How to Score Last Minute Broadway Tickets

And at a discount! You have a few hours to kill and you just made the decision to see a show tonight? Now you’re wondering about buying Broadway tickets the day of the show.

The good and bad news is that Broadway fans have a variety of options when it comes down to scoring last minute, discounted show tickets. If you don’t have tickets at the eleventh hour and you’re looking to see a show that same day, your best bet is usually going online. You have so many options that you might be overwhelmed, so we created a quick rundown of your best cost-saving options:

Craigslist: High Risk, High Reward

Craigslist isn’t the safest option, but if you have a little time and aren’t averse to some risk, you can find some great deals on this online marketplace. And no promo code needed.

The reason why you’re more likely to find a bargain is because the sellers are usually as desperate as the buyers. Usually sellers aren’t able to make the show for whatever reason so it becomes a buyers market when they still have their tickets on the day of the show.

Sellers have a direct investment to unload their tickets for whatever dollar amount rather than eating the entire cost of the ticket once the show starts. So, you can score orchestra tickets that are usually $250 for $100 — that’s definitely better than zero. It’s a win-win for both sides. The problems can be many: if you’re looking for four tickets or an odd number, and you spend some time filtering out the fakes and scams. If you choose this route, buyers have to be extremely careful in vetting.

TodayTix: You have 5 Minutes?

We vouch for TodayTix for the value, ease and convenience they offer. You might be able to get a better price on Craigslist if you work hard enough, but when it comes to finding a last minute ticket a– one that will work — and ensuring you got a good price, it’s TodayTix. Literally it takes 5 minutes from the second you decide to see a show to having a confirmation email from TodayTix that you’ve secured Broadway tickets. And you’ll never have tickets with restricted views. The only downside for TodayTix is the fees that they charge — usually $12.50 (per ticket) for most Broadway shows.

Broadway Box: Updated Discounts and No Fees

Started in August 2001, Broadway Box is s small team that collects “the latest and greatest discount offers” available for Broadway (and off-Broadway) shows. When you choose a show off their site, it will present a list of the latest discounts, promotions, and other codes that come directly from the shows themselves. And there’s more great news from Broadway Box (outside of being a local small business that does all the legwork), it’s completely free of charge. The downside is that they’re only available in New York and London.

StubHub and Other Resellers: Ugh, Fees

Like Craigslist, if you’re looking for tickets at the last minute (or, a few hours before the show), StubHub and other ticket resellers can be a boon for buyers. Same logic applies: most sellers want to get something back for the money they spent on the tickets, so if you time it right, you can get some good deals on StubHub and the like.

The MAJOR HUGE downside are the fees they charge. These fees appear as you checkout after you made the decision to buy. Most times the fees kill any buzz created by a potential good deal or even a steal.

For example, take a look at the fees added onto my “Dear Evan Hansen” tickets:

A $53.36 charge on $209.18 ticket? That’s more than 25% additional after hitting checkout.  I’ve never abandoned a cart so hard in my life. As you can see, with resellers you might be able to find a good ticket, but it’s all about the fees that they pile on top at the last minute.

What may look like a no-brainer and an awesome deal on the surface will quickly turn into a terrible deal when you click “CHECKOUT”.

TKTS: Never Guaranteed

Probably the most popular method way of scoring last minute Broadway tickets on the cheap is TKTS is also a rite of passage for tourists. At the TKTS booths, you *can* get some good deals here, but it’s neither the easiest nor the efficient method.

With TKTS there’s never a guarantee this mainstay would have tickets to the show you want and many times, you have to get up at the crack of dawn just to wait in a long line.

Broadway.com: Awesome Domain, Bad Deals

Odds are you’ll run across Broadway.com when looking for tickets to The Great White Way. The eponymous website bills itself as a one-stop destination for everything Broadway — including tickets. However, it’s not the best resource for finding discounted tickets or deals. In our experience with the site, we’ve never found a better deal (for the same show and seating area) than TodayTix. This should be one of your last resorts for tickets.

There’s a slew of other websites and apps out there slinging and reselling Broadway tix, but we decided to cover a handful of the most popular options. We didn’t include “Lotteries” because your chance of getting a ticket the same day is next to 0% depending on how popular the show is.