How to buy club and festival tickets safely

By Chris Pollitt · Updated 8 November 2026

Ticket scams are common, especially for sold-out nights and festivals. People lose money every weekend buying tickets that don’t exist or have already been sold to someone else. A few simple rules will keep you safe.

Buy from the official seller

The safest way is to buy from the seller the event itself links to. Check the promoter’s or venue’s own website or social media pages to see who is selling. On OnTheSesh, the ticket link on each event goes to the official seller where we know it.

Well-known UK sellers include Skiddle, Ticketmaster, See Tickets, DICE, Resident Advisor and Fatsoma. Some promoters sell through their own sites too.

How to pay

Pay by credit card if you can. Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, your card provider can be jointly liable if something goes wrong on a purchase over £100. For cheaper tickets, or if you pay by debit card, you can ask your bank for a chargeback.

Never pay by bank transfer to someone you don’t know. Don’t use PayPal “friends and family” with a stranger either, because you lose PayPal’s buyer protection. These are the payment methods scammers ask for, because you can’t get your money back.

If it’s sold out

Sold out doesn’t always mean gone. Many sellers have official resale or waiting lists, where tickets go back on sale at face value when someone can’t go. Ticketmaster has its own fan-to-fan resale, DICE has a waiting list, and sites like Twickets let fans sell at no more than face value.

Keep checking the official seller close to the date, as returns often come up in the last few days.

Buying from social media

This is where most people get caught out. Fake sellers post in event pages, comment sections and group chats with “spare tickets”. Common tricks include:

• Screenshots of tickets, which can be sold to many people at once
• Asking for payment by bank transfer only
• Pressure to pay quickly before “someone else takes it”
• New or hacked profiles with few real posts
• Prices well below face value for a sold-out event

If you do buy from a person, use the official resale or transfer system where the ticket is reissued in your name. If the seller won’t do that, walk away.

If you’ve been scammed

Contact your bank straight away. Report it to Action Fraud (or Police Scotland if you’re in Scotland), and report the seller’s profile to the social media site. Tell the event too, as they may be able to cancel the fake ticket.

Ready to buy? Find nights and tickets for this weekend or the UK festival list.