What a Ticketmaster or Live Nation charge means

Match the order, not just the band name

Find the confirmation email or the order in your Ticketmaster account. Compare the date, the last digits of the card if they show, and the total. The total is larger than the price printed on the ticket because of fees. A second charge can be parking, insurance, or a hotel package. Those are add ons, not a second copy of the same ticket, until you compare the order numbers. Two posted amounts for one order are a different problem, on charged twice.

Ticketmaster's help page on prices says the price you see up front is the price you pay, generally before taxes, and that it covers the face value and the required fees. You can still open a breakdown. The event organizer sets the face value. Ticketmaster does not set that face value. The purchase policy says the same thing: Ticketmaster sells tickets for event organizers and does not set the prices or the seats. Resale tickets on the site can be far above the face value, and the price can change until the order is confirmed.

What the fees are

The purchase policy says tickets are typically subject to a service fee per ticket and an order processing fee per order. The delivery fee and the order processing fee may be more than Ticketmaster's cost, and they may include a profit. Resale tickets typically have the same two fees. Tax may be shown on its own or folded into the service fee. A shipping fee depends on the delivery method and the address.

The price help page splits the required fees. A service fee is generally negotiated and shared. Venues use their share for staff and operations. Ticketmaster uses its share for technology, support, and scanners, and the fee also typically includes card processing. A facility charge is set by the venue. Ticketmaster says it does not keep any of the facility charge. A delivery fee is charged only if you pick a method such as mail or a courier. Taxes are added from the event location, and in some states the tax is already inside the upfront price.

This guide does not print a sample statement line such as a short code. Ticketmaster's pages opened here do not print the letters a bank puts on a card. Match the company name you see to the order. A Live Nation event that you bought on Ticketmaster is still that Ticketmaster order. If the statement says Live Nation and you also have a Ticketmaster order for the same show, compare the amounts before you treat them as two purchases.

Refunds

The purchase policy says all sales are final. Refunds are allowed only in the limited cases in that policy, including the section on canceled, postponed, rescheduled, and moved events. Event organizers generally do not allow an exchange or a refund after you buy, or for a ticket that is lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed. If the event is eligible and Ticketmaster has received the funds from the organizer, the refund is the ticket price you paid, any service fees, and add ons such as parking. Expedited shipping, merchandise, and fan club membership fees are not refunded. The refund goes back to the original card. Ticketmaster cannot send it to a different card. If the card number changed on the same account, the policy tells you to contact customer service.

A hotel package is a separate Ticketmaster help topic. Ticketmaster charges the card for the package. There is no extra reservation fee for the hotel portion. Taxes and fees are usually in the total, and a pay at property fee can still be due at the hotel. That hotel charge is not the ticket fee. Read the confirmation. A refund of a ticket is not a promise that a hotel cancellation is free. The hotel's own deadline is in the hotel email.

Asking the card issuer to remove a charge you authorized is a dispute, and the purchase policy is the merchant's rule. The US steps are on how to dispute a charge in the US. The Canadian steps are on how to dispute a charge in Canada. Upload the statement on Expenvo. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo groups the same merchant when a similar amount shows up again about a week, a month, or a year apart, and it lists a line that already says membership or subscription. You can also mark a name yourself. It does not cancel the plan, and it does not count the charge as savings. One month can miss a yearly renewal. The longer checklist is find subscriptions from a statement.

Questions

Why is the charge higher than the ticket price?

Ticketmaster says the upfront price includes the face value and required fees, generally before taxes. A service fee is per ticket. An order processing fee is per order. A delivery fee is extra only if you choose mail or a courier.

Can I get a refund because I changed my mind?

Ticketmaster says sales are final. A refund is for the limited cases in the purchase policy, such as an eligible canceled event, and only after Ticketmaster receives the funds from the organizer.

Does Ticketmaster set the face value?

No. Ticketmaster says the event organizer sets the face value. Ticketmaster sells the ticket and adds the fees described on its price page.

Sources

• Ticketmaster: how ticket prices and fees are determined
• Ticketmaster purchase policy
• Ticketmaster hotel package payments

Related guides

• Unknown charge on a statement
• Charged twice
• Dispute a charge in the US