Ticket

A ticket is a document or electronic record that confirms entitlement to a service, event, or travel, or to claim goods. It serves as proof of purchase, authorization, or admission and its validity is usually limited to a specific date, time, and place or to a defined service window. Tickets are issued by carriers, venues, organizers, or authorized agents and can be physical or digital.

Common formats include paper tickets with perforations or stubs and electronic tickets delivered by email or mobile apps. Key information typically appears on the face or within the data payload: issuing organization, event or route, date and time, venue or departure point, seat or zone, price, a unique identifier, terms and conditions, and a barcode or QR code for validation. Advances include contactless and mobile passes.

Ticket types include transportation tickets (rail, bus, airline), admission tickets for concerts, theaters, museums, or sports venues, parking tickets or fines, lottery or raffle tickets, and service tickets used for customer support or IT work orders. Each type has specific validation rules and usage restrictions, such as travel validity windows, seating assignments, or eligibility checks, and may be subject to refunds or exchanges.

Historically, tickets emerged as physical tokens for access, becoming common with theater and railway operations in the 18th–19th centuries; the rise of mass transit and mass events expanded their role. In modern systems, tickets are often issued electronically, with digital wallets and mobile apps supporting e-tickets, boarding passes, and gate validation. In software and IT contexts, a ticket is a tracked item representing a bug, task, or support request.