We all know that there are LOTS of ways to buy Broadway tickets (and it’s easy to be skeptical of the new kid on the block), but we recently tested out a new (to us and to Broadway) tickets website called ScoreBig that offers a bit of a different approach to the Broadway ticket-buying process.
It’s almost like an online version of the TKTS booth, where discounted tickets are made available to people hoping to see a show for less. The twist with ScoreBig is that you have the opportunity to make an offer on tickets and get them for an even lower price. The other twist with ScoreBig is that the seat selection process is streamlined – instead of looking up actual open seats, ScoreBig outlines different seating areas with similar views and prices (in a theatre there may be 6 or 7 seating areas to choose from). The guarantee with the seats is that your tickets will “always be together – which means in a row, one next to the other, without any strangers seated in between”.
So…how did ScoreBig do when we tested the system out? Pretty well overall!
The process on the website was easy – we found the show we wanted to see (in this case the hilarious A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), picked a seating area we liked (and yes, our two seats ended up being right next to each other), and then started making offers. To really test the system, we started with some low-ball offers, and that’s where the first complication popped up. You input the amount you’re willing to spend per ticket, and ScoreBig instantly reviews to see if that will work – if your offer is rejected after three attempts, you’ve got to wait 24 hours before making another offer on tickets in that seating area. They’re clear about the policy, so it’s no surprise (and there’s even a cool colored bar that instantly shows how likely your offer is to be accepted), it just means you’ll want to make serious offers to save the most time.
Where we see this being especially useful is for people who have a specific amount of money set aside to see a Broadway show. There are no fees or extra charges with ScoreBig, so feel free to make an offer all the way up to the top of your budget. Having the option to make an offer lets you find your tickets fast and skip the search through all the different sections.
The only other complication we experienced with ScoreBig was the actual acquisition of the tickets. For us, there was an option to have the tickets waiting at Will Call or to download them for printing at home. We chose to download and didn’t receive the link to do so until a couple days after purchase. We assume that logistics were being worked out and seats were being secured behind the scenes during those two days, but it made us a little nervous (because the performance date was coming up soon). In the end, we got the tickets just fine. Our recommendation is to give ScoreBig a try if you’ve got at least a few days or maybe even a week before your show…otherwise maybe visit the TKTS booth instead.
Based on our test experience, we would use ScoreBig again. Like we said before, it’s kind of like buying TKTS discount tickets online (and avoiding that sometimes absurdly long line). It could be really helpful for people planning a trip to the city or looking for tickets on a specific date or just looking for the cheapest possible tickets! Give it a try yourself and let us know what you think. It’s certainly easy to use and offers some cool advantages that you might not find from other Broadway ticket sellers.
The Broadway Musical Home received a discount coupon code for ScoreBig but was not paid to endorse ScoreBig services and/or offerings in any way.
Broadway Musical Blog 