How to Gift Concert Tickets — Without the Actual Tickets
The days of physical concert tickets are all but gone. Nowadays, most concert tickets are delivered online, and often, when purchased through a secondary resale marketplace, the tickets are not delivered immediately at purchase.
You bought tickets online as a gift for someone, and you got a confirmation email, but you don’t have the tickets yet. How do you still ensure the recipient has a special gift-opening moment? We’ve laid out the top creative options for gifting tickets you don’t have yet.
Top 6 Ways to Gift Tickets Without the Actual Tickets
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Use a Concert Ticket Gift Template
The best low-budget option for gifting your loved one concert tickets is to print out a ticket template that will stand in for the tickets. Then, you can place these ticket stand-ins in a gift box or place them in a card for your loved one to open. Rather than having to sift through a boring confirmation email, this gives your loved one an easily understandable and aesthetically pleasing physical representation of the tickets. Make sure your loved one knows these tickets are not a stand-in for the e-tickets themselves, which will be delivered to you or your loved one via email or standard shipping.
We’ve created a concert ticket gift template for your free usage. Just download this template, fill it out with all the event information, print it out, and wrap it up for your loved one.
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Hint With Merch
One of the easiest and most effective ways to give someone the gift-opening experience for something intangible, like electronic concert tickets, is to hint at the gift with a different gift. Purchase merch from the artist they’re going to see, ideally something like a t-shirt or hat they can wear to the concert, and wrap it up for them. When they open the gift, tell them about the concert, or have the ticket confirmation email already wrapped up inside the merch item. You’ll earn bonus points for giving them both tickets and merch for an artist they love.
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Say It With Cake
If your concert tickets are going to be a birthday present, this option works well. Tell the friend or family member you’re surprising with tickets that you’ll take care of getting the cake for their party. Then, have “Surprise, You’re Going to See [Artist]!” written on it. When it’s time to sing “Happy Birthday,” bring out the cake and surprise gift all in one. They’ll be shocked and delighted as they blow out the candles.
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Get a Celeb Cameo to Announce It
Celebrity Cameos make it possible to get video messages from your favorite celebs; they can be funny or sweet, depending on what you’re going for, and you can use them to tell your friend or family member that they’re getting concert tickets. Find a sport, reality TV, or comedy star that your loved one enjoys, and have them announce the concert. For less than $100, your loved one can get a memorable birthday message from someone they admire and find out about their concert tickets in a fun way.
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Gift a Calendar With the Date Marked Off
Find a calendar that would speak to your loved one—bonus points if it’s themed around the artist they’re going to see. Flip to the date of the concert, circle it with a big red marker, and write in the event details. If your friend is disappointed about receiving a calendar at first, their disappointment will be short-lived after realizing they’re going to see one of their favorite artists live.
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Use Photoshop for a Funny Photo Announcement
If you’re skilled at photo editing, use Photoshop or a photo editor of your choice to crop you and your loved one into a picture with the artist or band you’re seeing. This photo can be as simple as you two smiling in front of the artist on stage or as absurd as you in a hot air balloon with the artist as they serenade you. Create an image meant to amuse, and when your loved one opens it up, give them the concert news to make their day.
How to Purchase & Deliver Gift Tickets
When buying tickets as a gift, first ensure the tickets you’re choosing are transferable. All tickets on our site are transferable, ideal for gifting. If you purchase non-transferable tickets as a gift, you’ll need to purchase them under the name of the person you’re buying them for, which can expose your gift. You’ll want to wait to purchase non-transferable tickets until you’ve announced the gift for this reason.
After purchasing tickets from our site as a gift, you will receive them in your email inbox or via mail before the show. There can be a delay between purchase and receipt of the tickets. Once you have received them, you’ll transfer them to the gift recipient within the app where you accepted them, or simply hand-deliver them for physical tickets.
Understanding When Your Tickets Will Arrive
If you purchased your gift tickets from Event Tickets Center or another secondary ticket marketplace, you may not receive the tickets at purchase. We work with trusted sellers and oversee the transaction to ensure the tickets are delivered on time. Check your email inbox, including the Spam folder, as the event approaches, to accept the tickets once they are available for transfer.
Once you’ve received your tickets, you’ll be able to transfer them easily within the app where you accepted them.
For more information on receiving your tickets, explore our FAQ page.
