It has been an intense day for Taylor Swift fans in the UK as the first batch of pre-sale tickets went on sale today.
Fans could not contain their excitement when Taylor Swift announced her Eras tour would be coming to the UK next year. Due to the incredible demand, more dates were soon shared.
General sale will start on July 17, but presale began today, Monday July 10, and is split over three days with each date having its own allotted time. If you pre-ordered Taylor's latest album Midnights from her official store, you should have received a presale code by email between Thursday, July 6 and Friday, July 7.
READ MORE: Taylor Swift UK 2024 Eras tour tickets being sold for up to £2,500 on Viagogo
Here's what we learnt from day one of the pre-sale event:
You can join the waiting room early
People can enter the waiting room for their allotted time from 30 minutes before the sale. However, people were urged to only enter the queue if they were going to buy tickets to avoid complications.
Those entering a waiting room will be assigned a "random place" in the queue. The AXS website said: "When the waiting room opens, you will be assigned a random place in the queue alongside everyone else who also arrives."
However, before you enter the waiting room you need to already be logged in, only those who are logged in can go through to the queue.
Websites crash
Before the waiting rooms even opened, people trying to log into the Ticketmaster or AXS accounts online experienced some technical difficulties. Some fans attempting to log into their account on Ticketmaster were unable to do so as they had appeared to be "a bot". So give yourself plenty of time to log in before hand and follow the advice if you experience any troubles.
Taking to Twitter, Ticketmaster replied to concerned fans asking them to ensure their cookies were cleared and to use mobile W-Fi instead. They wrote: "Please clear your cache/cookies and ensure you aren't using any VPN software on your device/WiFi. If this doesn't help, please try using a different browser/device or using mobile data instead of WiFi."
The official selling page added: "ATTENTION: @taylorswift13 FANS If you're trying to access a presale please only use one device at a time. Close down all browsers/tabs, clear cookies & ensure you are following the correct presale link sent via email."
For some people accessing the AXS website, there was a slight delay. AXS said on social media: "Due to phenomenal demand, our website is currently working through load restrictions. We are actively working to resolve the problem and appreciate your patience. Stay tuned for updates, and we'll have the tickets available for purchase as soon as possible."
Number of people in front of you
Many people reported seeing tens of thousands of people before them in the queue on Ticketmaster. However, those on the AXS website were unable to see how many were before them.
All people could see was a bar predicting how long their queue wait would be, however, it is important to note that the number of tickets available is not yet known, so knowing your place in the queue is not a definitive help.
You could be kicked off the website
Despite waiting in a queue and getting their hands on some tickets, some frustrated fans reported being "kicked off" both the Ticketmaster website and the AXS website just before they were about to pay. Some people were even booted off to the back of the queue as soon as they neared the front.
Top advice includes not having too many browsers open, using only one device, making sure you are signed in to your account and do not refresh the page.
@GavNewlandsSNP said on Twitter: "That was great @TicketmasterUK, got in to buy #TaylorSwift tickets for my daughter, a massive massive fan, and just as I got in, you kicked me out with an error. Now back in queue at 18,000 odd, with no chance of a ticket. Super. #presale #TaylorSwiftErasTour."
Fans on the AXS website have also reported a failure when it came to paying for tickets. AXS has responded to some concerned fans as they said: "When completing your ticket purchase, stay within one browser window on one device only.
"Opening multiple windows or tabs to purchase tickets may result in errors. Do not refresh the page during this time."
Ticket prices vary
Although the official prices have not been released, many fans have already taken to social media to share the prices of the tickets. Tickets were ranging from around £58 to £662 depending in your budget.
Seated tickets appeared to be ranging from £58 to £194 and General admission standing was priced at around £110. A variety of VIP packages were also available to buy which included a seated ticket. These differed in price, the most expensive being the It's Been A Long Time Coming package at around £662.
Be aware of scams
People have hit out at prices as some people rush to re-sell their tickets. However, people should be aware of potential scams.
With millions expected to turn to resale sites to buy their tickets, they could become prime targets for scammers. The experts at Scams.info have provided some helpful tips on how to detect a scam to ensure you don’t fall for one. Top tips include:
- Pay attention to the payment method
- Demand current photos of the product
- Look out for extremely low-priced products
- Check the seller’s profile
- Decline overpayments if you’re the seller
You can read more here.
Tickets sell out fast
In less than an hour, tickets were reportedly "sold out" during the pre-sales. It is not known exactly how many tickets are on offer for the number of people with codes, however it was already confirmed that those with a code will not automatically get a ticket.
Tickets can be 'cancelled without notice'
Ticketmaster has warned fans that attempting to buy more than four tickets using multiple accounts could have 'any or all' of their order cancelled without notice. One fan asked if they buy four, but another family member from the same address buys four tickets would they be cancelled.
Ticketmaster replied: "Persons who exceed the ticket limit may have any or all of their orders and tickets cancelled without notice by Ticketmaster at its discretion. This includes orders associated with the same name, e-mail address, billing address, credit card number or other information."
Using the pre-sale code again
There was much confusion as to whether you could use the same pre-sale code again across different dates. You can only buy four tickets per customer, but questions were asked if it was a "one use only" code.
One person asked: "hi there if I buy 2 tickets with my presale code can i then buy 2 more for a different date?? I’ve seen people successfully do this but can you please confirm this is okay to do!"
AXS confirmed to one Twitter user that you can buy up to four tickets across different dates as they shared the Universal Music Group website which states: "Codes are redeemable across all dates and times of the pre-sale until a successful purchase of tickets has been made for a maximum of 4 tickets.
"If you were unsuccessful in securing tickets in one pre-sale window, your pre-sale code can be used for access to another pre-sale date and time until a successful purchase of tickets has been made. Attempts to use the code after the maximum purchase limit has been reached will be unsuccessful."
However, Ticketmaster confirmed to one fan: "Once the code has been used to complete a purchase, it can't then be used again."
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