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How to Exchange a Ticket / Subscription (with Video Tutorial): https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/1026517
When you need to swap out items on a completed Ticket Order, whether to move the patron to a different event, change their seats, or adjust the price of their ticket, you'll process an exchange.
In this article, you'll find:
- A video tutorial to show you everything you need to know about exchanges
- Step-by-step instructions for:
- Exchanging single tickets
- Exchanging tickets sold as part of a subscription
- Exchanging subscription packages
We'll also cover some frequently asked questions at the end. Ready? Let's get started!
Video tutorial
Prefer watching to reading? No problem, here you go:
Looking for a specific section of the video tutorial?
- 1:05 - Exchanging single tickets
- 5:58 - Exchanging subscription fulfillment items
- 10:30 - Exchanging subscription packages
Exchanging single tickets
When you exchange a ticket, you'll:
- Select the tickets to exchange on the Ticket Order,
- Choose new tickets,
- Add an exchange fee if needed, and
- Charge or refund the difference in price as applicable
Click below for step-by-step instructions through the entire process.
1. From the Ticket Order, click the Exchange tab
Not sure how to find the patron's Ticket Order? Hop over to Introduction to Ticket Orders!
2. In the "Single Tickets" section, select the tickets you wish to exchange, then click "Exchange Selected"
Click the checkbox beside the blue arrow to select all the tickets for that Event Instance, or expand the dropdown arrow to select specific tickets. You can select any combination of single tickets on this page.
3. Review the original items on the left, then select a new Event and Instance
4. Add new items according to the seating type
This step varies slightly depending on whether the tickets you're selecting are reserved seating or general admission -- expand the appropriate option below.
First, click seats on the map to add new tickets
Then, select the Price Level for each seat
If there's only one single ticket Price Level for a given seat, you won't see this option.
If there are multiple options, you can choose the appropriate Price Level from the drop-down list for each seat.
Select the Allocation, then fill in the quantity boxes and click "Add" to add new tickets at the desired Price Level(s)
5. Add tickets to other events if needed
6. Review original and new items, then click "Next"
If you accidentally added too many tickets, click the trash can to remove an item.
7. Review pricing and make adjustments as needed
We've got a few options on this page; let's check it out.
- Force Equal Exchange: if there's a difference in price between the original and new items - but you don't want to charge/refund the buyer - use this button to zero out the balance.
- Reset to Face Value: use this button to undo the "Force Equal Exchange" option
- Remove Selected: if you accidentally added new items the buyer doesn't want, use the checkboxes to select those items and then click this button
- Back: use this to go back to new event selection and add more/different tickets
- Cancel Exchange: use this is you realize you don't want to exchange these tickets
8. Add any journal notes (1) and applicable exchange fees (2), then click "Next" (3)
Pro-tip!
Journal notes are incredibly helpful when future-you needs to figure out what happened with an exchange and why you processed it this way. Use them more than you think you'll need to!
9. Select a payment/refund method if applicable (1), choose whether to email the patron a confirmation (2), and click "Submit exchange" (3)
If the buyer is due a refund, you can choose from your available refund methods, or convert the difference into a donation. Learn more about refunds here.
10. If the Delivery Method for the tickets is Email, email the new tickets
After performing an exchange, you'll have to email patrons their tickets from the Print tab using these instructions.
Exchanging subscription fulfillment items
Now let’s look at exchanging tickets that are part of a subscription package. These kinds of tickets are called subscription fulfillment items - they fulfill the subscription with actual tickets or seats.
1. From the Ticket Order, click the Exchange tab
Not sure how to find the patron's Ticket Order? Jump over to our Introduction to Ticket Orders article!
2. In the "Subscriptions" section, expand the first package that contains a ticket you want to exchange and check the box next to that ticket
3. (Optional) Click the helper button that appears at the top right
Click the button to quickly select all matching tickets - that is, subscription fulfillment items to the same Event Instance. This will automatically expand other subscription packages and select the matching tickets.
This button will only appear if an order contains more than one subscription.
4. Select/deselect more fulfillment items as needed, then click "Exchange Selected"
You can select any combination of fulfillment items across all subscription packages.
You cannot combine fulfillment items and other kinds of tickets (e.g. single tickets) in the same exchange process.
5. Review the original items on the left, then select a new Event and Instance
To ensure each new ticket is assigned to the correct subscription package for accurate financial reporting, each original item appears on a separate card, to which you'll add a replacement new item.
Unlike single tickets, subscription fulfillment items must be exchanged for an equal number of new tickets.
6. Add new items according to the seating type
This step varies slightly depending on whether the tickets you're selecting are reserved seating or general admission -- expand the appropriate option below.
Click a seat to add it to the active card
Refer to the original item to choose a comparable seat if applicable.
Click additional seats as needed to complete each card
The system will automatically progress to the next card once it adds a seat.
Adjust Price Levels for new seats as needed
If there's only one subscription Price Level for a given seat, the system will choose it for you.
If there are multiple options, you can choose the appropriate Price Level from the drop-down list for each seat.
It’s better for reporting to use subscription price levels for subscription fulfillment items. But if you are moving the subscriber into an event or seat that is not normally sold as part of a subscription, there may not be any subscription price levels available.
