If you’ve ever had a difficult experience procuring hard-to-get concert tickets, chances are you’re using the wrong credit card.
Most of us think of credit cards as vehicles to earn travel rewards or cash-back; what few people know is that these premium card products often offer useful benefits for concerts (and entertainment, in general).
Fans of live music should be aware of the additional advantages provided by credit cards. So in this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of deciding on the best credit card to get for concert tickets.
Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
What To Look For in a Credit Card for Concert Tickets
Eligible Chase cards can offer exclusive access to Chase Experiences. Image Credit: ChaseIn general, there are a few ways where your card can help you in the context of concerts.
First, some credit cards offer exclusive access to unique experiences, presale tickets, and value-added experiences like lounge access.
On the other hand, credit cards may offer enhanced rewards on these types of purchases.
Ideally, you’ll want a card that offers access to those concert-specific benefits and excellent rewards, and that’s the main focus of our guide.
Also, if you have a card that offers benefits beyond concerts, like when traveling, that would be golden!
Lastly, ancillary benefits like purchase protection, zero fraud liability, and no foreign transaction fees aren’t to be taken for granted.
Let’s get into our favorite cards for concert tickets, starting with the best personal cards!
The 6 Best Personal Cards for Concert Tickets
Card Summary
| Card | Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee | Benefits for Concert Tickets |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | - Earn 80,000 points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months.
- Annual fee of $695 (rates and fees)
| - Exclusive presale ticket access through By Invitation Only and American Express Experiences
- Access to the Platinum Card Concierge
- No preset spending limit
- Purchase protection
- No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)
- 1x Membership Rewards points on concert tickets
|
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | - Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $395
| - Access to Capital One Entertainment for exclusive VIP and presale experiences
- Purchase protection
- No foreign transaction fees
- 2x Capital One miles on concert tickets
|
| Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card | - Earn $300 after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $95
| - Access to Capital One Entertainment for exclusive VIP and presale experiences
- 8% cash-back at Vivid Seats
- 4% cash-back on entertainment
- Purchase protection
- No foreign transaction fees
|
| Citi Premier® Card | - Earn 80,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $95
| - Access to Citi Entertainment for presale ticket access, VIP packages, and preferred seating availability
- 1x Citi ThankYou Points on concert tickets
|
| Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card | - Earn 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $95
| - Access to Capital One Entertainment for exclusive VIP and presale experiences
- Purchase protection
- No foreign transaction fees
- 2x Capital One miles on concert tickets
|
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® | - INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back!
- Annual fee of $0
| - Access to Chase Experiences
- Purchase protection
- 1.5% cash-back on concert tickets
|
1. The Platinum Card® from American Express
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Platinum card! (The current public offer is 80,000 points.)
The Amex Platinum card is our top winner in this space, and it’s one of those cards that focuses on delivering exceptional benefits.
You’ll find a terrific welcome bonus, as well as the ability to earn up to 5x Membership Rewards points:
- 5x points on airfare booked directly through the airline or through Amex Travel (up to $500,000 per calendar year)
- 5x points on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
- 1x points on other purchases (including concert tickets)
But the reason why you would want to have this card for concerts is that this card confers access to 2 programs:
In particular, the Amex Platinum card offers customized, once-in-a-lifetime event access, ranging from fashion to music and even art. These packages aren’t available to the general public, either, making the Amex Platinum card appeal to those looking for exclusive experiences. You’ll even get elevated on-site perks, like complimentary bag check, additional seating, lounge access, and more.
More generally, American Express Experiences connects cardholders with agencies like Ticketmaster and AXS for exclusive offers, presale ticket access, and more.
To make your life easier purveying hard-to-get tickets, you can also utilize the Platinum Concierge, which can help you secure tickets or avoid having to constantly click refresh when buying concert tickets. They can also help you secure dining reservations in foreign countries, buy flowers, and so much more.
The Amex Platinum card excels in travel benefits, as well, including access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection, elite status with Hilton Honors (Gold) and Marriott Bonvoy (Gold Elite) (enrollment required), and rental car privileges with Avis, Hertz, and National.
Additionally, you’ll be able to leverage a vast array of statement credits, such as:
The Amex Platinum card has no preset spending limit, exceptional travel insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, cell phone protection, and no foreign transaction fees.
Why We Like Earning Amex Membership Rewards Points
American Express Membership Rewards points are the most valuable points, according to our valuations of 2.2 cents each.
By earning up to 5x points, you can earn a return on spending of up to 11%. You’ll get the best value when using Amex’s transfer partners for luxury award travel.
However, if it’s impractical for you to book award travel, you can also use your Amex points for statement credits, Amex Travel bookings, gift cards, online purchases, charity, and cash-back.
