Unable to add Ticketmaster tickets to Apple Wallet

Question

Level 1

4 points

Unable to add Ticketmaster tickets to Apple Wallet

I saw a few similar questions, but there doesn't appear to be a good answer. The issue is this: when clicking the "Add to Apple Wallet" button for Ticketmaster tickets, I'm prompted for a Face ID scan, which succeeds; however, a pop-up message appears stating:

Unable to Add Pass

Your pass could not be added to Wallet at this time. Try again later.

I've called both Ticketmaster & Apple about this problem, and they both say the system on their end looks fine & that I should contact the other company to fix the issue.

I've already tried uninstalling & reinstalling the Ticketmaster app. My iPhone is a 16 using the latest version of iOS as of this writing, which is 18.0.1. I've tried adding the tickets from the Ticketmaster app as well as via their website in Safari. I tried the "Reset All Settings" function on my iPhone. I tried opening a new Ticketmaster account and transferring my tickets to the new account.

Of note, I just traded in my iPhone SE (3rd generation), which I had used numerous times in the past to add Ticketmaster tickets without any issue. This is the first time I'm using my iPhone 16 for Ticketmaster tickets.

Nothing seems to work. And Ticketmaster & Apple just point the finger at each other, which leaves me up the creek without a paddle.

While I don't mind using the app, one of my tickets doesn't even display a barcode; rather, it just tells me to add the ticket to my wallet. The Ticketmaster customer service person claimed a barcode will appear on the day of the event. I hope that's accurate; otherwise, I won't be able to get into my event.

iPhone 16, iOS 18

Posted on Oct 7, 2024 11:22 AM

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Answer 1

Jeff Donald

Level 7

25,599 points

Oct 7, 2024 11:48 AM in response to edkyoon

If you’ll search the numerous Ticketmaster posts, you’ll see these type of issues are ongoing. Ticketmaster support needs to assist if you’re to resolve the issue. Apple doesn’t control or affect adding tickers, passes etc to the Wallet app. Airlines, hotels and numerous other issuers have no problem developing apps and websites that comply with Apple Wallet security standards. Scroll through the community and you’ll see literally no posts about airlines and major sports leagues. They just work. Ticketmaster is not even close to being in the same league.

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Answer 2

edkyoon Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 7, 2024 1:10 PM in response to Jeff Donald

Yea.. I guess. I suppose I was hoping that if this was a big enough issue then Apple and/or Ticketmaster might want to actually do something about it rather than leaving people stranded in customer service purgatory.... especially, considering that Ticketmaster is basically a ticketing monopoly.

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Answer 3

Jeff Donald

Level 7

25,599 points

Oct 7, 2024 1:28 PM in response to edkyoon

Electronic wallets have multiple regulations by federal and state regulations that take precedence over individual issuers inability to comply with Apple’s security protocols. If we look at this another way, 2.9 million people fly in the US everyday (FAA statistics). Yet there are virtually no issues with airlines producing and distributing tickets for electronic wallets. I think the question is why can’t Ticketmaster do the same. 😀

Not trying to be flippant or insensitive, just trying to point consumer frustration in the right direction. If you haven’t already shared your frustration and angst with Ticketmaster, that would be my next destination.

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Answer 4

edkyoon Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 7, 2024 3:49 PM in response to Jeff Donald

Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I attempted to work through the issue with Ticketmaster again. And, again, I got nowhere. Just more unhelpful cut & paste tips from their website and suggestions to sidestep the problem by not using Apple Wallet.

Did I think this post would actually get this issue resolved? No, not really. Do I think this is a Ticketmaster problem rather than an Apple problem? Probably; at least the Apple customer service folks seemed to actually be interested in solving the problem. So, if I didn't think this post would get the issue resolved, why did I bother? Because I thought it might be helpful to document this problem for others to see. Maybe it'll save someone the time of attempting to get a resolution through Apple/Ticketmaster customer service. Maybe someone at Apple will think this is a big enough problem to reach out to the ticketing monopoly to fix their issues. Probably not, but also probably more likely than Ticketmaster actually doing anything to help.

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