In this case, click the "Show all active price levels" button at the top of the left column to choose non-subscription price levels instead.
Select the Allocation, then click the "Add" button at the desired Price Level to add a ticket to the active card
It’s better for reporting to use subscription price levels for subscription fulfillment items. But if you are moving the subscriber into an event or seat that is not normally sold as part of a subscription, there may not be any subscription price levels.
In this case, click the "Show all active price levels" button at the top of the left column to choose non-subscription price levels instead.
Repeat to complete each card as needed
7. Add tickets to other events if needed
8. Review original and new items, then click "Next"
If you made a mistake when adding a new item to a card, use the drop-down to change the Price Level, or click the trash can to remove the new item and select another one altogether.
9. Review pricing and make adjustments as needed
We've got a few options on this screen, so let's take it slow:
- Force Equal Exchange: if there's a difference in price between the original and new items - but you don't want to charge/refund the buyer - use this button to zero out the balance.
- Reset to Face Value: use this button to undo the "Force Equal Exchange" option
- Remove Selected: if you accidentally added new items the buyer doesn't want, use the checkboxes to select the items and then click this button
- Back: use this to go back to new event selection and add more/different tickets
10. Add any journal notes (1) and applicable exchange fees (2), then click "Next" (3)
Pro-tip!
Journal notes are incredibly helpful when future-you needs to figure out what happened with an exchange and why you processed it this way. Use them more than you think you'll need to!
11. Select a payment/refund method if applicable (1), choose whether to email the patron a confirmation (2), and click "Submit exchange" (3)
If the buyer is due a refund, you can choose from your available refund methods, or convert the difference into a donation. Learn more about refunds here.
12. If the Delivery Method for the tickets is Email, email the new tickets
After performing an exchange, you'll have to email patrons their tickets from the Print tab using these instructions.
Exchanging subscription packages
In some cases you may wish to exchange an entire subscription package, rather than processing multiple exchanges for the items it contains.
For example, if the patron is changing from Saturdays to Fridays for all performances, changing from an Adult to a Student subscription, or changing from a Choose Your Own to a Fixed subscription, you’ll exchange the package.
Exchanging a subscription package will remove all the fulfillment items contained in the original package. After the exchange, you’ll fulfill the new package with new seats.
1. From the Ticket Order, click the Exchange tab
Not sure how to find the patron's Ticket Order? Start with the Introduction to Ticket Orders article!
2. In the "Subscriptions" section, select the package(s) using the checkbox in the package header row, then click "Exchange Selected"
You can select multiple subscription packages at the same time.
You cannot combine different kinds of items (e.g. subscription packages and single tickets) in the same exchange process.
Be sure to click the checkbox on the subscription package itself, rather than expanding the package to select the fulfillment items it contains.
3. Review the original items on the left, then select a new Subscription Event and package
4. Select the Allocation, then use the quantity boxes and the "Add" button to add new package(s) at the desired Price Level(s)
5. Add other packages if needed
6. Review original and new items, then click "Next"
If you accidentally added too many packages, click the trash can to remove items.
7. Review pricing and make adjustments as needed
We've got a couple options here, so let's check 'em out:
- Force Equal Exchange: if there's a difference in price between the original and new packages - but you don't want to charge/refund the buyer - use this button to zero out the balance.
- Reset to Face Value: use this button to undo the "Force Equal Exchange" option
- Remove Selected: if you accidentally added new packages the buyer doesn't want, use the checkboxes to select the items and then click this button
- Back: use this to go back a step and add more/different packages
8. Add any journal notes (1) and applicable exchange fees (2), then click "Next" (3)
Pro-tip!
Journal notes are incredibly helpful when future-you needs to figure out what happened with an exchange and why you processed it this way. Use them more than you think you'll need to!
9. Select a payment/refund method if applicable (1), choose whether to email the patron a confirmation (2), and click "Submit exchange" (3)
If the buyer is due a refund, you can choose from your available refund methods, or convert the difference into a donation. Learn more about refunds here.
10. Fulfill the new subscription packages
You'll need to go through the fulfillment process for the newly-added subscriptions.
Frequently asked questions
The process here is very similar to selling single tickets -- the system will automatically deactivate the old Benefit and create a new one as part of the exchange.
Follow the steps to exchange single tickets, selecting the membership item instead.
Yes, exchanges can be useful if you need to give a patron a partial refund -- if, for example, you meant to apply a discount to their order but forgot -- but that requires a little extra setup first.
Great question! This article goes over some example scenarios.
Journal notes allow you to track information about an exchange transaction that may be useful for finance or auditing purposes later on. For example, if you normally charge an exchange fee but chose to waive it in this case, you could note that here along with the reason why.
Journal notes are visible in the "Ticket Order Journal Entries" section of the order history, available by clicking the "Show Details" button on the Order Info tab:
Patrons will not automatically receive email tickets after an exchange. After performing an exchange, you'll have to email patrons their tickets from the Print tab.
The Exchange Confirmation Email is a receipt that the exchange happened, but it doesn't include tickets.
If you're interested in tickets automatically emailing after an exchange, please submit a Product Idea!
Did you receive this error message?
This error means that you'll need to set an active email template as your Exchange Confirmation Email Template in PatronTicket Settings to be able to send the patron a confirmation of their exchange.