Hot Tip: To see if the American Express By Invitation Only experience is worth it, check out our review from the U.S. Open.
2. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The CapOne Venture X card catches our eye because it’s Capital One’s ultra-premium card offering, which comes with tons of travel and entertainment benefits.
At the moment, there’s a significant welcome bonus available, which will accelerate your rewards beyond the up to 10x Capital One miles earned:
- 10x miles on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- 10x miles on Turo bookings through May 16, 2023
- 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles on all other purchases (including concert tickets)
This credit card confers access to Capital One Entertainment, which is where you can book Capital One Cardholder Exclusives like MLB tickets and MICHELIN Destination Dining events.
Capital One Entertainment also offers the ability to purchase presale tickets for events like the iHeartRadio Music Festival, New York City Wine & Food Festival, and MLB All-Star Week.
Every cardmember anniversary year, cardholders enjoy a bonus of 10,000 additional miles on top of the yearly $300 Capital One Travel credit.
The CapOne Venture X card has fantastic airport lounge access, which includes Capital One Lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and a Priority Pass Select membership. When renting cars, be sure to leverage the top-tier Hertz President’s Circle status, too.
Lastly, you’ll enjoy benefits at Gravity Haus, cell phone insurance, travel insurance coverage, no foreign transaction fees, and up to 4 authorized users for no additional annual fees.
Why We Like Earning Capital One Miles
Capital One miles are extremely valuable — worth 1.8 cents per mile in our books — you can stand to get excellent redemption value when you transfer your Capital One miles for award travel.
That translates to a maximum return on spending of 18% with the CapOne Venture X card, though your concert tickets will earn a 3.6% return on spending.
Other ways to use Capital One miles include gift cards, statement credits, online purchases, Amazon.com, PayPal, and Capital One Travel bookings.
3. Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
If you’re into cash-back rewards, the CapOne Savor card could become your new best friend when booking concert tickets, as well as on entertainment in general.
Right now, this card is offering a welcome bonus. You’ll earn up to 8% cash-back with the CapOne Savor card:
- 8% cash-back on Vivid Seats
- 5% cash-back on travel booked through Capital One Travel
- 4% cash-back on dining
- 4% cash-back on entertainment (including concert tickets)
- 3% cash-back at grocery stores
- 1% cash-back on other purchases
This card also confers access to Capital One Entertainment, which allows you to access ticket presales, Capital One Cardholder Exclusives events, and more.
If you book your concert tickets through Vivid Seats, you can get some awesome cash-back; otherwise, entertainment purchases will earn you 4% cash-back.
Other benefits associated with this card include purchase protection, extended warranty, travel accident insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and no additional annual fees for authorized user cards.
4. Citi Premier® Card
The Citi Premier card is arguably Citi’s flagship rewards credit card. Currently, it has a generous welcome bonus, as well as up to 3x ThankYou Rewards Points earned in an array of useful categories:
- 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, air travel, hotels, and gas stations
- 1x points on other purchases (including concert tickets)
Moreover, the Citi Premier card gets you access to Citi Entertainment, which functions a lot like similar programs from other banks. You’ll get presale access to events, including concerts, as well as preferred seating and even VIP packages for certain events.
Citi partners with a variety of ticketing agencies, including Ticketmaster. At certain events, you can even get Citi preferred price tickets, including buy one, get one 50% off deals!
The Citi Premier card also enjoys a $100 annual hotel savings benefit whereby you can get $100 off of a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) on stays booked through thankyou.com (once per calendar year).
There are no foreign transition fees with this credit card, and authorized users are available with no additional annual fees, as well.
Why We Like Earning Citi ThankYou Rewards Points
The Citi Premier card earns Citi ThankYou Rewards Points, which are worth 1.6 cents each.
Citi ThankYou Rewards points can be transferred to airline and hotel partners for some incredible value when booking luxury award travel.
Also, Citi ThankYou Rewards points can be redeemed for cash-back, gift cards, Citi Travel Center bookings, PayPal, Amazon.com, and much more, albeit at a lower redemption value.
5. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The CapOne Venture card is yet another premium rewards credit card we’d recommend for concert tickets.
Right now, this credit card has a fantastic welcome bonus, as well as up to 5x Capital One miles earned:
- 5x miles on rental cars and hotels booked via Capital One Travel
- 5x miles on Turo through May 16, 2023
- 2x miles on other purchases (including concert tickets)
This credit card allows you to access Capital One Entertainment, which shares most of the same benefits and features as the CapOne Venture X card.
