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I’ve mentioned on this blog a few times that my husband and son are planning to go to Boston later this year for the Laver Cup. We scored some free hotel nights using our certs from our Chase IHG cards. While we haven’t purchased flights yet, we had planned to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points. So, the only sizeable expense would be the Laver Cup event tickets.
No biggie, right?
The Cost of Event Tickets
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed the price of concert and event tickets getting higher and higher, and not just by the inflation rate. I’m baffled at how people will spend $500 for a 3-hour concert ticket but complain about paying $100 for a 12-hour day at Disney World. But regardless, the price of event tickets can be insane.
For the Laver Cup, the official website says tickets for the event will start at $250 a person. That’s the price for multi-day tickets that include five events over three days. That price seems reasonable to me.
However, pre-sale events are going on right now through some tennis tour groups and resellers. The lowest tickets are going for $1000 each! And those aren’t good, low-level seats or seats that come with any VIP or hospitality benefits. These are seats in the upper level sections.
Officially, the event tickets go on sale in March. Can we get tickets for $250 like the website says? Or, will ticket brokers snatch them up within seconds and re-sell them for $1000 or more? I don’t know.
My Son’s Reaction
This morning, I told my son that the tickets were much higher than we expected at $1000 each. His response? “Ok.” Just like Pete Davidson in those “Ok guy” SNL skits. Since he doesn’t pay bills, he really has no concept of how expensive that it. But, that’s another story for a different post.
When I told him that they might not be going to the Laver Cup after all, he was really disappointed. He is REALLY into tennis and was looking forward to seeing a live event. Plus, the Laver Cup has some really big tennis stars playing in it, so he’s guaranteed to see some of his favorites play.
He is turning 16 this year. We are considering getting these tickets as his big sweet 16 birthday present. And no, he’s not getting a car. But still, that price!
Our Choices
We haven’t yet decided what we’re going to do. This is a prime example of how a “free” trip using miles and points can still be quite pricey depending on what you do when you get there.
Our choices are:
- Buy the $1000 tickets as a splurge for his birthday
- Wait until March for the official ticket launch and see if we can get lower-priced tickets or seats with a better location for the same price
- Go to the US Open in NY instead and get cheaper tickets to multiple matches
- Scrap the entire idea
Readers, how do you feel about the price of concert and event tickets? Do you think the experience is generally worth the price? What tickets have you splurged on with or without regrets?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Nancy,
US Open has many free events and American Express has even a lounge. Just keep an eye on their website. You can stay in Queens if you don’t want to visit Manhattan. All the chains have affordable hotels near La Guardia. It is 15min Uber ride to Flushing Meadows. And thank for the morning laugh about SNL Pete Davidson. I could picture your teenage son walking away like nothing after you told him about the insane price (like a small mortgage payment).
@Tania We may just consider the US Open instead!
I’m a tennis fan as well and back when I was in middle/high school I simply watched tennis matches on TV. I went to college in NYC and I still remember going to the US Open during freshman orientation week. Absolutely LOVED it! Qualifying tournament a week before US Open is FREE and not crowded which is great! You get to see the stars practice in open courts and yet still see competitive tennis especially on day 3 or day 4 (the player that wins gets to compete in US Open so their wins is always exciting to watch!)
I haven’t been to Laver Cup but if your family lives in Dallas, that means you’d have to travel to Boston in late September to watch Laver Cup. Why not just travel to NYC instead and watch the US Open qualifying tournament (free) and the first few days of the US Open tournament? Just my 2 cents. Good luck though and most importantly have fun!
If you’re deadset on Laver Cup, I’d wait until March to see if you can get one of those $250 passes rather than get those $1000 resale prices.
@Joey That must have been a thrilling start to your college years! I didn’t know about the free entrance to the qualifying tournaments. One issue we have that I didn’t mention is that the trip can only last for a 3-day weekend. Even to do that, we’d already be pulling my son out of school for one day, and that is the max I’m comfortable with. So, it will be a short trip. But, now I’ve got some options I didn’t know about before. Thanks!
Do you have an AMEX platinum? Many times you can get tickets thru that at much more normal prices.
@Stephanie Unfortunately, we don’t have the Amex platinum anymore. I’ve been hunting around to see if any of our other cards might have deals or pre-sales for this event. So far, I don’t see anything for any cards.
Go to the pro tournament in or near Cincinnati. It’s usually right in front the of The US Open and most stars are there. Most importantly, it’s very affordable.Yeah, you have to get to Cincinnati but I’m sure you can make that happen with this much time.
@Geoff Thanks for that suggestion! This sounds like a good alternative. We (as parents) are new to this tennis thing since my son only started playing three years ago and just became super into it this past year.
I believe it’s called the Western-Southern Open. The early rounds allow very close access to the players.
I am actually from Ohio and live in Boston. I have gone to the Western & Southern Open many times (I already have my tickets to go back this year), and it is an awesome event. As Geoff said, since it is the warmup to the US Open, almost all the top players (unless they’re battling injuries) are there, the facilities are great, and it is really well run. You can get tickets for very reasonable prices (we get a good ticket in the main stadium and then spend most of the day wandering around to watch amazing matches and stars practicing on smaller, more intimate outer courts), and there are plenty of hotels in the area. Also, if your family likes theme parks, Kings Island is right across the way from the tennis complex, which is a fun bonus if traveling from out of town. Good luck with everything. PS. I am also keeping my eyes open for cheaper tickets to the Laver Cup since it is in my backyard. I will keep you posted if I come across anything 🙂
@DAS Even if we don’t make it to the Western & Southern Open this year, it sounds like we should put that on our list for next year. It sounds like a great tournament! Thanks so much for the info. Yes, please let me know if you come across any good deals on the Laver Cup. For now, we’re planning on waiting until the official ticket release in March. If the tickets are still crazy expensive, we will reevaluate our plans to change to another tournament.