Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Presale ticket access to Taylor Swift's new tour kicks off on Tuesday, Nov. 15. But if you check your emails and don't receive confirmation of your Verified Fan presale access code for 10 a.m., there's still hope of getting presale tickets if you have the right credit card.
Taylor Swift announced her 2023 tour earlier this month after her newest album “Midnights” broke multiple records on Spotify and Billboard. “The Eras Tour” is a big moment for Taylor Swift fans — it’s her first tour since before the pandemic and the setlist will cover six albums total. She also has some fantastic supporting artists going on tour with her, including Paramore, HAIM and Phoebe Bridgers. A few fan-favorite songs have even been confirmed as part of the setlist, such as "All Too Well (10-Minute Version)."
Tickets to “The Eras Tour” won’t go on sale to the general public until Nov. 18, and many Swifties are worried about the probability of snagging a ticket outside of the Verified Fan presale through Ticketmaster. This is in part because ticket prices have been preannounced and prices are relatively affordable — tickets will start at just $49.
Luckily, you don’t need to be a mastermind to score tickets. Those who bought tickets for her “Lover Fest” tour (which had to be canceled during the pandemic) and those with Verified Fan presale access will receive earlier access to presale tickets starting at 10 a.m. local venue time on Tuesday. In addition, having the right credit card will still get you presale access starting at 2 p.m. local venue time on Nov. 16 thanks to Capital One Presale.
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What is the Capital One cardholder Taylor Swift presale?
Great news for all Capital One cardholders: If you have an eligible Capital One credit or debit card, you’ll have access to presale tickets starting Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. local venue time. A range of ticket options will be available during this presale (including premium options), and there is no selection process or special invite needed aside from your card.
All Capital One Visa or Mastercard credit or debit cardholders are eligible for this presale, but private label cards are not eligible.
Here are the steps for getting presale access with your Capital One card:
- On Nov. 16 just before 2 p.m. local venue time (or anytime throughout the presale window), head to this page and select the concert date and venue you want. That will send you to the Ticketmaster page, where tickets will go live promptly at 2 p.m. local venue time.
- When asked for the presale code, use the first six digits of your Capital One card.
- Depending on demand when you log in, you'll be put into a queue to wait for your turn to buy tickets. Do not refresh your page once you get to the queue page.
- You can select up to six tickets via this presale while supplies last (which means you’ll want to grab tickets as early as possible in case they sell out).
- Once you have your tickets, you must check out using your Capital One card.
What if you don’t have a Capital One credit card already? The terms and conditions on the landing page for “The Eras Tour” Capital One presale says, “The Capital One Cardholder Presale is for existing Capital One cardholders. New applicants that have recently applied and have yet to receive card information are not eligible if a new card is received post the Cardholder Pre-sale window or after presale tickets have sold out.”
Long story short, this, unfortunately, means that anyone who doesn't already have their Capital One card by now will be excluded from this presale.
However, if you're a regular concertgoer, it might be worth it to look into which cards could get you presale access to future events. For example, eligible American Express cardholders got presale access to Harry Styles "Love on Tour" earlier this year. You can check out our post on how your cards can help you unlock VIP events or learn which cards are best for entertainment purchases (such as concert tickets).
Tips for the Capital One Taylor Swift presale
If you've ever attempted to get highly-sought after concert tickets from Ticketmaster, you know it can feel a bit like the great war navigating the waiting room, queue and then ticket sale process. Having a Capital One credit card for access is only half the battle.
Here are some tips for snagging your tickets without a glitch:
Add your card to your Ticketmaster account in advance
Many people know all too well that almost nothing is worse than logging into a presale event, snagging a place early in the queue, selecting amazing tickets ... and then hitting an error message when trying to load your credit card information.
The best way to avoid this (while also saving time) is to log in early and add the Capital One card you plan to use to access the presale and pay for your tickets as the default payment method on your account. This way, you won't need to input your card details in the moment and Ticketmaster will have your details on file for a faster purchasing experience.
Sign in to Ticketmaster early
The Capital One presale starts at 2 p.m. local venue time (meaning if you live in L.A. and you want to snag concert tickets for Philidelphia, that presale will start at 11 a.m. PT), but you'll want to log into Ticketmaster and navigate to the ticket page at least 30 minutes in advance.
For the Verified Fan presale, participants are usually invited to a "waiting room" up to 30 minutes in advance of tickets going live, which then secures their place in line for the queue. While credit card presale access doesn't always follow that same process, being logged in early and keeping the page up and running while you wait will ensure you do get a spot in the waiting room if there is one.
And even if there isn't a waiting room with this presale, it'll make sure everything is good to go with your account and that you're ready to refresh into the queue as soon as the clock strikes 2 p.m. local venue time.
Check your Wi-Fi
A strong Wi-Fi connection is everything when trying to snag tickets during a competitive presale. The faster your device loads, the better your chances and securing and early slot in the queue and getting the best tickets possible. If you have a friend with stronger Wi-Fi than you, now is the time to ask to crash their couch during the presale event.
