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Do you like to go to sporting events and shows? Most people like to get out to the ballpark or a concert every once in a while, but often rising ticket prices, service fees, and extra hassle keep people from buying tickets.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
ScoreBig Daily (Free) is an app for iPhone that works with the ScoreBig.com Web site to get you good seats for events for much less than the original ticket price. As of today’s launch of the app, ScoreBig only works with events in L.A. or San Francisco, but it will soon be available for most major cities. ScoreBig says that New York will be next.
The way ScoreBig Daily works is, you launch the app and based on your location data it sends you three great deals nearby on sporting events and concerts. It doesn’t show you the nosebleed seats either; ScoreBig Daily always shoots for lower-level seats so you can actually enjoy the sporting event, concert, or theater performance. If you like a deal listed for that day, you simply touch the event, then use a slider to put in the price you want to pay. As you push the slider further left indicating a cheaper bid, ScoreBig lets you know that your bid is less likely to be approved, while sliding to the right gets you an indicator that a higher bid is more likely to be approved. Don’t bid too low, because if your bid is not accepted, you’ll need to wait 3 hours before making another bid.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Once you’ve set your price, ScoreBig Daily has you enter your credit card information and makes sure you’re ready to actually buy tickets for the event. Be warned: when you approve the bid at this point, there’s no turning back. Once approved, it only takes a few moments and you’ll find out if your bid was accepted. You’ll also only need to enter your credit card information the first time — the app automatically stores your info for the next time you place a bid.
Probably the best thing about ScoreBig Daily is that when you buy the tickets at a significantly lower price (ScoreBig says as much as 60 percent off), you don’t have any extra fees tacked on like you would at a major ticket reseller. You simply pay the reduced cost of the tickets, an e-mail is sent to you so you can print it out, and then you’re ready to go to the event. The folks at ScoreBig say this is possible because their ticket inventory comes directly from teams and major ticketing organizations that are looking to unload tickets on the day of the event.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Not a sports fan? You can set up ScoreBig Daily to send you alerts only for the type of events you like. Just go into the settings and flip the switches to on or off for Sports, Music, Arts and Theater, Comedy, and Family. From that point on, you’ll only receive deals for the events you might actually go to.
The one drawback is that you can’t plan in advance with the app; ScoreBig Daily is for the spontaneous fan who’s ready to go today and get a great deal. There’s also a share button if you see a deal that you can’t take, but think a friend might like to know about it. If you want a little more planning time, you could always go to the ScoreBig Web site, which lets you bid on games and events much further in advance.
If you’re like most people, rising ticket costs and service fees probably keep you from going to sporting events and concerts. With this app on your iPhone, you can check for deals every day, and with a little spontaniety, get good seats to an event on the cheap.
