Starting April 27, American Express is giving out free tickets to Beyonce’s Formation tour through a joint promotion with rideshare company Uber. The chances of winning? Unclear, but maybe a little better than Powerball.
American Express says it’s making “hundreds” of tickets available across 20 cities, both to cardholders and non-cardholders, but it didn’t say how many. The company did not respond to a request for further comment about this question. But “demand will be high and availability limited,” according to a statement from American Express.
No kidding. It’s one of the most talked-about tours of the year, and ticket prices are as high as $1,500 for some of the best seats.
For AmEx, it’s a way to promote its integration with the Uber app, which lets you redeem Membership Rewards points for Uber rides in-app at 1 cent per point. That makes it one of the best redemption options available.
If you live near a concert venue and love Beyonce, this giveaway may be worth a try. Just be prepared with a backup plan, in the (very likely) event you don’t win.
How to enter the giveaway
Here’s how it works:
- Enter the “FORMATIONAMEX” promotional code on your Uber app by going to the sidebar and clicking “Promotions.” You can do this part days in advance of the concert, if you want.
- On the day that Beyonce is giving a concert in your city, you and your friend/date/spouse get all dressed up for the show.
- Turn on your Uber app, which should now be in what Uber calls “Formation view” — presumably, that means the app will be Beyonce-themed — and request an Uber to the concert venue at a certain time. (Go to your city’s Uber Twitter feed to find out more details.)
From there, two things can happen — one of them good.
If you win, an Uber driver will arrive with two free tickets to Beyonce’s concert, and you’ll get a free round-trip ride to the concert. According to Uber’s terms and conditions, you can only win if:
- You’re 18 or older.
- You and your guest are ready to go when you request Uber. Don’t make the driver wait!
The return trip has to be on an UberX, the non-fancy option, and is valid up to $50.
If that all goes according to plan, you’ll be able to join the rest of the Beyhive at what might be the best concert of the year. Your friend/date/spouse will think you’re the coolest person alive, and your Facebook friends will be like, “Why didn’t you take me to the concert?”
What happens if you don’t win?
The second possibility — let’s call it “The Best Thing I Never Had” possibility — is that you don’t win. You won’t get Formation tickets or a complimentary ride to the concert. That’s kind of disappointing, especially since you’re dressed for a Beyonce concert and your friend/date/spouse is staring at you.
At that point, your ride to the venue will automatically be canceled, according to AmEx. But if you didn’t want the evening to go to waste, you could Uber to Red Lobster instead, where you could listen to “Lemonade” on repeat and try to forget you’re missing out on one of the best concerts of the year. Your choice.
If you don’t get the Beyonce tickets — and you probably won’t, but it’s fun to dream — it’s worth keeping in mind that you can still get exclusive access to venues as an American Express cardholder. Last year, the company promoted a presale for tickets to “Hamilton,” the blockbuster musical that just won a Pulitzer.
You can check out early access or preferred seating offers by logging on to your American Express account, clicking on “Benefits” and navigating to “Membership Experiences.”
» MORE: NerdWallet’s best American Express credit cards
Here’s a list of Beyonce’s tour stops at which you have a chance to win tickets, according to a press release from AmEx and Uber:
| April 27 | Miami |
| April 29 | Tampa, Florida |
| May 1 | Atlanta |
| May 3 | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| May 5 | Nashville, Tennessee |
| May 7 | Houston |
| May 9 | Arlington, Texas |
| May 12 | San Diego |
| May 14 | Pasadena, California |
| May 16 | Santa Clara, California |
| May 18 | Seattle |
| May 23 | Minneapolis |
| May 27 | Chicago |
| May 28 | Chicago |
| May 29 | Detroit |
| May 31 | Pittsburgh |
| June 3 | Foxborough, Massachusetts |
| June 5 | Philadelphia |
| June 7 | New York City |
| June 8 | New York City |
| June 10 | Baltimore |
| June 12 | Hershey, Pennsylvania |
Claire Tsosie is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: claire@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @ideclaire7.
Photos courtesy of American Express.
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