If you're on your phone, you might be tempted to forgo Wi-Fi altogether, but if you do have access to a strong Wi-Fi connection, it's better to use that over 4G or 5G service that may lag at an inopportune time.
Memorize your presale code and have your card nearby
Before you are able to buy tickets, Ticketmaster will ask for a "presale code." For this presale, that code is the first 6 digits of your Capital One credit card.
It's not a bad idea to memorize those digits ahead of time for easy entry, but you'll also want to have your card ready to go as you pull up tickets in case you forget the numbers or need to verify your CVV (that 3-digit number on the back of your card).
Consider going mobile
The Verified Fan presale emails recommended hopeful presale ticket buyers to use a deskop rather than the mobile app. However, there is anecdotal evidence that Ticketmaster prioritizes mobile app users over desktop users. While Ticketmaster hasn't confirmed this and there is no hard proof, it's worth considering using your phone instead of a desktop to snag tickets if there's a potential you'll get in faster.
On the other hand, if you have the Rakuten shopping portal plugin, Ticketmaster is often a vendor where you can get additional rewards when shopping through the portal. While I do have Rakuten, I'm personally choosing to prioritize speed over additional rewards — especially since I'll get 2 miles per dollar with my Venture X on my purchase.
Know when to refresh your page (and when not to)
This is a big one. Knowing when to hit refresh and when to have patience can be the difference between getting ticket access in minutes versus hours.
If you are asked to join a waiting room prior to presale access:
Once you are in a waiting room, that automatically puts you in line for the queue. On a desktop, you won't need to refresh your page right at 2 p.m. in order to be moved to the queue page. If you're on mobile, you will need to refresh your screen (don't exit out of the app, simply pull down on the screen for it to reload) for it to send you to the queue.
If there is not a waiting room ahead of tickets going live at 2 p.m. local venue time:
This is where it becomes a race to reload. If there is no waiting room, you're going to want to keep a very close eye on the clock (as in, find a clock with a seconds countdown) leading up to the 2 p.m. start time for the presale.
Starting around 10 seconds before the clock flips to 2 p.m. local venue time, start refreshing your page until you secure your spot in the queue.
Once you are in the queue:
Stay, stay, stay. If your screen has a walking figure on it indicating you are in line for the queue, do not refresh your page. I repeat: Once you're in the queue, do not refresh your page.
Below is an example of what the queue page will look like. Though it's from the Verified Fan presale queue, the Capital One presale queue will look very similar.
When you refresh while in the queue, Ticketmaster will boot you to the end of the line and you'll be forced to begin again.
Once you're in the queue, the only time you should ever reload your page is if prompted by a Ticketmaster error message on your screen that requests you reload your page and try again. Otherwise, trust the process and know that while it might take a while, you are in line and will be prompted to get tickets when it's your turn.
Beware of will call if using someone else's card
If you are using a parent, spouse or friend's card to score tickets, keep in mind that Ticketmaster may end up giving you will-call tickets. Will-call means you'll have to pick up the tickets in person at the box office of the venue the day of the concert — and the person whose name is on the card you used will have to be present with a photo ID and the card itself.
This could be an issue if you (and the person whose name is on the card) live in Arkansas but the concert you are attending is in Nashville, TN, for example.
Of course, you could end up breezing through and getting e-tickets that don't require an in-person pick-up (my little sister has used my card for Harry Styles presale tickets in the past and been just fine). But it's something to keep a lookout for when buying tickets.
Which Capital One card should you use for ‘The Eras Tour’ presale?
If you have multiple Capital One cards, you might be wondering which card is the best to use on concert ticket purchases.
Your highest cash-back potential comes with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. You’ll get 4% cash back on entertainment purchases — including concert tickets. Alternatively, there’s also the no-annual-fee Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns 3% cash back on entertainment.
The information for the Capital One Savor card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
However, if you're a frequent traveler who prioritizes travel rewards over cash back, you should use either the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. They’ll each earn 2 miles per dollar spent on your ticket purchase.
After you grab your tickets, also keep in mind that the Venture X also earns 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars, and 5 miles per dollar spent on flights booked through the Capital One Travel portal — a solid earning option if you’re traveling to one of the concert venues.
Of course, you don't have to have one of these specific cards to get presale access — any Capital One credit or debit card (excluding private label cards) is eligible for access.
Bottom line
For a lot of fans — myself included — Taylor Swift music has been a mainstay throughout the majority of our lives. I first listened to her when “Tim McGraw” made its radio debut, and I’ve remained a fan throughout every album since. This tour is the culmination of years of new albums and re-releases, a tour bigger than the whole sky for many fellow Swifties. So, getting tickets is likely to be a competitive labyrinth.
If you weren't the lucky one selected for Verified Fan presale but are a Capital One cardholder, you'll still be able to get presale ticket access to “The Eras Tour.”
Remember, presale tickets go live Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. local venue time for Capital One cardholders. Set your clocks and get ready to jump then fall so you can get your tickets for the best day.
Until then, you can find me listening to “Midnights” on repeat.
