Viagogo Reviews 2024: Is Viagogo Legit, Safe and Reliable?

Viagogo is tested and reviewed by Marianne Buie.  Updated on 09.22.2023

Is Viagogo™ Legit? My Honest Review and Experience

While I am not new to using ticket reselling platforms, this was the first time that I needed tickets for a sold-out event that I couldn’t miss. It was hard looking for tickets for the New York Show of The Phantom of the Opera, but thankfully, I was able to get one from Viagogo ™.

Getting tickets for this show was a leap of faith, and I was ready to let it go when I decided to check out Viagogo. Alas, I chanced upon one ticket. It was pricey, but I expected that.

Time is of the essence, so, I wasn’t able to conduct full research on Viagogo before I bought the tickets. I did that after buying the ticket. Yep! I know my priorities.

Reviews for Viagogo were a bit alarming, given that I’ve paid a lot to have tickets to my show. Nevertheless, I was able to attend my show and had the chance to sing along to my favorite tunes—not loudly, of course.

What I liked about Viagogo is their interactive seating charts, good selection of tickets, and multiple supported languages and currencies. Though their prices are high, I also find their website a little bit intimidating.

I’m going to elaborate on that in this review, as well as some information about the company, their ticket resale process for buyers and sellers, and finally, some reviews about their customer service and overall satisfaction rating.

But to give you a general idea of what to expect from Viagogo, I’m going to rate them 3.7 out of 5 stars.

What are the Pros and Cons of Viagogo?

PROS 

CONS

What is Viagogo?

Viagogo’s homepage, where you can type the event you like on their search bar beside the logo. There are also some filter options according to the category of the event, like sports, concerts, theater & comedy, as well as top cities. They also show some popular events.

From what you already know, Viagogo is an online ticket exchange platform that allows people to buy and sell live tickets for events. The company was founded in London in 2006,  though its headquarters are in the US, and has been owned by StubHub Holdings since 2021.

Viagogo shares some of its revenue from ticket resales with its official partners, like Chelsea FC and Manchester United FC.

Although Viagogo is not perfect, they are legitimate and not out to deliberately scam you. In the United States, ticket purchasers' brand awareness for Viagogo is 30%, and among those who know the company, 17% like the brand.

What is Viagogo’s ticket resale and buying process?

Let us delve into the ticket resale process at Viagogo. I have included the process for how to sell tickets and how to buy tickets.

How do you sell tickets on Viagogo?

If you are trying to sell your tickets, then this brief guide will give you an idea of what you need to provide Viagogo as well as the steps on how to list your tickets on their website.

Have your ticket with you and click on the “Sell Tickets” button on the top right of Viagogo’s home page.

Viagogo’s homepage where you can see the sell button at the top right of the the screen. Upon clicking on the “Sell” button, you can see the option to sell tickets.

Viagogo does not allow anyone to sell on its website without registration.

Viagogo’s registration page, where you need to type your first and last name, email address, password, and primary phone number

Search for the event that matches the ticket you want to sell. If you cannot find your event, you can reach out to Viagogo to have it added to their website.

Provide your ticket details, your details, and the payment method that Viagogo will use once your ticket sells.

It is important to give as much detail on the seat location as possible. Include the section, row, and seat numbers. You also need to include ticket restrictions, such as child tickets or restricted views.

I suggest that you also upload your e-tickets as soon as you have them, so they’ll be available for instant download. Tickets with instant download options are likely to sell faster.

Confirm your listing, and Viagogo will promote your tickets to potential buyers worldwide.

Now you need to wait for Viagogo to send you a notification that your tickets have sold.

When you make a sale, you need to send your tickets to the buyer before the date indicated in the ‘Must Ship by Date’.

You will get your payment 10 business days after the event takes place. Viagogo will send you a confirmation by email when the payment is made.

Be aware that Viagogo charges a service fee to sellers once their tickets have been sold. This service fee covers the cost of marketing the tickets to potential buyers worldwide.

How do you buy tickets from Viagogo?

The ticket resale process for buyers is an easy process. Here’s the general step-by-step process to guide you. But I assure you, everything is pretty straightforward.

To buy tickets from the Viagogo website, you should consider registering first to make the buying process smooth.

Viagogo’s sign-in page for existing customers, where you need to type in your address and password. There is also an option to log in with your Facebook account.

In the search bar of Viagogo’s homepage, you can enter the event that you are interested in buying.

In the listing, you will see some important details like the date, place, and time of the event, and the number of tickets remaining.

Viagogo’s concert ticket page shows the current date and other useful information like the venue and its capacity, the event title, and the number of tickets remaining. Written in red is a notice saying “This event is selling fast.”

To view the tickets available, you need to specify the number of tickets you plan to buy. 

