Overview
Self service refunds let customers refund their own orders directly to their account balance from the ticket shop. Instead of contacting support and waiting for a manual refund to their original payment method, customers can instantly move the value of eligible order items into their account balance — ready to spend on future purchases. This is different from a cash out, which withdraws existing balance back to the original payment method. A self service refund moves money into the balance from an order, while a cash out moves money out of the balance to a payment method.How It Works
The self service refund flow works as follows:- Customer views a completed order in their account
- They click Refund on the order
- They select which items to refund (only ticket items are eligible)
- The refund amount is credited to their account balance immediately
- The transaction appears in their balance history as Refund to account
Enabling Self Service Refunds
Self service refunds require several settings to be enabled, all found in Settings > Payment Settings > Balance settings:- Enable balance refunds in admin — the master toggle that enables refunding to account balance (for both admin and self service)
- Enable self-serve refunds in shop — exposes the refund flow to customers in the ticket shop
The Account Balances feature and the Account Balance Refunds feature must both be enabled for your company. The self-serve refunds setting only appears in the admin panel when these features are active.
What Customers See
On the Order Page
When self service refunds are available, a Refund button appears on the customer’s order page. This button is only visible when:- The order is complete
- The order is not currently being modified (not frozen)
- There is no pending payment link on the order
- The customer is the order owner
On the Refund Page
After clicking Refund, the customer sees:- A list of refundable items from their order
- Their current balance and the projected balance after refund
- Items that have passed the cutoff window are shown as unavailable
- A Refund button to confirm
Configuring the Refund Window
Cutoff Time
The Self-serve refund cutoff time setting controls how close to an event’s start a customer can still request a refund. This prevents last-minute refunds. The cutoff is calculated from the event’s start date. For example:| Cutoff setting | Event starts | Refund available until |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | 25 Dec, 7:00 PM | 24 Dec, 7:00 PM |
| 3 days (72 hours) | 25 Dec, 7:00 PM | 22 Dec, 7:00 PM |
| 1 week (168 hours) | 25 Dec, 7:00 PM | 18 Dec, 7:00 PM |
The cutoff is set in hours but can be configured using hours, days, or weeks in the admin panel. Setting the cutoff to zero means there is no time restriction — customers can refund right up until the event.
Fee Handling
Two settings control whether fees are included in the refund amount:| Setting | Effect when enabled |
|---|---|
| Refund processing fees on self-serve refund | Processing fees paid by the customer are included in the refund to their balance |
| Refund platform fees on self-serve refund | Platform/reseller fees are included in the refund to their balance |
Fee refund settings only apply to self service refunds. Admin-initiated refunds may handle fees differently depending on the refund configuration used.
Eligibility Rules
Eligible Items
Only ticket items can be refunded through self service. Other item types — including top ups, fees, and add-ons — are not eligible. Additional item requirements:- The item must not already be cancelled
- The item must be within the cutoff window (not past the event’s refund deadline)
- Bundle items can only be refunded if the lead bundle item is also included in the refund
Order-Level Restrictions
Some order conditions affect whether self service refunds are available:| Condition | Effect |
|---|---|
| Order has discount codes | Partial refunds may be restricted — if the order used discount codes, the customer may only be able to refund the entire order rather than individual items |
| Order contains non-ticket discounted items | Self service refund is blocked entirely if the order includes discounted non-ticket items |
| Order is being modified | Refund button is hidden while the order is frozen for modification |
| Pending payment link | Refund button is hidden while there is an outstanding payment link on the order |
When an order uses discount codes and contains only ticket items, the customer can still refund — but they must refund all items, not a selection. This prevents scenarios where partial refunds could exploit discount pricing.
Admin-Only Balance Refunds
If Enable balance refunds in admin is turned on but Enable self-serve refunds in shop is turned off, staff can still refund orders to a customer’s account balance from the admin panel. The customer simply does not see the self-service refund option in the ticket shop. This gives you the flexibility to offer balance refunds as a support tool without exposing self-service to customers.Transaction Recording
Self service refunds appear in the customer’s balance history as Refund to account. The transaction is linked to the original order, providing a full audit trail. In the admin panel, the refund appears in:- The customer’s wallet transaction history
- The Account Balances > Transactions list (filterable by Refund to account type)
- The original order’s refund history