Ads for sporting events, concerts, circus or theater tickets are all over the internet… from eBay to Craigslist, and on thousands of “ticket finder” type websites — but which ones are the read deals?

Before purchasing tickets online for any event, be sure you’re dealing with a reputable ticket seller. Stories of fake tickets, sellers who take deposits and then can’t deliver, and other scams are as prevalent, or more so than nearly any type of online selling.

Know what your buying, and how much it’s really worth. Even if an event is sold-out from the original ticketing agency or event promoter, chances are you can find what “face value” for the ticket is (or was).

In some areas, “scalping” is illegal… both for the seller and the buyer — you could purchase tickets in good faith, only to have them intercepted in the mail, or voided at the gate when you try to use them. Legitimate ticket agencies usually add on a “convenience fee” or anywhere from a few dollars per ticket up to several times the face value of the ticket. Delivery charges, brokers and agents fees, and other charges may be legal in some areas. One way sellers avoid charges of scalping is to sell the tickets “at face value”, BUT, only if you purchase some other (overpriced) item with them — for exmample, you may get (2) tickets to a baseball game for the same $35/ea the seller paid — but they require you also buy a baseball card worth $0.10 for $100 to get the tickets… legal, yes — ethical, not really.

Finding tickets to concerts, sporting events and theater engagements is getting harder all the time — there is a lot of financial incentive for people to stay up all night, wait in line and buy tickets at the box office — only to resell them immediately to a broker for two or three times what they paid. Tickets to major league sports and popular concerts can sell out in a matter of hours.

Unlike many items that increase in value over time — tickets become worthless as soon as the event is over. This one factor can save you a lot of money — if you’re willing to wait ’til the last minute, and maybe do some running around to get the tickets. For instance, tickets selling on eBay will frequently be reduced in price the day before an event — sometimes the seller waits until only 8-10 hours if they aren’t selling — so they drop the price.

Craigslist, (http://www.craigslist.org/) is another great source for last minute tickets — probably even better than eBay since local sellers can more easily be found. We tried to purchase tickets to a sold out concert last month, and ran an ad on CL a week before the show. In the first couple days several people responded (offering to sell the tickets at 2-3 times face value, or sending up spam email directing us to a website where the ticket prices were inflated with excessive fees). We finally made a deal with a “real person”, who just happened to have a couple extra tickets and wanted to sell them… BUT, on the day before the show, we actually received email from two different people offering to sell us tickets at less than face value… they were stuck with the tickets — one guy was even willing to drive the 50 miles to deliver them and sell them for half price, (two for one), but we already had our’s.. purchased at face value only 3 days before the concert — (we ended up sitting next to the guy who sold us the tickets).

If you do buy tickets online, be sure to know the lingo. There are “hard tickets”, “e-tickets” and “will call” (tickets)…

A “hard ticket” is an actual ticket printed on card-stock like you’d get at the box office. Major league sports and concerts almost always have this type of ticket available. Super Bowl and other major events may even have a hologram of other specialty printing that makes the tickets very hard to duplicate — and as a bonus, in some cases the ticket (or even the stubs) become collector items.

“E-Tickets” are ones that you pay for online, then print out on your home computer — while they may have a bar-code or other scan code on them, they are easy to forge, and sometimes hard to redeem.

“Will call” or box office tickets are ones you pick-up a the box office or ticket booth just before the event starts. You are usually required to pay for these by credit card ahead of time, then present the credit card or drivers license when you pick them up — sometimes ticket sellers wil lnot let anyone except the original; purchaser pick up the tickets.

As with anything else you buy from unknown people online — beware, be careful, and double check everything.

If you discover any PROMO CODES, coupons or discount offers for tickets, please share them here.

Taking a vacation doesn’t have to cost every last cent you have saved, (or every last dollar you can charge on a credit card), spending a little time researching online deal, and planning ahead can save you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.

Planning ahead but remaining flexible is probably the best way to save on vacation costs.

Cruises, airfare, hotel accommodations, tickets for theme parks and many other vacation related expenditures sometimes cost 20%, 30% or even 100% more when you book them at the last minute. On the other hand, there are some great last minute deals.

Do as much research online as you can. Here are some questions you can ask yourself before you start:

Does your vacation have to occur at a predetermined time? (e.g.- if you work ful ltime and must schedule your vacation time and can’t easily change plans at the last minute, the answer is “yes”… If you have a boss who understands that if since you found a deal for a cruise at 50% off what it normally costs — but you have to leave in 48 hours — and the boss is cool with that, you can answer “no”).

Do you care exactly where you go for vacation? (If you have always wanted to see New England in the Fall, and that’s the only type of vacation you want to take, then answer “yes”. If you see a travel deal for a week of kayaking and snorkeling in the Florida Keys or a week watching the Iditarod in Alaska, and you open to whichever one is the best deal — answer “no”).

Once you figure out when and where — the next thing to do is shop! Comparing airfares, hotel rates or “package deal” for the same week, in the same location makes it easy to spot the best deal. If the prices are close from two different companies, maybe one includes first-class travel or complimentary tickets to local attractions. You work hard to earn your money — time spent bargaining for the best vacation package deal will save more per hour than most people earn! Check for reviews from real people.

If you’re surfing the net researching vacations, adventure travel, low cost airfares or cruises, please share any PROMO CODES or other discounts you discover.

We did a search on the Southwest Airlines website and found they provide information on several types of discounts and special promotions. Many of the PROMO CODES relate to saving on rental car fees when you book airline travel with Southwest… but we did find one that is just a straight 10% off on airfare, (SAVE10),

Note: the 10% off code can’t be combined with other specials, so make sure there isn’t a better deal before using the code.

To find their promotions or travel deals, go to www.southwest.com and click on the “Special Offers” tab.

Take the train!  Amtrak offers many types of discounts on train travel including Weekly Specials, Weekend Getaway packages, Rail Passes and programs for seniors, students, children, veterans, AAA members and members of other groups.

With the high cost of gasoline, and the stress of fighting traffic, parking and other costs involved in driving a car — taking the train might just be the most relaxing part of your day.

To see what Amtrak has to offer, visit their website at: www.amtrak.com

Once you are at the site, click the Hot Deals link located at the top of the page.

If you find any specific PROMO CODES for Amtrak that are not advertised on their website, please let us know!

NEW YORK, NY – If you’re planning a trip to New York City, (or live there and want to see the sights), the New York Pass saves you money on admission to over 40 attractions — it’s easy to buy, easy to use and easy on your wallet!

The pass makes your vacation more enjoyable and simplifies planning your trip. Buy the card, go and do stuff! It’s that easy. Instead of waiting on the phone for ticket info, or waiting in lines to pay admission, simply swipe your card and go!

Visit NYC Museums, zoos, aquariums, parks and gardens. Go on sight-seeing tours and even the Seaport Liberty cruise and Harbor Lights Cruise.

Admission to over 40 of New York City’s best attractions: New York Pass

You’ll breeze past the ticket booth and spend more time enjoying your vacation — and less time waiting in lines! Simply look for the New your Pass sign, scan your card, and enter at many attractions. Enjoy discounts on regular ticket prices at others.

Click the ad (below) to get complete info and pricing for The New York Pass.

Besides museums, cruises, tours and other attractions, you’ll also save on shopping, restaurants and more!