Here’s Everything You Need to Know About The Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange

Nowadays, it seems that two things are certain in life. Firstly, there will always be yet another tour announcement that will tempt you to hurl your money at. Secondly, as long as there is high demand for tickets to certain concerts, sporting matches and events, there will be ticket scalpers looking to rip you off. (Refer to the counterfeit “lafufu” trade cashing in on the Labubu trend for evidence that dodgy dealings are alive and well.)

This is why the growing popularity of Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange is so promising, especially with artists like folk rock legend Neil Young recently announcing that he’s opting in. Young is among other big-name musicians who’ve chosen to support the Australian-based ticketing company’s anti-scalper ticket transfer platform for their global tours, with others including Billie Eilish and the Foo Fighters.

So, what’s the go with Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange? And how can you use it to score tickets for a sold-out event, or offload tickets that you can no longer use? Here’s everything you need to know.

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Image Credit: Getty Images

What Is Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange?

Face Value Exchange is a service from Ticketmaster that gives customers the option to re-sell tickets for sold-out events for the same price that they paid for the ticket. Headline artists can choose whether to opt in for Face Value Exchange, and as Ticketmaster explains “it was developed to provide artists with a way to minimize scalping and get tickets to fans at the price they set”.

Basically, if you can no longer make it to a certain show, you can make back your money while making another fan’s day. And if you missed out on scoring tickets to see your favourite musician, Face Value Exchange is a secure way for you to purchase real secondary tickets without an insane price mark-up.

Why Is Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange A Good Thing?

Broadly speaking, everything is getting more expensive, and concert tickets are no exception. It gets even more costly when, added to the mix, are “dynamic pricing” scales that have sent ticket prices soaring skyhigh for recent tours from popular artists like Oasis (the federal government did recently introduce rules to crackdown on dynamic pricing) and the scourge of advantageous ticket scalpers–people (and bots) who buy up tickets for events that are sure to sell-out, and re-sell them on the secondhand market at a big mark-up. (Not to mention, it can be difficult to verify whether the second-hand tickets people are buying on unverified platforms are even real.) 

The concert promotion industry has introduced a few measures that are helping to curb scalping and ticket scams, and Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange is one of them. It’s a safe and secure way to buy and sell secondhand tickets at cost price, without anyone getting ripped off.

Is The Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange Available For Every Concert?

In short, no. For starters, the event needs to be selling tickets through Ticketmaster in the first place (which does cover most major tours in Australia, to be fair). An artist also has to “opt in” or choose for their event to be part of the Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange. 

If the event is not part of Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange, you should be able to buy or sell unwanted tickets through a different secondhand marketplace; however, Face Value Exchange is arguably the most secure resale platform for both buyers and sellers, and doesn’t involve the large price markups that you’ll find on other platforms.

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How Do I List My Tickets For Sale On Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange?

If the event you’ve purchased tickets for is eligible for Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange (i.e. you bought them through Ticketmaster and the artist has opted in), it is easy to sell on tickets that you can no longer use. The platform is also free for all sellers. Just sign in to your Ticketmaster account on your mobile device, locate your order under ‘My Tickets’, select the ‘Sell’ button, choose whether you want to part with one or more tickets, and follow the steps to list your ticket/s. (Find a full step-by-step guide to re-selling your tickets on Ticketmaster’s help page.)

The listing is automatically set at the price you originally paid, and you will get an automatic notification when your ticket/s has been sold, and you can typically expect to receive the payment within seven business days after the event.

Can You Choose A Particular Person To Sell Your Tickets To Through Face Value Exchange?

Not exactly, no. Your tickets will be made available for sale on a first-come, first-served basis. However, you can directly share your ticket listing with people you know immediately after posting, Ticketmaster will generate a unique link for this.

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How Can I Buy Tickets Through Ticketmaster’s Face Value Exchange?

If an event is using Face Value Exchange, a pop-up info box will appear on the event page on Ticketmaster’s website that notifies you that you're purchasing Face Value Exchange tickets. From there, you can simply select available tickets, proceed with the purchase, and the digital ticket will be sent directly to your phone.

Image Credit: Tom Pallant

Is There a Cut-Off For When You Can Buy And Sell Tickets Through Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange?

Tickets can be listed up until one hour (60 minutes) after the event start time for eligible shows. But if you’re looking to sell your tickets, you’re better off listing them sooner rather than later, in order to find a buyer. 

If you are hoping to purchase tickets for an eligible event but you can’t see any for sale, your best option is to keep checking back on the event page–you never know when someone might have something come up and have to part with their tickets.

What Is The Difference Between Resale And Ticket Transfer On Ticketmaster?

If an event has been opted in for Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange, all tickets are mobile-only and exempt from transfer–which means that it is impossible to duplicate or transfer the ticket outside of the Ticketmaster resale marketplace. (And yes, a ticket transfer is a different thing–stick with us.) 

Generally, a “ticket transfer” refers to the option to send some or all of the tickets you have purchased to another person, which is handy in cases where your friends or family are arriving separately to the event, or you’re buying someone tickets as a surprise. This option does not involve an exchange of money/payment for the ticket. Whereas Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange involves listing your ticket/s for purchase.

Can I Get A Refund Instead Of Resale?

Just as not all events are eligible for Ticketmaster Face Value Exchange, not all events are eligible for refunds. Event organisers determine refund guidelines, not Ticketmaster, and refunds are generally only an option if an event has been cancelled or the event circumstances change. 

To check whether your tickets are eligible for refund, you can sign into your Ticketmaster account, locate your order under the ‘My Tickets’ section, and a ‘Request Refund’ button will appear if the event organiser is offering refunds.

Score tickets for the best in the biz by visiting Ticketmaster here.