UK presale guide
Presales let some fans buy before the general sale. Knowing which ones you can get into - and signing up before the tour is announced - is often the difference between a face-value ticket and none at all.
From our tracking of around 5,400 UK on-sales, July to September 2026.
We can't give you access to any presale, but every presale we know about is listed on our Presales tab, in our daily email and in our app, with its start time and who can get in. Rules vary from show to show, so always check the details on the seller's page.
The presales below:
The main presales
O2 Priority
- Who
- O2 customers.
- How
- Book through the O2 Priority app. Priority tickets usually go on sale 48 hours before the general sale.
- Where
- The most common presale we see - more than half of the acts with a presale had an O2 Priority one (July to September 2026) - and not only at O2-named venues.
Artist presales
- Who
- Fans on the artist's official mailing list or fan club.
- How
- Sign up on the artist's official website well before a tour is announced. A code or link is usually emailed shortly before the presale. Some artists give presale access with an album pre-order from their own store instead ("album presale").
Ticketmaster presale
- Who
- Ticketmaster account holders who get Ticketmaster emails.
- How
- Create a Ticketmaster account and opt in to its emails. Usually runs the day before the general sale.
Live Nation presale
- Who
- Fans signed up to Live Nation, for shows Live Nation promotes.
- How
- Sign up at livenation.co.uk. Usually runs the day before the general sale, alongside the Ticketmaster presale.
Venue presales
- Who
- A venue's mailing list or members - for example the Blue Note's members, the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre's BGE Rewards, or past bookers at many theatres.
- How
- Join the mailing list or membership of the venues you go to most.
Three+
- Who
- Three mobile customers, in the UK and Ireland.
- How
- Book through the Three+ app.
Promoter presales
- Who
- Fans on a promoter's mailing list - for example MCD (Ireland), Gigs in Scotland, Metropolis Music and Cuffe & Taylor (Lytham Festival and other outdoor shows).
- How
- Sign up to the newsletters of the promoters behind the shows you like. Some promoter presales are for newsletter subscribers only and aren't advertised publicly - we include these in our daily email and app.
Spotify presale
- Who
- Some of an artist's most active listeners on Spotify.
- How
- Spotify emails a code to selected listeners - you can't sign up for it, but listening to and following the artist helps.
OVO presale
- Who
- OVO Energy customers.
- Where
- OVO-named venues: OVO Arena Wembley and the OVO Hydro, Glasgow.
Co-op presale
- Who
- Co-op members.
- Where
- Co-op Live, Manchester.
Card and payment presales
- Who
- Holders of a particular card or payment account - for example American Express, Mastercard or PayPal.
- How
- You'll usually need to pay with that card or account during the presale.
Registrations and ballots
- Who
- Fans who register before a deadline - used for the very biggest tours.
- How
- Register on the official site in time. Access is usually allocated afterwards, sometimes at random, with a time slot or code sent by email.
Tips
- Sign up before the announcement. Many presales close their lists or send codes before the tour is public.
- Know which presales you already qualify for - your phone network, energy supplier, bank card and supermarket membership can all count.
- Be logged in early with your card details saved, and join the queue a few minutes before the start time.
- Don't share or buy presale codes. Many are personal to your account, and official tickets are only sold by the official sellers.
- Missed out? Extra dates and released tickets often follow - we track those too, and the app can alert you to them.
Common questions
What is a presale?
A presale is a chance to buy tickets before the general sale. Each presale is limited to a group of fans - for example customers of a phone network, members of an artist's mailing list or people who hold a particular card.
How do I get O2 Priority tickets?
O2 Priority tickets are for O2 customers and are booked through the O2 Priority app. They usually go on sale 48 hours before the general sale.
How do I get an artist presale code?
Sign up to the artist's official mailing list or fan club well before the tour is announced. Codes or links are usually emailed shortly before the presale starts; some artists use an album pre-order instead.
How do I get into the Ticketmaster and Live Nation presales?
Have a Ticketmaster account and sign up to Ticketmaster and Live Nation emails. Both presales usually run the day before the general sale.
Does Beat The Touts sell presale tickets?
No. We show you which presales are running, when they start and who can get in, and link you to the official sellers. We can't give anyone access to a presale.