Free ticket for new member redeemable online.

We have a large program each year at the Walker (The British Arrows Awards), that we offer free tickets to for brand new members.  The tickets are redeemable online through TNEW, by using a combination of pricing rules, and an entitlements customization that we have that marks the tickets as redeemed.  Unfortunately the process for redemption is complicated.  New members have to first add the membership to their cart before they can see the free tickets.  If they first grab tickets, then add a membership, it won't turn those tickets into free tickets or make the free tickets available (because of how the entitlements customization works).  The good thing about this process is that it does what we want, it marks the tickets as redeemed, and won't let them get extra free tickets.  The bad thing is that it is cumbersome for the user.

I'm wondering if anyone does something like this in an easier way.  Maybe just with pricing rules?  The trick is we really need to be able to easily see that the tickets were redeemed.

Thanks!

Liz