How the right credit cards got me face-value Taylor Swift tickets and a $900 hotel room for the night
Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" returns to the U.S. next month, and while I'm no Swiftie, I have a 9-year-old daughter who's a massive fan. I may not be able to belt out the lyrics to many of her songs, but I do have a ton of experience leveraging my travel credit cards and knowledge of points and miles to make memories with my family.
And recently, this allowed me to do something that previously seemed impossible: I snagged face-value tickets for one of her Miami shows and booked a $900-plus hotel room for the night of the concert with a free night certificate and 11,000 points.
Are you ready for it? Here's how I used the right combination of credit cards to make my daughter's wildest dreams come true.
Getting access to the presale
In early September, select cardholders of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card learned about an opportunity to potentially buy tickets to one of Taylor Swift's tour dates in October and November in Miami, New Orleans and Indianapolis. However, this was far from guaranteed. If you were targeted, there were still multiple steps to take.
First, you had to register using the unique code from Capital One, selecting up to three individual shows. Then, a limited number of registrants would be selected as "Venture X Verified Fans" for a specific show. Finally, if selected, you'd have a chance to join the queue to purchase tickets to said show — with no guarantee that seats would be left.
When I was given the opportunity to register as a Venture X cardholder, I took it, figuring the Miami venue was relatively close to my hometown of Fort Pierce, Florida. And just a couple of days later, I received word that I had been selected for my first pick of shows.
I verified that my Venture X was saved in my Ticketmaster account, and then I got ready to log in exactly 30 minutes before the presale started.
Grabbing tickets
When the designated window arrived, I fired up the site and was immediately placed in the waiting room. I then moved to the queue to buy tickets right at 1 p.m. — and I was immediately dismayed to learn that nearly 650 people were ahead of me.
I wasn't sure if this number was just for the one show or covered all nine, but I figured there would be slim pickings when I finally got through.
Boy, was I wrong.
After about 15 agonizing minutes, it was my turn, and I was surprised to see a relatively wide selection of tickets still available. I started to grab a couple in the 200 level (there was a two-ticket limit per person), but then I saw that some VIP packages were available in a lower section — and on the floor. Knowing how much it would mean to my daughter, I grabbed a pair in Row 12 and checked out, paying with my Venture X card (a presale requirement). At 1:19 p.m., the confirmation email arrived.
Of course, two tickets wouldn't help my wife join us, so I wondered if I could retrace my steps and get more tickets. I rejoined the queue (still logged in to my eligible Ticketmaster account) and was quickly directed to the seat map. While I couldn't get any more tickets in the same category as the first purchase, the system did allow me to purchase two additional tickets as part of a different VIP package. This meant my wife and a close friend of ours — also a massive fan — would be able to join us as well.
Booking a hotel
With tickets secured, the next step was finding a place to stay for the night of the concert, as I wasn't interested in a two-hour drive home afterward. Not surprisingly, rates in the area were very high, with base-level rooms starting at $600 — and climbing quickly from there.
Thankfully, I remembered I had an unused 35,000-point certificate in my Marriott account, which I received earlier this year after renewing my Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. And a Residence Inn just a short drive away from the stadium was available for 46,000 points — or $903 if I was paying cash.
I jumped at the chance and applied the certificate — topped up with 11,000 points from my Marriott Bonvoy account balance — and just like that, we were confirmed.
It's far from the most luxurious use of a free night certificate, but it sure beats paying over $900!
The Bonvoy Business Amex's annual fee is just $125 (see rates and fees), so this was a fantastic use of the card's annual perk.
Read more: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Business worth the annual fee?
Bottom line
I had long ago given up on the opportunity to see Taylor Swift on the final leg of "The Eras Tour," as resale tickets are well outside my price range. However, all that changed when I was given the chance to purchase them via the recent Capital One presale. Even better? I was able to use a Marriott free night certificate to cover almost the entire hotel stay.
All of this was possible by having the right credit cards.
Now, I've had both of these cards for years, and snagging Taylor Swift tickets wasn't even on my radar as a reason to keep them open. Nevertheless, it does show the power of having a diverse set of products in your wallet to jump on opportunities like this.
The best part is that I'll get to surprise my daughter with an incredible experience — and that, quite simply, is gorgeous.
For rates and fees of the Bonvoy Business Amex, click here.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
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