Viagogo’s event ticket options for Les Miserables - Los Angeles. The page shows a drop-down search bar where you need to specify how many tickets you intend to buy.

Once the number of tickets is specified, you’ll be able to see the available tickets for sale with their corresponding seats and prices.

Viagogo’s event ticket option page for their event, where you can see a photo of the stage on the left side of the screen and the ticket options on the right side of the screen. Ticket options indicate the amount, section, and row, as well as the restrictions.

For this part, they will also show a timer that indicates how many minutes you have to complete the checkout process before you lose your desired ticket.

This I find a bit stressful. Well, anything with timers stresses me out.

A ten-minute timer pop-up will appear once you have chosen a ticket to buy.

You now need to provide your billing and delivery information.

Make sure to also review your order summary, which includes the price, fees, and delivery options.

Once you’re sure about your ticket selection, proceed to payment and wait for the confirmation email with your order details.

Depending on the delivery method chosen, you will receive your tickets either electronically (e-ticket) or through physical delivery.

This is the most important and fun part of the whole process. To get to experience the joy of attending your event!

Contact Viagogo customer service if you have any questions that cannot be answered in Viagogo’s FAQs or if you have encountered some issues with selling or buying tickets

Customer Service Numbers:

Are Viagogo’s pricing and fees reasonable?

My event was a sold-out show, so I wasn’t expecting to get cheap prices. The demand for the last shows of The Phantom of the Opera was high, and I didn’t care what my seat assignment was.

By the end of the checkout, I was able to get an okay seat, and my ticket was delivered electronically.

A lot of people were talking about the high fees from Viagogo, so I decided to include the ticket pricing structure and fees added to your tickets.

What are Viagogo’s fees for ticket sellers?

According to the Viagogo Help Center, sellers are charged a service fee, but they did not specify the exact amount that they are charging the sellers. However, this fee is reflected in the selling process.

I also checked some reviews for Viagogo and got different results, though most of them say that Viagogo charges 15% of the total booking value.

Another review site said that sellers are charged a fee depending on the price of the ticket:

Tickets that are priced under $50 are charged 15% of the ticket price, tickets priced between $50 and $100 are charged a fee of 10%, and tickets priced over $100 are charged a fee of 5% of the ticket price.

The service charge is deducted from the seller’s payment.

What are Viagogo’s fees for ticket buyers?

The exact amount charged to the buyers was not reflected in Viagogo’s Help Center either. However, Viagogo stated that they charge a booking fee on top of the ticket price.

This booking fee covers the cost of maintaining the platform, the ticket guarantee, and customer service. The booking fee amount depends on the event and is subject to VAT.

When it comes to ticket prices, there were comments saying that their prices are expensive

Is Viagogo legit and safe?

I do know the risks of buying resale tickets from the secondary market, but imagine my panic when I read the reviews about Viagogo. 

To be fair, the reviews about the authenticity of Viagogo’s tickets were mixed. I went through a roller coaster of emotions while reading the good and bad reviews. 

So although Viagogo is a legitimate platform, the mixed reviews indicate that it does need a lot of improvement to be considered a reliable website.

Some stated that they had bought and sold tickets on the site with no issues. However, others have reported receiving fake tickets or paying more than face value for tickets.

When it comes to security, according to Viagogo’s terms and conditions, you are responsible for maintaining the security of your username and password, and you are responsible for any action taken under your account.

They also offer a 100% guarantee that covers a variety of situations like canceled events, incorrect ticket listings, and fake tickets. 

In the unfortunate event that these things happen, the buyer will receive 100% of their money back, and the seller will not get paid and will be charged an admin fee. 

So, I would say that even though Viagogo claims to have a secure payment system and offers a guarantee to protect transactions, they have also been accused of listing non-existent and fake tickets.

Just to be safe, it’s still important to research the seller and the event before buying tickets, whether they're with Viagogo or from any secondary market.

Is Viagogo reliable when it comes to refunds and transfers?

Based on Viagogo’s terms and conditions, they offer refunds if the buyer is refused entry because of invalid or fake tickets. But only if you have contacted Viagogo within 48 hours of the incident and reported the issue.

There are times when you are also required to complete a Dispute Claim Form and provide additional information to claim a refund. These forms would be returned to Viagogo within 5 working days after receiving them.

Viagogo’s Ticket Selection and Availability

Viagogo has quite a wide selection of tickets worldwide. I have seen tickets for different events available worldwide, which is a good point and also convenient.

I would also like to mention that sellers can list two different types of tickets on their website: official tickets and season tickets.

Official tickets are tickets that were bought directly from an event organizer, while season tickets are tickets that have been bought as part of a season ticket package.

While they do have a wide selection of tickets, I have one issue with them. I felt like I  was being pressured to buy tickets there. Constant pop-ups and reminders are all around their website, which is distracting and, quite frankly, kind of stressful.

