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Learn how refunds work on Ticket Hub, when they’re applicable, and how to process them for your events.

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Refund Overview

Ticket Hub supports refunds for event cancellations and other valid scenarios. Understanding the refund process helps both buyers and sellers maintain trust and transparency.
Refunds are primarily used when sellers need to cancel their events. Individual ticket refunds may also be available based on your event’s refund policy.

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When Refunds Apply

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Event Cancellation

Sellers must refund all tickets when:
  • Cancelling an event
  • Event cannot proceed as planned
  • Venue becomes unavailable
  • Force majeure situations

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Individual Refund Requests

Depending on your policy:
  • Buyer cannot attend
  • Schedule conflicts
  • Within refund window
  • Other valid reasons
You cannot cancel an event without first refunding all ticket holders. This is enforced by the platform.

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Refund Conditions

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Eligible Tickets

Refunds can be processed for: Valid Tickets:
  • Status: valid
  • Not yet used
  • Has payment intent ID
Used Tickets:
  • Status: used
  • Already scanned at event
  • Can still be refunded if event is cancelled

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Non-Eligible Tickets

Already Refunded:
  • Status: refunded
  • Cannot refund twice
Cancelled:
  • Status: cancelled
  • Event already cancelled
Missing Payment Info:
  • No payment intent ID
  • Cannot process refund through Stripe

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Refund Process

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For Sellers: Refunding All Tickets

When you need to cancel an event and refund all attendees:
1

Access Event Management

Navigate to your seller dashboard and select the event to cancel.
2

Initiate Refund Process

Click Refund All Tickets or similar action:The system performs several checks:
// Verification steps:
1. Event exists
2. You own the event (userId matches)
3. Event has your Stripe Connect ID
4. Valid tickets exist for refund
3

System Processes Refunds

The refund process executes automatically:For each valid ticket:
  1. Retrieve ticket details
    • Get payment intent ID
    • Verify ticket status
    • Check refund eligibility
  2. Create Stripe refund 
    await stripe.refunds.create(
  {
    payment_intent: ticket.paymentIntentId,
    reason: "requested_by_customer"
  },
  {
    stripeAccount: stripeConnectId  // Your account
  }
)
  3. Update ticket status 
    // Ticket marked as refunded
status: "refunded"
  4. Process next ticket
    • Continues through all tickets
    • Uses Promise.allSettled for parallel processing
    • Tracks success/failure for each
Refunds are processed in parallel for efficiency, but each is tracked individually to catch any failures.
4

Verify Completion

After processing:All successful:
  • All tickets marked as refunded
  • Event can now be cancelled
  • Waiting list entries will be deleted on cancellation
Some failed:
  • Error message indicates failures
  • Check logs for specific issues
  • Retry failed refunds
  • Contact support if needed
If any refunds fail, the event cannot be cancelled. You must resolve all failures first.
5

Cancel the Event

Once all refunds succeed:The system automatically:
  • Marks event as cancelled (is_cancelled: true)
  • Deletes all waiting list entries
  • Removes event from public listings
  • Preserves event data for records
// Event cancellation after refunds
await convex.mutation(api.events.cancelEvent, { eventId })

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Refund Timeline

1

Immediate: System Processing

  • Refund request submitted to Stripe
  • Ticket status updated to refunded
  • Event metrics updated
2

1-2 Business Days: Stripe Processing

  • Stripe processes the refund
  • Validates payment intent
  • Initiates return to buyer’s card
3

3-10 Business Days: Bank Processing

  • Buyer’s bank receives refund
  • Funds appear in buyer’s account
  • Timeline varies by bank and card type

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Impact on Waiting List

Refunds and cancellations affect the waiting list:

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During Refunds

While processing refunds:
  • Waiting list remains active
  • No new offers are made
  • Existing offers continue to expire normally

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After Event Cancellation

Once event is cancelled: 
// All waiting list entries deleted
const waitingListEntries = await ctx.db
  .query("waitingList")
  .withIndex("by_event_status", (q) => q.eq("eventId", eventId))
  .collect()

for (const entry of waitingListEntries) {
  await ctx.db.delete(entry._id)
}
What happens to users in queue:
  • All entries removed from database
  • No further ticket offers sent
  • Users notified of cancellation
  • Queue positions no longer exist

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Automatic Queue Processing

If you refund individual tickets (without cancelling the event):
1

Ticket Refunded

Individual ticket status changes to refunded.
2

Capacity Opens Up

Available spots increase:
availableSpots = totalTickets - (purchasedCount + activeOffers)
// purchasedCount decreases by 1
3

Queue Processes

System automatically:
  • Detects new availability
  • Offers ticket to next person in waiting list
  • Starts 30-minute countdown for new offer
  • Continues until all spots filled
This ensures refunded tickets don’t go to waste—they’re immediately offered to people waiting in line.

