In recent years, there has been a rise in the use of mobile tickets and contactless ticketing for events like concerts, sports games, theater shows, and more. With digital tickets linked to mobile devices or digital wallets, some concertgoers and ticket holders have looked into options for reselling these non-transferrable tickets. This raises the question – is it possible for people to resell wireless tickets, even if resale is prohibited by the issuer?
The Non-Transferrable Nature of Mobile Tickets
Mobile tickets and wireless tickets are designed to be non-transferrable. When you purchase a mobile ticket, the barcode or QR code is tied specifically to your device and account. This is done for security purposes and to cut down on scalping. Event organizers and ticket issuers do not want tickets being resold at inflated prices or used fraudulently. Some of the security features of mobile tickets include:
- Tickets are tied to a specific mobile device, with the barcode changing if transferred to another device.
- Photo ID or card used to purchase the tickets may be required to be shown along with the mobile ticket at the venue for entry.
- Limits on the number of tickets that can be purchased per person.
- Tickets may have the purchaser’s name printed directly on them.
These measures are intended to make mobile tickets non-transferrable and to prevent unauthorized resale. The terms and conditions for most mobile ticketing explicitly state that tickets cannot be resold or transferred.
Methods People Use to Resell Wireless Tickets
Despite the non-transferrable design of mobile ticketing, some concert and event goers still attempt to resell their wireless tickets. Some of the methods include:
Screenshotting the Ticket Barcode
One way people try to get around the restrictions is by screenshotting or photocopying the ticket barcode and sending it to the ticket buyer. This can allow the buyer to present the barcode on their own mobile device to gain entry. However, this method is risky as many venues require photo ID or the purchaser’s credit card for entry along with the mobile ticket.
Using Ticket Resale Platforms
Some people attempt to list and sell their wireless tickets on secondary ticket marketplaces like Stubhub, VividSeats and more. These platforms generally do not allow resale of mobile tickets, but sellers find ways around this such as listing just the ticket details and completing the transfer separately. This method is also risky as buyers are not guaranteed valid tickets.
Transferring Device Access
In some cases, ticket holders give temporary access to their online accounts or mobile devices containing the tickets to buyers so they can access the tickets directly. This requires a great deal of trust and coordination. It also violates the terms of service for most ticketing apps and digital wallets.
Jailbreaking Ticketing Apps
There are techniques that involve hacking into the APIs or jailbreaking the ticketing apps that temporarily remove restrictions, allowing tickets to be transferred or copied before restrictions are re-enabled. However, this requires technical expertise and tools.
Challenges and Risks of Reselling Wireless Tickets
While some people attempt to resell mobile tickets through these methods, there are significant challenges and risks involved:
Invalid Tickets
Since mobile tickets are meant to be non-transferrable, there is a high likelihood that tickets sold through unauthorized resale channels will be invalid and not allow entry. Either the barcode will no longer work, or photo ID/card verification will fail.
Scams
Due to the risk of invalid tickets, mobile ticket resale creates opportunities for scams. Sellers can screenshot tickets already sold to other buyers and sell them multiple times over. Buyers may end up with tickets that have already been scanned at the venue.
Lack of Buyer Protections
When buying resold wireless tickets on the secondary market, buyers lose out on fraud protections offered by authorized ticket sellers. They have little recourse if tickets end up being invalid or fake.
High Risk of Non-Entry
Between the possibility of invalid barcodes, lack of required matching ID, and violation of terms of service, buyers of resold wireless tickets face a very high risk of being denied entry at the door.
Bans from Venues & Ticket Sellers
Those who resell wireless tickets against policy may face consequences including bans on future ticket purchases from the ticketing company or entry to the venue. Their accounts may be flagged for investigation or cancellation.
Factors Driving Attempts to Resell
Despite these sizable risks, some concertgoers and ticket holders still attempt to resell their wireless tickets. What motivates this behavior?
Price Inflation
As with traditional paper tickets, rapid sellouts and high demand for hot shows or games drives up prices on the secondary market. When events sell out quickly, resellers see opportunities for profit by relisting scarce tickets at higher prices.
Changed Plans
Legitimate personal situations like changed travel plans, work conflicts, or illness can lead ticket holders to seek to recoup costs by reselling mobile tickets they can no longer use. However, they may turn to risky unauthorized resale methods since transfers are prohibited.
Lack of Understanding
Some ticket holders may simply not realize that wireless tickets are restricted from resale in most cases. Without reading the fine print, they mistakenly assume mobile tickets can be sold, just like paper tickets. However, they quickly find out transfers are disabled.
Technologically Savvy Sellers
A subset of tech-savvy sellers seeks to profit from finding ways around mobile ticket restrictions, through methods like jailbreaking apps, hacking APIs, or identifying loopholes. Their ability perpetuates an underground wireless ticket market.
Strategies to Combat Wireless Ticket Resale
Below are some strategies ticketing companies, concert promoters, and venues could implement to cut down on wireless ticket resale:
Improved Identity Verification
Rigorous identity checks when tickets are presented for entry reduce the risk of fake or copied barcodes being accepted. Requirements for matching photo ID, purchaser credit card, or other account details linked to tickets would limit unauthorized resale.
Clear Resale Policies
More prominently displaying resale restrictions during the ticket purchase process ensures buyers are aware of the consequences of attempting to resell mobile tickets. This may dissuade some from violating policies.
Enhanced Security Features
Continuing to advance mobile ticketing technology using cryptography, blockchain-based security, and biometrics like fingerprint or facial recognition where legal makes it increasingly difficult for sellers to hack, reproduce, or bypass anti-transfer measures.
Cancellation of Accounts
Aggressively enforcing terms of service by identifying, warning, and cancelling the accounts of bad actors who illegally resell wireless tickets serves as a deterrent to larger-scale abuse.
Limit Purchase Quantities
Capping the number of tickets that can be purchased per person helps reduce scalping opportunities. This makes large-scale resale of wireless tickets more difficult across multiple accounts.
The Future of Mobile Ticket Resale
As more venues and events adopt wireless ticketing as the default, unofficial resale markets will likely further develop but face growing challenges. While profit incentives remain, better security, verification, and enforcement make successfully reselling wireless tickets rare. Most buyers will be deterred by warnings and the high probability of denied entry. Still, a subset of technologically adept resellers may still exploit vulnerabilities until failproof mobile ticketing systems are developed, if ever. Audiences can expect a continual game of cat-and-mouse between ticket issuers trying to control unauthorized resale and bad actors motivated by profit.
Conclusion
In summary, while not technically permitted, some concertgoers and ticket holders still attempt to resell mobile tickets through various means including screenshotting barcodes, using resale platforms, transferring device access, and hacking ticketing apps. However, substantial risks to both buyers and sellers exist including invalid tickets, scamming, and lack of fraud protection or buyer guarantees. Venues and ticket issuers continue developing improved identity verification, security enhancements, and heightened policy enforcement to crack down on wireless ticket resale where prohibited. Still, profit incentives entice a subset to find ways around restrictions. Mobile ticketing’s non-transferrable design makes successfully reselling wireless tickets rare, but it has not completely halted the practice.