Viagogo’s checkout waiting page with the text “Less than 4% of total tickets in the venue are currently available on our site.”
Viagogo’s ticket selection page, where a couple of red texts are highlighted. These red texts show the number of tickets remaining, how many people have viewed the event within the hour, and the percentage of tickets currently available on the site.

So while I do appreciate the way they present their tickets online, my whole experience was not so good.

Is Viagogo legit? Customer experiences and feedback

Customer service should be helpful and dedicated to resolving problems, but most of all, customers must be able to contact them.

I had no major problems with my tickets from Viagogo, but taking into consideration all the reviews that I have read, I’d say that while they are legitimate, they don’t have a good standing with their customers. 

Viagogo has a -66 Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is low. Meaning only 17% of their users would like to recommend Viagogo to their friends, according to Pissed Consumer.

Here are some mixed reviews for Viagogo:

Is Viagogo legit? Overall buyer satisfaction and recommendations

Based on my experience and the reviews that I read, Viagogo seems like a hit-or-miss. While some users have reported positive experiences, others have experienced receiving fake tickets or paying more than face value for tickets.

Despite being a legitimate company, they do need some major improvements,  especially when it comes to screening their sellers.

Their wide selection of tickets and interactive seating are some of Viagogo’s strengths. They also support different languages and currencies, which I find convenient.

Viagogo also offers a 100% buyer guarantee for canceled events, but refunds will be given only when you comply with their requirements, so it’s good to familiarize yourself with their terms and conditions just in case.

For their areas for improvement, they need to be more transparent with their pricing as well as the presentation of tickets on their website. It would also help to improve their customer service.

At the end of the day, if you are considering buying tickets from Viagogo, I advise you to do your research. I am giving Viagogo a 3.7-star rating.

What are other Viagogo Ticket Marketplace alternatives?

If you are looking for more choices when it comes to getting tickets for your concert or event, here are some alternatives and competitors in the ticket resale market:

StubHub

StubHub is one of the ticket marketplaces that has been in the industry for a long time. For two decades now, they have successfully sold millions of tickets to fans all over the globe. 

StubHub’s homepage shows a search bar for the event you want to attend. They also have a menu at the top of the page where you can view your tickets or sign in. The page features the Austin City Limits Festival as well as different popular events presented in an image carousel.

One thing that makes buyers trust StubHub is their A- rating from the Better Business Bureau. This rating usually indicates the company’s performance and customer satisfaction.

Like Viagogo, StubHub, too, has a lot of ticket availability and a 100% fan protection guarantee for premium tickets to major shows across the US. Their ticket selection includes concerts, sporting events, theater shows, and other interesting events.

Overall, StubHub is one of the trusted online ticket marketplaces.

Ticketmaster

This company has been in the entertainment industry since 1976 as a ticket marketplace for both the primary and secondary markets. 

Ticketmaster’s header menu leads to different options like concert selection and the sign-in page. It also shows their slogan “Let’s Make Live Happen.” Directly below the slogan is the search bar where you can type your city, date of the event, and event name.

Ticketmaster is a popular choice among fans and event-goers because of its reliable service. 

Some fans and ticket buyers, however, think poorly of Ticketmaster because they seem to have a monopoly in the ticketing industry and really high ticket prices because of additional fees.

If you prioritize reliability over price, then Ticketmaster is a very good option.

SeatGeek

Another ticket marketplace that has been in the entertainment industry for years is SeatGeek. It was established in 2009 and eventually expanded its services to include secondary and primary ticketing. 

SeatGeek’s homepage header menu shows different links to dedicated event categories and the login page. Their slogan “Let there be live” can also be seen, and a search bar where you can type the event you want to search for.

Their platform mostly caters to users throughout the United States. You can search for, compare ticket prices, and buy tickets for different events and concerts using their user-friendly buying and selling process.

One downside of SeatGeek is its limitations when it comes to its events. Their ticket prices might also differ depending on the seller, so prices can sometimes be high.

Even though SeetGeek is not a popular choice, it is a legitimate marketplace that continues to serve its customers.

Vivid Seats

Last on my list of recommendations is Vivid Seats. Like the other online ticket exchange and resale companies that I mentioned, you can buy and sell tickets here. Their events and buyers are usually from the United States and Canada.

Vividseat’s header shows the company’s logo and search bar. They also included links for their sports, concerts, and theater & comedy sections in the header menu. Below, you can see some recommended events and concerts depending on your city.

Vivid Seats is the result of a merger with Horizon Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC, in 2021. While they are still new, they aim to offer a user-friendly and exciting experience for their fans when it comes to event discovery and buying tickets.

A lot of buyers also consider them a reliable and secure exchange and resale platform. They offer a 100% buyer guarantee and have a rewards program for their loyal customers.