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Seller Implications

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Financial Impact

Revenue Adjustments: 
// Before refund:
originalRevenue = soldTickets × ticketPrice × 0.99  // Minus 1% fee

// After refund:
refundedAmount = refundedTickets × ticketPrice
netRevenue = originalRevenue - refundedAmount
Example:
  • 100 tickets sold at £50 each
  • Original revenue: £4,950 (99% of £5,000)
  • 10 tickets refunded
  • Refund amount: £500
  • Final revenue: £4,450

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Payout Impact

Refunds are deducted from your Stripe account balance. If you don’t have sufficient balance, it may create a negative balance that’s deducted from future sales.
Scenarios: Sufficient Balance: 
Current Stripe balance: £1,000
Refund amount: £500
Remaining balance: £500
Insufficient Balance: 
Current Stripe balance: £200
Refund amount: £500
Negative balance: -£300
Future sales offset: £300 held from next sales

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Metrics Impact

Your seller dashboard updates: 
metrics: {
  soldTickets: 90,          // Decreased from 100
  refundedTickets: 10,      // Increased from 0
  cancelledTickets: 0,
  revenue: £4,450           // Decreased from £4,950
}

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Buyer Experience

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Receiving a Refund

From the buyer’s perspective:
1

Notification

Buyer is notified:
  • Email from Stripe (if configured)
  • Ticket status shows refunded
  • Event may show as cancelled
2

Refund Processing

Buyer sees:
  • Pending refund in their account
  • Original payment method credited
  • Timeline: 3-10 business days typical
3

Confirmation

Once complete:
  • Funds returned to card/account
  • Transaction appears in bank statement
  • Refund amount matches ticket price

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Buyer Ticket Status

Before refund: 
{
  status: "valid",
  purchasedAt: 1234567890,
  amount: 50,
  paymentIntentId: "pi_xxx"
}
After refund: 
{
  status: "refunded",
  purchasedAt: 1234567890,
  amount: 50,
  paymentIntentId: "pi_xxx"
}

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Error Handling

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Common Refund Errors

Cause: Missing or invalid payment intent IDResolution:
  • Verify ticket has paymentIntentId
  • Check Stripe dashboard for payment
  • Contact support if ID exists but Stripe can’t find it
Cause: Event owner hasn’t set up Stripe ConnectResolution:
  • Complete Stripe Connect onboarding
  • Ensure account is verified
  • Retry refund after setup complete
Cause: Ticket was already refunded (possibly outside the platform)Resolution:
  • Update ticket status manually to refunded
  • Skip this ticket in refund process
  • No action needed—buyer already has refund
Cause: Your Stripe balance can’t cover the refundResolution:
  • Stripe will create negative balance
  • Future sales will offset the negative amount
  • Consider adding funds to Stripe account if needed

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Partial Refund Failures

If some refunds succeed and others fail: 
// System uses Promise.allSettled
const results = await Promise.allSettled(
  tickets.map(ticket => refundTicket(ticket))
)

// Check results
const allSuccessful = results.every(
  result => result.status === "fulfilled" && result.value.success
)

if (!allSuccessful) {
  // Returns error, prevents event cancellation
  throw new Error(
    "Some refunds failed. Please check the logs and try again."
  )
}
What to do:
  1. Check error logs for specific failures
  2. Resolve underlying issues (Stripe setup, payment intents, etc.)
  3. Retry the refund process
  4. Successfully refunded tickets won’t be processed again
  5. Only failed tickets will retry

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Best Practices

Set Clear Refund Policies

Define your refund policy when creating events. Communicate deadlines, conditions, and process clearly.

Process Refunds Promptly

When you need to cancel, refund immediately. Delays frustrate buyers and can lead to disputes.

Communicate with Buyers

Notify ticket holders before initiating refunds. Explain the situation and expected timeline.

Monitor Stripe Balance

Ensure sufficient balance to cover potential refunds. Negative balances can complicate future sales.

Keep Records

Download transaction records from Stripe before cancelling events. Useful for accounting and taxes.

Test Refund Process

Create a test event, purchase a ticket, and process a refund to understand the flow before real events.

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Refund vs. Cancel Workflow

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Full Event Cancellation

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Individual Ticket Refund

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • System processing: Immediate
  • Stripe processing: 1-2 business days
  • Bank processing: 3-10 business days
Total timeline: 5-12 business days typical
Yes, individual ticket refunds are possible. The system will automatically offer the newly available ticket to the next person in the waiting list.
You can cancel immediately without processing refunds. The system only requires refunds for active (valid or used) tickets.
No, platform fees are non-refundable. When you refund a £100 ticket, £100 goes back to the buyer, but the £1 platform fee is not returned to you.
Refund policies are set by you as the seller. Buyers may contact you to request refunds, which you then process through the platform.
Even if tickets have been scanned (status: used), they must be refunded if you cancel the event. The refund process includes both valid and used tickets.

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Next Steps

Create Events

Learn how to create successful events

Seller Guide

Complete guide to selling tickets

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