How the Right Credit Card Helped Me Get to Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras ​​Tour’

Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” is returning to the States next month, and while I’m not a Swiftie, I have a 9-year-old daughter who is a huge fan. I may not be able to sing the lyrics to many of her songs, but I have plenty of experience to draw on. travel credit card and knowledge of points and miles to make memories with my family.

And recently, this allowed me to do something that once seemed impossible: I bought real-value tickets to one of her shows in Miami and booked a $900+ hotel room for the night of the concert with a Free Night Certificate and 11,000 points.

Are you ready? Here’s how I use it The right combination of credit cards to make my daughter’s wildest dreams come true.

Access to pre-sale

In early September, selected cardholders of Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card learned about an opportunity to able to buy tickets to one of Taylor Swift’s October and November tour dates in Miami, New Orleans, and Indianapolis. However, this is not guaranteed. If you are the target, there are still steps to take.

First, you’ll need to register with a unique code from Capital One, selecting up to three individual shows. Then, a limited number of registrants will be selected as “Verified Venture X Fans” for a specific show. Finally, if selected, you’ll be given the opportunity to join the queue to buy tickets for that show—there’s no guarantee there will be seats available.

When I was offered the opportunity to apply for a Venture X card, I jumped at the chance, thinking the Miami location was close enough to my hometown of Fort Pierce, Florida. And just a few days later, I got word that I had been selected for my first program.

I verified that my Venture X was saved in my Ticketmaster account, then I prepared to log in exactly 30 minutes before the presale started.

Get tickets

When I arrived at the designated window, I opened the website and was immediately ushered into the waiting room. I then moved to the line to buy tickets right at 1pm — and was immediately disappointed to learn that there were nearly 650 people in line ahead of me.

I’m not sure if this number is for just one show or all nine, but I think there will be limited options when I finally get around to watching.

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Oh my god, I was wrong.

After about 15 agonizing minutes, it was my turn, and I was surprised to see that there were still quite a few tickets left. I started grabbing a few in the 200 section (limited to two per person), but then I saw some VIP packages being sold in the lower section—and on the floor. Knowing how much that meant to my daughter, I grabbed a couple in Row 12 and paid with my Venture X card (reservation required). At 1:19 p.m., the confirmation email arrived.

Of course, two tickets wouldn’t get my wife in with us, so I wondered if I could retrace my steps and get more tickets. I rejoined the queue (still logged into my eligible Ticketmaster account) and was quickly directed to the seating chart. While I couldn’t get any more tickets in the same category as my first purchase, the system did allow me to buy two more tickets as part of another VIP package. This meant that my wife and a close friend of ours—also a big fan—could also join us.

Hotel Booking

Once I had my tickets, the next step was to find a place to stay the night of the concert, since I didn’t want to drive two hours home afterward. Unsurprisingly, prices in the area are steep, with basic rooms starting at $600—and rising quickly from there.

Luckily I remembered I had an unused one. 35,000 point certificate in my Marriott account, which I received earlier this year after renewing Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® CardAnd a Residence Inn just a short drive from the stadium cost 46,000 points—or $903 if I paid cash.

I took the opportunity and applied for the certificate — fully loaded with 11,000 points from my Marriott Bonvoy account balance — and just like that, we were confirmed.

This isn’t exactly the most luxurious way to use your free night certificate, but it’s certainly better than paying over $900!

The Bonvoy Business Amex annual fee is just $125 (see prices and fees), so this is a great use for the card’s annual benefit.

Read more: Is the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card worth the annual fee?

The last line

I had long since given up on seeing Taylor Swift on the final leg of her “The Eras Tour,” as resale tickets were out of my price range. But that changed when I had the chance to buy them through Capital One’s recent presale. Even better? I was able to use my Marriott free night certificate to pay for most of my hotel stays.

All this can be done by having correct credit card.

Now, I’ve had both of these cards for years, and winning Taylor Swift tickets isn’t even on my radar as a reason to keep them open. But it shows the power of having a diverse set of products in your wallet to take advantage of opportunities like this.

The best part is that I get to give my daughter a great experience — and that, simply put, is awesome.

For Bonvoy Business Amex rates and fees, click This.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some benefits may be offered by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Benefits Guide for details, as terms and exclusions apply.