Is Seat Geek a Scam? 

If you’re thinking of using Seat Geek, you need to know: Is Seat Geek a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Seat Geek is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety when using this platform. 

What Is Seat Geek?

Seat Geek is a ticket platform where users can buy and sell tickets for sports events, concerts, and theater shows. 

It operates as both a primary ticket marketplace (official ticketing partner for certain teams and venues) and a secondary marketplace (aggregating resale listings from individuals and other sellers).

The platform provides interactive seat maps and an algorithm that rates ticket listings based on their value (e.g., price, seat, etc.). 

Seat Geek is similar to StubHub and Vivid Seats.

Is Seat Geek a Scam?

No, Seat Geek is not a scam. It’s a legitimate ticket platform. 

In 2018, PCMag gave Seat Geek a 4.0 out of 5.0 rating (“Excellent”). 

However, customer reviews of the platform are mixed:

• 4.4 out of 5.0 stars (from 14,077 ratings) on Trustpilot.
• 1.1 out of 5.0 stars (from 929 ratings) on Consumer Affairs.
• 2.2 out of 5.0 stars (from 2,560 ratings) on Sitejabber.
• 4.2 out of 5.0 stars (from 38,735 ratings) on Google Play.
• 4.9 out of 5.0 stars (from 869,571 ratings) on the App Store.
• 1.0 out of 5.0 stars (from 337 ratings) on Reseller Ratings.     

Common complaints include inflexible refund policies, tickets not delivered in time (or at all), customer service frustrations (e.g., support not able to resolve more complex problems), third-party resellers scamming buyers, and sellers not receiving payouts in a timely manner (or at all).

Many people also say that Seat Geek is overpriced and that it’s possible to find better ticket deals elsewhere. 

In 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed against Seat Geek, claiming that the platform did not display the full cost of tickets, including all fees, upfront as required by the New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law. 

On the other hand, some people report having had good experiences with Seat Geek. 

Buyer Guarantee

Seat Geek offers a Buyer Guarantee.

The platform guarantees that you’ll get your tickets on time, that the tickets will have a valid entry to the event, and that the tickets will be the same ones you ordered. 

If that’s not the case, Seat Geek says it will work with you on a case-by-case basis and give you a comparable ticket, refund, or credit.  

However, some users report having had negative experiences with Seat Geek refunds. 

For example, one person said they purchased three concert tickets and later upgraded to four seats to accommodate a friend. Since the original three tickets were marked as “fully refundable,” they returned them expecting a flexible store credit. 

SeatGeek gave them a promo code worth $396, but did not clearly disclose (or the person wasn’t made aware) that the credit would be single-use only.

When they finally used the credit a few months later for a $170 ticket, the entire $396 was consumed. Instead of deducting just the $170 and leaving a $226 balance, Seat Geek used up the whole credit. 

When the person contacted customer support, Seat Geek confirmed the promo code is a one-time-use credit and offered no additional assistance.

Security 

We couldn’t find any information about Seat Geek’s security measures on its website.

However, the cybersecurity company Security Scorecard gives Seat Geek a cybersecurity score of 84/100 or a “B.” 

According to Security Scorecard, “companies with an F are 13.8 times more likely to be impacted by a breach versus those with an A.” 

As per its Google Play page, Seat Geek encrypts data in transit and allows users to request that their data be deleted. 

Privacy

Seat Geek explains the kind of data it collects, why, and with whom it shares it in its privacy policy. 

The platform collects information you provide, such as your name, email, address, payment details, and preferences (e.g., favorite teams). It may also collect sensitive data like disabilities for seating accommodations. 

If you use Seat Geek to sell tickets, you’ll need to provide your name, date of birth, Social Security number and/or tax identification number, address, and bank account information. 

Seak Geek also automatically collects certain information, like your IP address, device info, pages visited, etc. It may collect content from linked social media accounts such as Facebook or Spotify. 

The platform also uses cookies and other tracking technologies to collect data about your online activities. 

It may collect data about you from other sources, as well. For example, its partners, credit bureaus, mailing list providers, and publicly available sources. 

Your location data is collected only with your consent, and can be turned off anytime through your device’s settings. 

Seat Geek uses your information to provide and improve its service, personalize content and ads, prevent fraud, comply with legal obligations, provide customer support, and manage transactions. 

The platform may share your information with vendors/service providers, event partners, third parties for ads/analytics, affiliates, and subsidiaries. It may also share your data in legal or business transfers (e.g., merger or acquisition). 

Seat Geek says it retains your data only for as long as necessary for legal or business reasons.

It may archive some data for dispute resolution or fraud prevention. 

The Common Sense Privacy Program, which rates internet services’ privacy policies, gives Seat Geek a “Warning” rating. This means the platform “Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.”

Among the issues flagged by the Common Sense Privacy Program are that Seat Geek sells or rents personal information to third parties, shares personal data for third-party marketing, and displays personalized advertising. 

The Privacy Program also says that third parties collect data for their own purposes, users’ information is used to track and target ads on other third-party websites, and data profiles are created and used for personalised ads. 

So, Should You Use Seat Geek?

Depends on your situation.

Seat Geek might be a good platform to buy from if you can’t find the tickets you’re looking for elsewhere, or if they’re only sold on Seat Geek. 

It may not be the best option if you’re spending a lot of money and need reliable customer support, or if you’re buying a ticket for a time-sensitive or once-in-a-lifetime event and need absolute reliability.

How to Use Seat Geek Safely

• Use a dedicated or masked email. When creating a Seat Geek profile, use a dedicated or masked email to reduce the amount of spam you get in your primary email inbox. 
• Create a strong password. And don’t reuse it elsewhere online.
• Turn on two-factor authentication. Seat Geek offers 2FA – make sure to turn it on to protect your account further. 
• Share minimal personal information. Provide only necessary information when purchasing tickets and avoid sharing extra details. 
• Don’t link social media accounts. Don’t link your social media profiles, such as Spotify and Facebook, to Seat Geek to keep your personal information private. 
• Turn off location tracking. Seat Geek might ask you for your location to suggest nearby events. Unless absolutely necessary, turn this feature off in your device’s settings.
• Opt out of data sharing. You can do this by clicking the “Your Privacy Choices” link in the footer of Seat Geek’s website or app. 
• Pay with a credit card. Credit cards are generally seen as safer than debit cards as theft offers better fraud protection and allows you to dispute charges in case something goes wrong. 
• Don’t buy tickets on public Wi-Fi. Use mobile data or a trusted VPN if you have to purchase your tickets outside of a safe home network. 
• Delete your account. If you don’t think you’ll ever use Seat Geek again, delete your account or data by emailing privacy@seatgeek.com.