TicketCity review

TicketCity is a top choice for those on the hunt for a sold-out event, as it's good for resales.

TicketCity review
(Image: © TicketCity)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

TicketCity can’t compete with some other ticketing services, but it is a good place to compare ticket prices against other secondary dealers and worth checking if you’re struggling to get in to a sold-out event.

Pros

  • +

    A decent app

  • +

    Tickets bought outright

Cons

  • -

    Not the cheapest

  • -

    Outdated, basic website

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TicketCity has made it onto our list of both the best concert ticket sites and the best sport ticket sites. It's not the top choice, as it isn't the cheapest or the most slick but its ticket prices were lower than some competitors and it quite uniquely helps those selling tickets, by buying them from you outright. 

While the website could do with an overhaul when it comes to searching venue seating plans, the app is really easy to use on iPhone. This is a double win as it not only means easy ticket searching anywhere but you can also buy and have your e-ticket on your phone ready to take to the event. It's also really useful for searching event near to where you are – ideal if you're on a trip and want to catch a local gig or game.

TicketCity review: Usability

TicketCity has been around since 1990, when the business began as an over-the-phone venture. It transitioned to online sales in 1998. In that time, more than 1 million customers have bought more than 4 million tickets. The website looks slightly dated and a little cluttered, but despite its flaws, it has a ton of tickets to pick from.

Searching for tickets on TicketCity is easy with the free text search bar, or you can shop through loads of categories for sports, theater and concerts. When looking at tickets for any event, you can sort by number of tickets and price. Other sites offer more options, such as ‘best deal’ and location, so we found this a bit basic.  

TicketCity review - the sport section is pretty good

(Image credit: TicketCity)

The seating map is interactive and when you hover over a section it tells you how many tickets are left there and the range of prices. These then sort low to high when you click on your preferred section but you don’t get to see the specific location of the particular seats.

TicketCity also has an app which is a lot more modern-feeling than its website. It features local event suggestions and stores your e-tickets for you. You can also track the progress of your orders. It’s only available to iPhone and iPad users though, so keep that in mind before buying!

TicketCity review: Customer guarantee

Transactions are protected by VeriSign security, so you can feel safe sharing credit card information, and TicketCity uses 256-bit encryption to make sure your personal information is kept safe. Like all the other services we tested TicketCity promises a refund If your event is cancelled and not rescheduled and if your tickets do not arrive in time or are not valid you will receive replacement tickets or a full refund. 

The support team is available from 7am until midnight, meaning that you can contact them if you have any issues with your ticket on that same night via email support, live chat or their customer service number. There’s also a page for Spanish speakers, which is a nice touch.

TicketCity review: Buying tickets

From a buyer’s perspective, TicketCity’s prices weren’t too impressive. To test this, we compared the price of the cheapest tickets for three events: one sports game, one concert and one play, on all websites we evaluated. TicketCity’s prices weren’t the most expensive, but they also weren’t the cheapest. 

Fees for the sports fixture, like sites such as Coast to Coast, were as expensive than the tickets themselves. TicketCity charged $10 fees for the $10 tickets, as opposed to the $3 charged by Razorgator, or $5 by StubHub. We also found it a bit silly that it charges $7.50 for mobile delivery when sites such as Razorgator do this for free. 

TicketCity review - search works just fine

(Image credit: TicketCity)

Because TicketCity buys tickets from sellers and sell them to you directly, you may encounter less problems than if you use a service such as Ticket Liquidator which acts as a middleman connecting you directly to sellers who then send you tickets themselves. 

As we said though, ticket prices weren’t as outlandish as some other sites and there was a lot of options for tickets, so if you’re having trouble finding tickets for a sold-out event, you can do a lot worse than checking out TicketCity. It sells tickets to over 100,000 events every year, so there’s a good chance it's got what you’re looking for. 

TicketCity review: Selling tickets

One nice thing about TicketCity is the ticket resale system. Most websites let you post your tickets at your own asking price and take a cut of your profits. TicketCity buys your tickets directly from you, so there’s no waiting around to see if it will sell. All you do is submit an online form, or you can call the customer service line and do it over the phone. You can expect to hear from TicketCity within the same business day. 

You might get less for your ticket from this website than if you set your own price on another one, but it could be worth it if you need cash fast and a guaranteed ticket sale. This was quite a unique feature, so if this appeals to you then TicketCity is the place to go. 

TicketCity review: Fees and refunds

TicketCity buys from sellers directly before selling to you, meaning fewer potential issues – but it can mean higher fees. These vary from ticket to ticket but are on the higher side and you can also expect to pay a fee even for buying digital tickets. These can be as high as 25% and won't appear until you get to buying, but there are no hidden fees beyond that.

The refund policy is clear with a "100% buyer guarantee" for safety. If an event is cancelled you get a full refund on the ticket, including delivery charges. When COVID hit, for example, the company did refund all tickets.

Should you buy from TicketCity? 

TicketCity can’t compete with many of the best ticket services we reviewed, but it is a good place to compare ticket prices against other secondary dealers and worth checking if you’re struggling to get in to a sold-out event. 

There’s a decent amount of ticket availability and we found tickets to all three events we looked for in our testing process. It’s also a decent option if you’re looking to sell tickets, as it’ll make you an offer themselves as opposed to listing your tickets for buyers to purchase through them.  

Millie Fender
Head of Reviews

Millie Fender is Head of Reviews at Top Ten Reviews. She also works on our sister sites: Real Homes, Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens, and Livingetc. As Head of Reviews, Millie is on a mission to make sure that we are reviewing all of the latest and greatest products for you and your home, whether it's a vacuum cleaner or an inflatable hot tub.