What is the American Express Front Of The Line Program?

The American Express Front of the Line program does exactly what the name describes. It allows cardmembers to access exclusive tickets before the general public, granting them early sales and reservations to sought-after concerts, sporting events, theatre productions, and on rare occasions, dining experiences.

Want in on the fun? All you’ll need as an active American Express credit card to tap into top-tier events.

What Experiences Are Included in The Front Of The Line Program?

We touched upon this briefly in the intro, but here’s a closer look at what the Front Of The program has to offer.

Here are some of the types of experiences you can expect with this perk:

• Concerts
• Theatre Productions
• Music Festivals
• Sporting Events
• Dining Experiences

To secure your spot at one of these events, you can purchase early-bird or reserved tickets on participating experiences.

How Does The American Express Front Of The Line Program Work?

We’ve told you what the American Express Front Of The Line program is, now we’re going to describe how it works. 

You can use the American Express Front of The Line program for two ticketing options:

• Presale Tickets: early access tickets to concerts, music festivals, theatre productions, and sports events before they are made available to the general public.
• Reserved Tickets: purchase tickets from a block of exclusive seats reserved by American Express for their cardmembers.

To help you navigate this program further, here’s your go-to guide on what to expect from the American Express Front Of The Line program, plus how to gain access to these exclusive offers:

Sign-Up For Updates

The best way to stay in-the-know with the American Express Front of The Line program is to sign up for the perk's email updates. This way, you’ll be the first to know about presale tickets, because they’ll be sent straight to your inbox.

Pick Your Presale or Reserved Tickets

When you're emailed an event you’d like to take advantage of, click its link to be redirected to the website selling the corresponding tickets. These tickets are typically sold on platforms like Ticketmaster.

On the ticketing website, look for filters labeled “Front Of The Line,” “American Express Presale,” or “American Express Reserved Seating.” The phrases may vary, but these filters will help you find the deals you’re looking for. 

For presale tickets specifically, you might need a code to access the Front Of The Line filter. If this is the case, the code is typically the customer service number on the back of your credit card, or you might receive a code by email, depending on the event.

Sometimes, American Express will even reserve a block of seats for its cardmembers to book. You can find these seats using the “Front Of The Line” filter as well or distinguished as part of the “American Express Reserved Seating” option.

Pay With Your American Express Credit Card

Once you’ve selected your seats, you can proceed to the checkout where it will be essential for you to pay in full using your American Express credit card (note that prepaid cards are not acceptable).

In some cases, you may even be able to save your American Express card to your Ticketmaster account for a smoother purchasing experience which will also unlock preferred seating when searching for tickets.

Perks of The American Express Front Of The Line Program

Aside from ticket sales, there are other perks included in the Front Of The Line program that you can take advantage of during some events.

Some of these benefits include:

• Express Entrance: get faster entry for you and a guest into festivals like OSHEAGA or concerts at the Budweiser Stage with the American Express Cardmember entrance.
• Express Concession Service: at places popular for theatre performances, like The Royal Alexandra Theatre, access express concession service with the Amex Priority Line or Priority Bars located at the Princess of Wales or the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre.
• American Express Lounges: before heading to your seat, stock up on food and refreshments inside dedicated Amex Lounges at participating events.

Drawbacks of the Front Of The Line Program

Full disclosure, there are a couple of drawbacks with the Front Of The Line program, but we’re here to point them out so you don’t run into any surprises.

• Presale tickets aren’t guaranteed: although the Front Of The Line Program puts you in one of the best positions to purchase presale tickets, there are no promises that you’ll get exactly what you want. Tickets will still be limited, so you’ll want to be as prompt as possible about securing them. (Also, make sure those Front Of The Line updates aren’t going straight to your spam folder!)
• Tickets are tricky to get rid of: You’ll want to be as certain as possible that you’ll be able to make it to your event. That’s because many tickets will be non-refundable and non-transferrable. It’s also strongly recommended that you do not purchase tickets for resale.
• You must pay with your Amex card in full: the cost of your Front Of The Line event must be covered completely by your American Express credit card, otherwise the transaction will be declined. Make sure you have enough credit available to support your purchase.

Is The American Express Front Of The Line Program Worth It?

If you're a frequent concert-goer, a sports fan, or enjoy a good theatre performance, and you found an American Express credit card that complements your spending habits, then the Front Of The Line program is absolutely worth it.

