More than half a million people stood in a virtual queue on Thursday to score tickets for Coldplay concerts in the Netherlands. Many fans missed the tickets, because the demand far outweighed the supply. This way you increase your chance of a ticket next time.
By our tech editorsIn the nineties it was still common to wait in line for a ticket with a sleeping bag and folding chair. Whoever got there first was first. Those who came later were allowed to sit in the back.
Nowadays, the purchase of a ticket mainly takes place online. Instead of a physical queue, fans now have to wait in a virtual queue. These four tips make it easier to get a ticket online.
1. Prepare well
With most sales channels it is necessary that you have created an account. Make sure you have done this in advance and that you are already logged in. This saves time.
In addition, it is useful to find out in advance which payment options are available. Although you can pay with iDEAL at most Dutch sales channels, some foreign points require a credit card.
In addition, make sure you have a good WiFi connection. You shouldn’t have to think about your internet going down, exactly when you have been allocated your tickets.
2. Use multiple devices
It is possible to use multiple PCs or smartphones. This also works if you are on the same WiFi network.
The best-known ticketing companies Ticketmaster and Eventim discourage this. “You are actually competing with yourself,” a Ticketmaster spokesperson said earlier. “This increases the pressure on our servers. If everyone does this, it doesn’t help the sales process in general.”
Using multiple web browsers can also help. For example, you can queue in Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari at the same time.
3. Don’t refresh the page
Banging the refresh button may seem tempting. But don’t do this. If you are in the queue, you should not refresh the page. If you do, you will end up at the back of the queue at many ticket sellers. As a result, you just have to wait longer and maybe miss the tickets.
4. Don’t give up too soon
When you receive the message that there are no more tickets available, do not click away from the page. Sometimes tickets still become available because other people did not go through the ordering process properly. For example, it may be that the payment has failed at someone else.
