As a concert and Cirque du Soleil fan, I often go to the United States or Europe for a weekend to see a show. But this can be very expensive. With credit card rewards points and benefits, I can take advantage of the best seats and reduce the total bill.

Here is a guide to attending concerts in Canada and around the world from the front row.

You may have already tried to reserve seats for a concert and within a few minutes, there were no more seats available.

With American Express Front Of The Line^®, you get access to pre-sales for many shows, concerts and events. This way, you will be able to buy your tickets a few days before the general sale.

This benefit is available for all American Express credit cards. The only rule is to pay for your tickets with an American Express card.

To be sure you receive access to American Express Front Of The Line^® news, I recommend signing up for the newsletter in your American Express account or signing up here. You can also find the list of events available for pre-sale on the dedicated page of Ticketmaster website.

If you missed a pre-sale, you can also get seats reserved for American Express cardholders only.

To see the available seats on Ticketmaster, you must click on the filters in the upper right corner and select only Front Of The Line by American Express^® Experiences reserved ticket.

American Express cards offer other exclusive benefits at select venues such as the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, where Cardmembers can use the American Express private entrance in addition to lounge access.

The RBCxMusic program provides tickets that are only available to RBC clients. In addition to getting exclusive seats, you will receive a $10 Concert Cash discount code for your next purchase. Each code allows you to obtain up to 4 tickets.

There are a few steps to get the discount code, but the process is simple. First, go to the RBCxMusic website.

Select the event you are interested in and click on Filters and then RBCxMusic Tickets.

Then click on this blue hyperlink. The message below will appear.

Click on “Get your unique offer code to unlock RBCxMusic tickets”.

Then, on the next page, select ” I am an RBC client ” and ” Continue “.

Enter your RBC Online Banking credentials and click”Sign In“.

Verify the information and click on”Continue“.

Your unique six-digit code will appear on the screen. Click on”Copy code“.

Return to the Ticketmaster event page window and paste the six-character alphanumeric code into the blank area.

Click on the unlocked padlock icon. There you go ! Reserved seats are all yours !

Marriott Moments offers tickets to a variety of events such as concerts, festivals and sporting events as well as culinary experiences. Some experiences are available for a fixed number of Marriott Bonvoy points and others through a bidding system.

Marriott has partnerships with several concert halls around the world. For example, there is the O2 Arena in London, the Madison Square Garden in New York or the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. It is a great opportunity to live an exceptional moment during a trip.

For example, you can book tickets to see DJ Hardwell in Dubai for 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for 2 tickets with premium seats.

Mastercard’s Priceless site also offers unique experiences, preferred seating or discounts on exclusives activities. For example, you can get 15% off Cirque du Soleil shows in Canada and 20% off in Las Vegas.

Or preferred seating at select theaters in the Disney parks.

Here are the credit cards that we recommend to book tickets for shows as well as for your trip, to pay your :

• Hotel
• Flights
• Reservation of concert tickets
• and also avoid foreign currency conversion fees!

The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card ticks several of these boxes. Thanks to it, you have :

• No foreign currency conversion fees (2.5% savings on each transaction)
• Six airport lounge visits per year
• Points are redeemable against travel expenses (flight, hotel, Airbnb, etc.).
• Insurance coverage
• Visa card = accepted worldwide

Another popular card saves money on concerts and your getaway. Here are some of the benefits of the Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card:

• Access to American Express^® Front of the Line
• No foreign currency conversion fees (2.5% savings on each transaction)
• Points redeemable for cash back on any travel purchase (airfare, hotel, etc.)
• Holds good travel insurance
• Low income required to subscribe
• Concierge Service

In addition to opening up benefits to get the best tickets or new experiences, credit cards can help you reduce the cost of your trip with points!