You’ll earn 2x miles on your concert ticket purchases, which is identical to the CapOne Venture X card. That’s a 3.6% return on spending!
You’ll still get a $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit and travel insurance, as well as Hertz Five Star status, but you won’t get the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit or 10,000-mile anniversary bonus. You also won’t get unlimited access to Capital One Lounges, but you will get 2 complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or Plaza Premium Lounges.
Lastly, you’ll be pleased with the purchase security, extended warranty, no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free authorized users!
6. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The last personal card we’ll be discussing is the Freedom Unlimited card, which happens to be one of the best cards for everyday spending.
The Freedom Unlimited card gets you access to Chase Experiences, which includes presale ticket access, Chase lounge access at certain venues, and preferred seating from Ticketmaster.
Right now, there’s a welcome bonus being offered, as well as up to 5% cash-back on purchases:
- 5% cash-back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3% cash-back on dining
- 3% cash-back at drugstores
- 1.5% cash-back on other purchases (including concert tickets)
Remember, the cash-back rewards earned from this card can be converted to Ultimate Rewards points (which are worth double) if you also have an Ultimate Rewards credit card.
That means a 5% cash-back structure would be equal to a 10% return on spending! For your concert tickets, 1.5% cash-back can be converted to 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points, equal to a 3% return on spending.
The card will also has purchase protection, secondary rental car insurance, fraud protection, extended warranty, and authorized users for no additional annual fee.
Why We Like Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
The Freedom Unlimited card’s rewards can’t be transferred to travel partners as a standalone product.
To transfer your points to airlines and hotels, you’ll want to hold another card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Once that’s done, though, your rewards will double in value because you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for luxury award travel.
The 5 Best Business Cards for Concert Tickets
Image Credit: Nicholas Green via UnsplashIf you’re a business owner that spends a lot on concert tickets, from entertaining clients to rewarding team members, fret not! We’ve also compiled a list of the best business cards for you.
Check it out below!
Card Summary
| Card | Welcome Bonus and Annual Fee | Benefits for Concert Tickets |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express | - Earn 120,000 points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $695 (rates and fees)
| - Exclusive presale ticket access through By Invitation Only and American Express Experiences
- Access to the Platinum Card Concierge
- No preset spending limit
- Purchase protection
- No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)
- 1x Membership Rewards points on concert tickets
|
| Capital One Spark Miles for Business | - Earn 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $0 intro for the first year, $95 after that
| - Access to Capital One Entertainment for exclusive VIP and presale experiences
- Purchase protection
- No foreign transaction fees
- 2x Capital One miles on concert tickets
|
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express | - Earn 15,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $0 (rates and fees)
| - 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases (up to $50,000 per calendar year), including concert tickets
- Purchase protection
|
| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card | - BEST OFFER EVER: Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $0
| - 1.5% cash-back on all purchases, including concert tickets
- Purchase protection
|
| American Express® Business Gold Card | - Earn 70,000 points after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- Annual fee of $295 (rates and fees)
| - 1x Membership Rewards points on concert tickets
- No preset spending limit
- Purchase protection
|
1. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum card! (The current public offer is 120,000 points.)
If you’re looking for a business card to help you get exclusive access to concerts and other events, as well as offer fantastic travel benefits, the Amex Business Platinum card is the way to go.
It has a major welcome bonus and earns up to 5x Membership Rewards points:
- 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels purchased through Amex Travel
- 1.5x points on purchases of $5,000 or more (up to $2 million per calendar year) and on eligible purchases in key business categories
- 1x points on other purchases (including concert tickets)
If the concert tickets you buy exceed $5,000 in price, you can get a return on spending of up to 3.3%! Otherwise, your return on spending will be around 2.2%.
The Amex Business Platinum card entitles you to By Invitation Only and American Express Experiences, just like the Amex Platinum card.
By Invitation Only enables you to enjoy exclusive events that aren’t available to the public, and these events include fashion shows, concerts, art exhibitions, and so much more. Even better, at certain events, you’ll get complimentary perks like American Express lounge access, complimentary cocktails, extra seating, and more.
American Express Experiences offers presale ticket access, exclusive deals, cardmember offers, and more with vendors such as Ticketmaster and AXS.
Remember, the Amex Business Platinum card gets you access to the Platinum Concierge, which can help you book hard-to-get event tickets (including concerts), arranging travel services like chauffeur transfers, and much more.
Beyond these benefits, you’ll get over $1,000 worth of value every year from these statement credits:
Of course, you’re entitled to these luxury travel benefits:
- Access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection
- Access to Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status (enrollment required)
- Complimentary elite status and rental car privileges with Avis, Hertz, and National
- 35% airline bonus when using Pay With Points for Amex Travel bookings (up to 1 million points rebated per calendar year)
Lastly, the Amex Business Platinum card has no preset spending limit and has cell phone insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty coverage, and no foreign transaction fees.
2. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The CapOne Spark Miles card is a fantastic choice because it offers industry-leading rewards, access to Capital One Entertainment, and solid cardholder benefits.
Right now, there’s a welcome bonus available on this card, but your long-term focus should be on the rewards:
- Earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn 2x miles on other purchases (including concert tickets)
Earning 2x Capital One miles on your concert tickets is equivalent to a 3.6% return on spend, which is terrific.
Also, you’ll be entitled to access Capital One Entertainment benefits, which include presale ticket access, cardholder exclusive events, and more.
There’s also a Global Entry/TSA Precheck application fee credit, purchase protection, extended warranty, roadside assistance, no foreign transaction fees, and employee cards for no additional annual fee.
3. The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
The Amex Blue Business Plus card is one of our favorite business credit cards for small business owners, simply because you can earn 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday purchases for your business, up to $50,000 every calendar year. After that, you’ll earn 1x points.
That’s equal to a maximum return on spending of 4.4%. Right now, there’s also an introductory 0% APR promotion (rates and fees) you can take advantage of.
Unfortunately, the Amex Blue Business Plus card doesn’t come with access to American Express Experiences, so the main motivation to get this card would be to maximize those rewards.
Other perks include purchase protection, extended warranty, and fee-free employee cards (rates and fees).
4. Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The Ink Business Unlimited card is a fantastic credit card to have in your wallet as a business owner.
New cardholders can get an awesome welcome bonus, which also includes a 0% introductory APR period.
This product earns you 1.5% cash-back on all purchases without any caps. Your rewards can also be converted at a 1% to 1x ratio to Ultimate Rewards points if you have an Ultimate Rewards credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Chase Sapphire Reserve card. This would double your return on spending from 1.5% to 3%.
At the moment, the Ink Business Unlimited card doesn’t enjoy access to Chase Experiences, so you’d want to get this card if you’re looking for rewards on concert ticket purchases.
Lastly, you’ll enjoy primary rental car insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, zero liability protection for unauthorized purchases, and employee cards for no additional annual fee.
5. American Express® Business Gold Card
The very last card we’ll be including in this guide is the oh-so-important Amex Business Gold card.
If you need an awesome business card for rewards, need a card without a preset spending limit, but don’t feel comfortable shelling out for the Amex Business Platinum card, the Amex Business Gold card is one of the best options in the business.
New members can start with a hefty welcome bonus, but you’ll earn up to 4x Membership Rewards points on the top 2 select categories where your business spends the most each month (up to $150,000 per calendar year):
- Airfare purchased directly from airlines
- U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- U.S. purchases for shipping
That’s equal to a maximum return on spending of 8.8%, which is amazing! On other purchases, including concert tickets, you’ll earn 1x points.
The Amex Business Gold card has no preset spending limit, making it much easier to make larger purchases without worrying about a traditional credit limit.
At the moment, though, you won’t be able to get access to American Express Experiences with the Amex Business Gold card, so just keep that in mind.
What you will get access to, however, is a 25% airline bonus when using Pay With Points for select flights booked through Amex Travel (up to 250,000 points back per calendar year), the ability to book stays at The Hotel Collection, travel insurance, and no foreign transaction fees (rates and fees).
Lastly, you won’t need to pay any additional annual fees for up to 99 total employee cards after the first employee card of $50 per year (rates and fees).
Final Thoughts
Numerous card issuers offer benefits for booking concert tickets; some of the best card issuers are American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Citi.
And even though these banks all provide their own platform for browsing these experiences, we think American Express offers the best overall benefits, thanks to its 2 programs: By Invitation Only and American Express Experiences.
All in all, we favor the Amex Platinum card, CapOne Venture X card, Citi Premier card, CapOne Venture card, and Freedom Unlimited card as the best personal cards for concert tickets. In fact, all of these tickets offer presale ticket access, among other features.
On the business card front, we love the Amex Business Platinum card, CapOne Spark Miles card, Amex Blue Business Plus card, Ink Business Unlimited card, and Amex Business Gold cards to maximize concert ticket purchases.
Just remember that the Amex Blue Business Plus card, Ink Business Unlimited card, and Amex Business Gold card do not offer presale ticket access; rather, they’re great business cards to have for rewards.
The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and Capital One Spark Miles for Business was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefits of The Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the cell phone protection benefit of The Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefits of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the cell phone protection benefit of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefits of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For the purchase protection benefits of the American Express® Business Gold Card, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here.
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