagged.
3. PC seems to be the fastest way to check out. Video linked above. If on mobile, use mobile safari + apple pay if you are on iphone.
PC : Use google chrome and a wired internet connection if possible. Have your credit card CVV code copy pasted. Turn your monitor sideways if possible so you don't have to scroll up and down (will need to change it to portrait mode in display settings on windows). If you can't turn your monitor you can try zooming out on your browser but this might make it a bit harder to click things quickly, as they will be small.
4. When a large drop happens, I have heard that selecting tickets listed in the middle of the available ones leads to the best chances, as other people commonly select the first tickets listed, or sometimes the last.
5. If you select tickets and get to the checkout page, click the "I agree to terms of use" checkbox while the rest of the checkout page loads
6. Click onto the CVV code box as soon as it loads and copy paste your CVV
7. Click "Place Order" ASAP
8. If order does not process because someone else checked out first (likely) you will be sent back to the ticket selection page. Keep trying with other tickets.
9. See Face Value page for a range of prices you can expect to see on Ticketmaster.
10. Most of the public TM drops are for single tickets or pairs of tickets. 3-4 seats together seems to be quite rare.
11. Ticketmaster will drop tickets after the show starts and even after Taylor comes on. These drops can have much less competition because resale sites do not allow sales after a certain point (around when Taylor comes on).
