A refund policy is a promise you make before anyone pays, and a refund is a decision you make afterwards. Most of the grief organisers get about refunds comes from confusing the two. This guide sets out what the law requires, what a fair policy looks like for different kinds of event, how refunds actually move on tickts, and how to say yes to the people you want to say yes to without opening the door to everyone.
What the law settles for you
- There is no cooling-off period on event tickets. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give online buyers 14 days to change their mind on most purchases, but they exempt leisure services for a specific date. A ticket for a night is exactly that. "No refunds" is lawful.
- If you cancel, they get their money back. A cancelled event is a service not provided, and the buyer is entitled to the face value whatever the policy said. Your policy governs their change of mind, not yours.
- Postponement is the grey area. The safest practice is to honour the original ticket at the new date and offer a refund window for anyone who cannot make it. Say so when you announce the new date.
Choosing a policy
On tickts you set the policy per event and it is shown at checkout, so each order carries a record of the terms that buyer agreed to. Four choices:
| Policy | What buyers are told | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| No refunds | Tickets are non-refundable except where the event is cancelled or rescheduled, or as required by law | Most gigs, comedy, theatre, sold-out nights |
| Refunds up to the event | Refundable until the event starts | Free or low-priced community events |
| Refunds up to a cut-off | Refundable until a set number of days before | Dinners, workshops, anything with a caterer or a headcount |
| Your own wording | Whatever you write | Festivals, courses, anything with its own terms |
No refunds means nobody can demand one. It does not stop you refunding at your discretion, and on tickts you can refund any order in full or in part whatever the policy says. Keep the policy strict and your judgement generous, not the other way round.
How a refund actually happens
Open the order from Sales and use the Actions panel.
- Full refund refunds the whole order through the card, voids the tickets, puts the places back on sale and emails the buyer a confirmation. The money usually lands back on their card in five to ten working days.
- Partial refund refunds an amount and leaves the tickets valid, which is the right tool for a goodwill gesture or one person from a group of four. If one ticket should stop working, refund its price and then void that ticket.
- Cancelling the event refunds everyone in one action and notifies them, which is the only sane way to unwind a hundred orders.
One thing to know before you need it: a refund comes out of your Stripe balance. If your takings have already paid out to your bank, the refund will fail until you top the balance up or new sales come in. On a sold-out night, a voided ticket on tickts is held back and offered to your waiting list first, longest-waiting first, before it goes back on general sale.
Refund protection: the yes you do not have to fund
At checkout, buyers on tickts can add optional refund protection at no cost to you. If a protected buyer cannot make it for a covered reason such as illness, a breakdown or a family emergency, the protection provider refunds them directly and you keep the sale. It takes the awkward "my mum is ill" email out of your inbox, and it is on by default; you can hide it on an event if you prefer.
Transfers and resale: the other way to say yes
Most refund requests are really "I can't come, but my friend can". On tickts a buyer can transfer a ticket to a friend's email themselves; the friend gets a new QR and the old one dies, so it cannot be used twice. And when a ticket type has sold out, you can let fans resell at face value or below to other fans, with the original voided and a fresh ticket issued to the new buyer. Neither costs you a refund, and both keep the seat filled.
A policy for four kinds of event
| Event | Policy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gig, comedy, theatre | No refunds; transfers on; resale on when sold out | The seat is the product and the room is finite |
| Dinner or workshop | Refunds up to 7 days before | You have to give the caterer a number |
| Free community event | Refunds up to the event | You want an honest headcount, and cancelling a free place should be one click |
| Festival or multi-day | Own wording: no refunds, day tickets not exchangeable between days, weekend passes transferable | Too many cases for a one-liner |
Handling the email
Reply the same day, decide by the policy, and be kind about it. "I'm sorry you can't make it. Our tickets aren't refundable, but you can transfer yours to a friend from your account in a minute, and if the night sells out we'll open resale so you can pass it on at face value." That answer costs nothing, keeps the seat filled, and is one most people accept. The exception you make for the genuinely stuck is worth more when it is an exception.