With this perk, you can get your hands on tickets you might've never been able to obtain otherwise, even before prices skyrocket. Here are some first-hand experiences of cardholders who took advantage of Amex's presale program, we pulled two examples from members who scored tickets to Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish performances.

Regarding the Olivia Rodrigo concert, one user said:

"Did the Amex Presale for LA. There were 900 people ahead of me. I got three floor tickets for $200 a pop. Went back to see what prices were after, and nearly all available seats are going for $840. Some are going for around $500." (Source: Reddit)

As for the Billie Eilish show:

"The show i went for was her dec. 17th at the kia forum in inglewood! i’m an AMEX cardholder which is how i got early access. no code needed, just had to pay with the AMEX :)

was in the 1,800s in queue for Ticketmaster and felt like my luck was slim for floor. made it in, clicked off the presale box for AMEX holders only to see what i could purchase and floor was available at $199.50 each ticket! bought two for grand total (fees and all) of $460.40 ... the process of purchasing was actually very streamlined and i was able to check out fast." (Source: Reddit)

So, if you find a card that optimizes most of your everyday expenses, and are looking for ways to gain priority access to some of your favourite events, an Amex credit card (along with its Front Of The Line program) could be the way to go. Just bear in mind that everyone's experiences may be different, your success in getting seats will all depend on the event and availability.

Best Credit Cards For The American Express Front Of The Line Program

All American Express cardmembers have access to Front Of The Line perks, you just have to find the right Amex credit card that supports your overall spending.

To help you sift through some of the top-picks, we've compiled this small list:

The American Express Cobalt Card

Known as the best points credit card in Canada, the American Express Cobalt Card offers generous points per dollar spent on everyday purchases like food and drinks, groceries. and food delivery. The card also offers competitive points on categories like streaming subscriptions, gas, and transit.

The coverage is solid, offering good protections for travellers and shoppers alike, and the benefits include none other than the Amex Experiences Front Of The Line program, plus a generous hotel travel credit.

There is an annual fee, but if you make the most of this card, you'll find that you'll more than make up for the cost each year since there's such a substantial annual value, especially in the first year.

SimplyCash Preferred Card from American Express

If you prefer cashback to points, the SimplyCash Preferred Card is American Express's top contender.

The annual fee is slightly less than the American Express Cobalt Card, which can also be offset by optimized usage.

With this card, enjoy the highest cashback rate on groceries and gas in Canada. If that weren't enough, there's also a great base cashback rate on all other eligible purchases.

Like the American Express Cobalt Card, the insurance coverage is pretty comprehensive, plus it's no surprise that you'll have access to American Express Experiences, which includes the Front Of The Line program.

American Express Green Card

Were you hoping for an Amex card without an annual fee? The American Express Green Card comes with a point per dollar spent on all purchases program, flexible redemptions (including transfers to other valuable loyalty programs), and no reward spending caps, all at no annual cost.

The coverage is limited, but as for benefits, you guessed it, you'll get the American Express Front Of The Line program, plus extra points on Amex Travel Online purchases.

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

Although there's an annual fee, the Scotiabank Gold American Express card is fit for travellers. Complete with no foreign transaction fees (a rarity), extensive travel coverage (including trip interruption, trip cancellation, and emergency medical over 65), and a discount on a PriorityPass Membership.

The card's rewards program covers all high-spending categories, including food, groceries, entertainment, and gas.

Of course, cardholders can also take advantage of American Express Experiences such as the Front Of The Line program.

American Express Platinum Card

For the heftiest annual fee of them all, you can get more perks than any other credit card in Canada with the American Express Platinum Card.

As for rewards programs, you'll get points per dollar spent on eligible dining and travel purchases. The insurance coverage also caters to those who like to take trips with peace of mind, but the real deals reside in the benefits list. Take advantage of perks like travel and dining credits, unlimited airport lounge access for you and a guest, hotel upgrades, and the Priority Security lane at Toronto Pearson Airport. Plus, nothing would be complete without American Express Experiences, including the Front Of The Line program.

Conclusion

The American Express Front Of The Line perk is a great addition to all the other rewards programs, coverage categories, and benefits provided by each Amex credit card. Once you find an Amex card that matches your spending profile, you can access American Express Experiences which automatically includes Front Of The Line access. This access will grant you the opportunity to get your hands on presale and reserved tickets to some of the best concerts, theatre performances, sports events, and potential dining experiences.

All in all, the Front Of The Line program is just another example of how American Express aligns cardmembers with premium perks.