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How to Refund a Ticket, Ticket Order, or Subscription (with Video Tutorial)

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How to Refund a Ticket, Ticket Order, or Subscription (with Video Tutorial): https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/872028

Depending on whether you're refunding single tickets, entire subscriptions, or just pieces of a subscriptino (Fulfillment Items), the refund process is slightly different. To learn more, check out:

We'll also take a look at what refunded orders look like and look at some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Here we go!

Watch this quick video tutorial

Need to jump right in? Use these timestamps to help you find what you're looking for:

0:55 - Single tickets

3:39 - Subscriptions

Step-by-Step Instructions

First, we need to get to the Ticket Order and determine what type of refund we're trying to do.

Navigate to the ticket order you'd like to refund, either through the "PatronTicket Orders" tab or the patron's Contact record

2. Once you've reached the Ticket Order, click on the Refund tab

Once you've reached the Ticket Order, click "Issue Refund" (don't worry about the checkboxes - you'll choose which tickets to refund on the next page)

3. Look at your Ticket Order Type

You'll proceed slightly differently if it's a Tickets order type, rather than a Tickets and Subscription order type.

So! Which type of refund do you need to do?

For Tickets orders

1. Expand the order by clicking on the light blue arrow to the left of the Ticketable Event name

If you're only refunding certain tickets in the order, check the boxes to indicate which tickets to refund

Use the checkboxes to decide which tickets to refund

2. Check "Order Fee" if you want to refund the order fees as well

Check "Refund This" if you want to refund the fees as well

3. Click "Refund All" if you want to refund the entire order, including order fees;  click "Refund Selected" if you checked specific tickets to refund, or if you do not wish to refund order fees

Click "Next"

4. Choose a refund method

In this article, we'll go over four refund method options:

  1. Credit card
  2. Check/Cash
  3. Convert to Donation
  4. Stored Credit

Credit card is only available if a credit card was the original method of payment. Convert to Donation is only available if the order is fully qualified.

You may see more options than these four methods if you've added custom third-party refund methods.

Is "Refund to buyer's credit card" not a refund option, even though the order was paid by credit card?  This is probably because there were multiple partial payments or exchange up-charges. Make sure you have the right permissions to manage complex refunds so that you can refund this order!

Credit Card

If the order was purchased with a credit card, you can refund directly to the same credit card.

Choose a refund method:
Check or Cash

You can refund by check or cash, in which case a Task will automatically be created to remind you to send the refund.

You can refund by check or cash, in which case a task will automatically be created to remind you to send the refund
Convert to Donation

If you've qualified this order, you can also convert the refund into a donation.

If you've qualified this order, you can also convert the refund into a donation
Stored Credit

Select your stored credit option from the Refund Method menu, and then issue a stored credit certificate in your organization's preferred method (STS gift card, paper certificate, etc).

At the step where you choose a refund payment method, click the dropdown and select your stored credit value

5. Decide whether or not to send a confirmation email and click "Submit Refund"

The "Submit Refund" button won't appear until you've selected the Refund Method.

Choose a refund method, decide whether or not to send a confirmation email, and click "Submit Refund"
For Tickets; Subscription orders

Decide if you're refunding subscription packages in this order, or just some of the tickets on the subscription - that is, the fulfillment items.

If you're refunding fulfillment items, then ask your patron if they'd like to convert their tickets to donations, or if they'd like a true refund (cash, check, credit cared, etc.).

Refunding subscription packages

1. Click into the Refund tab

2. Check the box next to the Subscription package(s) you want to refund, as well as any fees you'll refund

3. Scroll down, choose your Refund Method, and enter any desired Journal Notes (reasons for the refund)

You'll have a bunch of choices for your Refund Method

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Original credit card
  • Gift card (if you're using STS)
  • Convert to donation (ask your patron!)

Is credit card not available, even though the order was paid by credit card?  

This is probably because there were multiple partial payments or exchange up-charges.  Make sure you have the right permissions to manage complex refunds so that you can refund this order!

4. We recommend creating a reminder task and sending your patron a confirmation of the refund

5. When you're done, click Submit Refund!

Converting fulfillment items to donations (refund as donation)

1. Click the arrow next to the Subscriptions description

2. Click the checkboxes next to the Fulfillment Items you're refunding as a donation; then, click "Refund Selected"

3. Specify the name of the Donation that will be created with the Amount Paid for the tickets

4. Select if you'd like to send a confirmation email or not, and click Submit Refund

Refunding fulfillment items via cash, check, credit card, etc.

To refund a few tickets included in a subscription package - that is, the fulfillment items, you'll actually "exchange" them for $0 tickets in your special "Subscription Refund" event.

Don't have the Subscription Refund event set up yet? You can do that right here.

1. Click into the Exchange tab

2. Expand the subscription(s) and check the box of the fulfillment item you want to exchange

3. (Optional) Use the "Select all [items]" button to also exchange tickets to this same performance from other subscriptions on the order

This button quickly grabs all the tickets to that same show instead of needing to hunt down each relevant ticket.

In the example below, we're using the button to automatically select the "Holst's The Planets" concert from every subscription package on the order.

4. Click Exchange Selected

5. Find and choose your Subscriptions Refund event, then choose the corresponding Event Instance

Don't have the Subscription Refund event set up yet? You can do that right here.

6. Choose the Allocation (there should only be one), then click "Show all active price levels"

7. Click Add next to the $0.00 Price Level for each fulfillment item you're refunding

8. When you've gotten through all the fulfillment items, click Next

9. Add an exchange (or in this case, refund fee) if applicable, then click Next

10. Choose a Refund Method

You'll have a bunch of choices for your Refund Method

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Original credit card
  • Gift card (if you're using STS)
  • Convert to donation (ask your patron!)

Is credit card not available, even though the order was paid by credit card?  

This is probably because there were multiple partial payments or exchange up-charges.  Make sure you have the right permissions to manage complex refunds so that you can refund this order!

11. We recommend setting a reminder task and sending a confirmation email to your patron

12. When you're ready, click Submit Exchange!

You've completed a refund for your patron!

Here's what a "Fully Refunded" Ticket Order looks like
Here's what a "Fully Refunded" Ticket Order looks like.

You can click the light blue arrow under Deleted Single Tickets to see what tickets this patron originally had.

Here's what a partially refunded subscription looks like

First, click "Show Details"

You'll see the deleted subscription items here
And the refunded dollar amounts here. They will be categorized as exchanges rather than refunds.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why did I receive an error that I can't send the confirmation email?

Did you receive this error message?

Refund Confirmation Email Template error

This error means that you'll need to set an active email template as your Refund Confirmation Email Template in PatronTicket Settings to be able to send the patron a confirmation of their exchange.

Previous Article All About Refunds and Exchanges
Next Article How to Exchange a Ticket / Subscription (with Video Tutorial)
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