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Daily Mirror

Entertainment

Amber O'Connor

'I bagged Taylor Swift tickets and here are my best tips - including queue myth'

Taylor Swift Courtney Pochin London AXS Ticketmaster Edinburgh Internet

"Are we out of the woods yet?" It's the question thousands of Swifties have been asking themselves this week, nervously peering through shaking fingers, as they wait to see if they've secured tickets for Taylor Swift's the Eras Tour.

One of the most hotly-anticipated ticket sales of our time, there are several rounds for UK fans. As anybody who has been on #SwiftTok will know, today marks the midway point of the Midnights pre-sale. But there are also three more days of general sales next week, each with numerous time slots.

It sounds daunting, right? But as someone who secured tickets in less than 15 minutes (albeit on my third attempt), I'm here to tell you there's hope.

Below, I've rounded up all the top tips I've scoured the internet to find and explained exactly how I bagged my seats - in the hope we'll be singing All Too Well together soon.

Are you ready for it?

The first step every advice list I've devoured in the past few weeks has agreed on is this: you need to be ready for the sale. If you're shopping in the pre-sale, you'll need your access code and Ticketmaster or AXS login at the ready. Better yet, copy your code so it is ready to paste at a moment's notice.

You might also need your payment card to hand. It is possible to add your details to your Ticketmaster account ahead of time, or if you're using AXS, your best option is to use Chrome as your browser and pre-load your card details there. (Although, I added my details on the day with AXS with no problems).

Then, half an hour before the sale starts, you'll have the option to join the waiting room. As far as I can tell, it doesn't matter when you join, as the ticket provider will automatically refresh your page once the sale begins and everyone will be randomly allocated a slot in the queue.

It took me three attempts to get tickets for London Wembley. The first two tries I joined the waiting room as soon as humanly possible, but sadly found tickets were sold out when I made it to the front of the queue. For my third attempt, I joined the waiting room with just five minutes to go, and fifteen minutes later I'd checked out my tickets. I also refreshed the page, but more on that soon.

Tolerate it

Swifties are divided over the best practice when it comes to the start of the sale. Some say it is best to refresh your page right before the clock strikes the hour, but others say it is best to let the ticket provider do its thing.

For instance, one Twitter user claimed: "BEST HACK FOR ERAS TOUR TICKETS: refresh in the waiting room on the minute tickets are supposed to go on sale it sends you straight in to choosing seats no queue, literally got the best seats cos of this." But another said: "Everyone who's been getting tickets today: Did you refresh in the waiting room a few seconds before the sale started? I've heard it was good to get you in the queue, but it threw me out the waiting room when I tried. But yesterday I did it and was 1500 in the queue…"

As for best practice, I wish I knew the answer, but I will say the one time I refreshed I found myself in a much better queue position, although that might not have been related to anything I clicked.

What everyone does agree on, however, is that you should NOT refresh the page once you've found yourself in the queue. On Ticketmaster, you'll be told how many people are waiting ahead of you. Try not to panic if the number looks frighteningly high, I've heard several success stories from fans who thought they were doomed. Or, if you're using AXS, like I did, you can track your progress using the blue chart that will appear on screen. Sometimes, it's agonisingly slow. You can read about my struggles with the system on the first day of pre-sales here. Unfortunately, you'll just have to tolerate it and hope for the best.

Delicate

"When completing your ticket purchase, please stay within one browser on one device only," AXS advises. "Opening multiple windows or tabs to purchase tickets may result in errors."

Once you're through to the website and ready to select your tickets, you'll also need to strike a delicate balance. If your search returns tickets you don't want, you can release them and search again. However, it's worth noting several fans have reported being booted out of the website for releasing tickets several times - meaning you'll be sent to the back of the queue. Courtney Pochin, the Mirror's Lifestyle Editor (and the biggest Swiftie I've ever met) believes you can only reserve tickets four times. Despite this, you also need to be...

Fearless

If you're not happy with your initial selection, do remember you can shop around within reason. As Courtney puts it: you can be picky but not too picky.

Ultimately, the best way to make sure you end up with tickets you're happy with is to check out the seating plan and prices ahead of time - so you know how much you're willing to pay for any given section or package.

Equally, it's worth planning ahead to see if there's most than one location you might be able to attend, as you can increase your chances by attempting to secure tickets for more than one show. Courtney and several fellow fans reported shorter queues for Edinburgh, compared to the London queue, for instance. What I'm saying is take inspiration from Taylor and be a mastermind.

And if, to your dismay, you're told there are no tickets available, be sure to keep refreshing your page before you give up. I've heard several fans had luck with this method.

So that's it folks. I hope all your wildest dreams come true, and if you've already secured tickets, be sure to share any tips and tricks that worked for you in the comment section below.