What It's Really Like Participating in Taylor Swift's Reputation Tour Presale

I've been a Taylor Swift fan for almost 11 years now, but unfortunately, I've never been to one of her concerts. So, when she announced her sixth album, Reputation, I made a vow that I would finally get tickets to see her show. Little did I know that I was in for a wild ride. As part of Ticketmaster's Verified Fan program — which had fans watch videos, buy albums and merchandise, and participate in Taylor Nation hangouts to boost their spot in line — the most dedicated fans were given the opportunity to buy tickets before anyone else earlier this week.

After buying the album multiple times and watching a video of Swift eating cookie dough more times than I can count, I was able to participate in the presale and ultimately score my first tickets to see her! Of course, the journey wasn't easy. To paraphrase the words of Swift herself, if the presale didn't make you crazy, you ain't doing it right.

Here are the highs and lows I, and a bunch of other Swifties, experienced while buying tickets to the Reputation Stadium Tour.

01
Anxiously Watching the Clock For My Presale Time
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Anxiously Watching the Clock For My Presale Time

Ahead of the presale, each fan was given a specific time slot based on their spot in line where they would receive a text message with their unique access code. I'm pretty sure I was more anxious about starting the presale than I was about taking my SAT in high school.

02
Obnoxiously Checking My Phone For My Presale Code
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Obnoxiously Checking My Phone For My Presale Code

Once the hour started, it was like time started moving slower. Since Ticketmaster wanted fans to have the best buying experience, they actually sent text messages one by one. I don't think I've ever looked at my phone more.

03
Refreshing My Email Every Five Seconds
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Refreshing My Email Every Five Seconds

After almost 30 minutes had passed, I started checking my email as well, just in case my text message failed to deliver.

04
Seeing People Already Have Tickets and I'm Still Waiting For My Code
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Seeing People Already Have Tickets and I'm Still Waiting For My Code

After an hour went by, more and more fans received their codes and were able to buy tickets. Seeing them bragging about it on Twitter certainly didn't calm my nerves.

05
Finding Out How Much Pit Tickets Are Going For
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Finding Out How Much Pit Tickets Are Going For

Thankfully, some gracious fans posted how much tickets were going for online. Unfortunately, pit tickets (which are GA seats right in front of the stage) were almost $800 per person. Not to mention, seats in front of the catwalk were going for a cool $1,500, aka more than one month's rent.

06
My Heart Skipping a Beat When I Get My Code
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My Heart Skipping a Beat When I Get My Code

Finally, after one hour and one minute, I was given my unique code. I may have had a brief heart attack in that exact moment.

07
Getting My Squad on the Phone to Discuss Seating Options
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Getting My Squad on the Phone to Discuss Seating Options

Before I even started typing my code into Ticketmaster, I was dialing my mom (aka my go-to concert partner) on the phone, as I do with all stressful situations.

08
Noticing the Front Floor Seats Aren't Even Available
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Noticing the Front Floor Seats Aren't Even Available

As soon as I clicked in, I realized that the first three floor sections closest to the stage were completely grayed out. Either they had already been purchased within the hour, or Ticketmaster is holding them for the venue presale.

09
Trying to Decide Which Section I Want
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Trying to Decide Which Section I Want

So, with my first option gone, I scanned the rest of the arena for the best seat, keeping in mind that I probably only had a limited amount of time to make a decision before someone else scooped it up.

10
Making a Decision and Finding Out My Tickets Have Been Sold Already
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Making a Decision and Finding Out My Tickets Have Been Sold Already

And my instinct was right. Even though the seating chart showed some seats available, when I clicked to buy, it would give me a notification that someone else had already bought them.

11
Finally Selecting Available Seats
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Finally Selecting Available Seats

Now that I knew which section I wanted, I kept clicking in that general range until I finally got something.

12
Wondering If I Picked the Right Seats
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Wondering If I Picked the Right Seats

Of course, after I found tickets available, I began to second-guess whether or not I had actually selected the right seats. I didn't want to go backward for fear of losing them, and I didn't want to open a new tab for fear that the system would think I was a bot (they specifically warned fans ahead of time to not have multiple tabs open when purchasing tickets).

13
Pondering My Decision as the Clock Counts Down
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Pondering My Decision as the Clock Counts Down

After I put my credit card information in, I literally sat at my computer for a solid five minutes staring at my screen as the clock counted down.

14
Pressing "Buy" and Waiting For the Page to Load
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Pressing "Buy" and Waiting For the Page to Load

Finally, I took a deep breath, pressed "buy," and prayed that my WiFi would not fail me.

15
Getting My Ticket Confirmation
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Getting My Ticket Confirmation

Success! After agonizing over the presale for a solid two hours, I finally had tickets. I'm actually going to see Taylor Swift next year and I am so . . . ready for it.