How to transfer tickets

The short answer

Transferring a ticket moves it from your account into someone else's. The ticketing system issues a new barcode in their account, and the copy in yours stops working. To do it, open the order, choose transfer, enter the other person's email address or phone number, and send. They accept it in their own account.

What a ticket transfer does

A transfer is not the same as sending a screenshot or forwarding a PDF. When a ticket transfers, the original barcode is replaced and a new one is issued to the recipient. That is why a screenshot of a transferred ticket no longer scans, and why a transfer is the dependable way to hand a mobile ticket to someone else.

It also means there is only one working copy of the ticket at a time, held in one account.

How to transfer tickets, step by step

The button names differ between ticketing apps, but the steps are nearly the same everywhere.

1. Open the order in the app or website where the tickets are stored.

2. Pick the tickets you want to send. You can usually send some and keep the rest.

3. Choose Transfer. Some apps call it Send or Share.

4. Enter the recipient's email address or phone number. Check it twice. A transfer to the wrong address has to be cancelled and sent again.

5. Send it, then tell the recipient to look for the email or text. It often lands in a promotions or spam folder.

6. The recipient accepts in their own account. Until they do, the tickets usually stay recoverable from your side.

How long a ticket transfer takes

Sending a transfer is normally instant. The wait people run into is whether transfers are open yet for that event. Many events keep tickets locked until closer to the date. The event organizer or the ticketing system that issued the tickets makes that decision.

This is one of the most common reasons a resale order looks stuck when nothing is wrong. If an order shows a delivery date later than the purchase date, that date is usually when transfers open.

Why the transfer button is missing

If you cannot find a transfer button, one of these is usually the reason. If none of them apply, contact the ticketing system that issued the tickets. It controls whether a ticket can be transferred.

• Transfers are not open yet for that event. Look for a delivery or availability date on the order.
• The event does not allow transfers. Some organizers turn them off, especially when entry is tied to the original buyer's ID.
• The tickets are print-at-home or will-call, which use a different handover process.
• A transfer is already pending to someone else and has to be cancelled first.
• You are signed in to a different account from the one holding the tickets. Only that account can transfer them.

Transferring a ticket or reselling it

A transfer gives tickets to a specific person, usually at no charge. Reselling lists them for anyone to buy. If you are giving tickets to a friend, a transfer is simpler. If you cannot go and want to recover what you paid, read how to sell concert tickets you can't use.

Frequently asked questions

Can I transfer only some of my tickets?

Usually yes. Most ticketing apps let you choose individual tickets from an order, so you can send two and keep the others. The tickets you keep are not affected.

Can I cancel a transfer?

Often, as long as the recipient has not accepted it. Look for a cancel or recall option on the pending transfer. Once it is accepted, the tickets belong to the other account and usually cannot be pulled back without that person's help.

Does the recipient need an account?

Almost always. Accepting a transfer means signing in to, or creating, an account with the ticketing system, so the new barcode has somewhere to live.

Why can't I just send a screenshot?

Many mobile tickets use a barcode that refreshes every few seconds, so a screenshot captures a code that stops working. Transfers exist because screenshots are not a dependable way to hand over entry.

Is there a fee to transfer tickets?

Transfers between people are usually free. A fee you see is more likely tied to a resale than to a transfer.