Cancel and Refund Tickets for Customer Orders

Cancel and refund tickets on Seaty: process Stripe refunds, record manual refunds for cash or BACS, choose fee handling, and release seats for resale.

Order view showing ticket actions and cancel/refund button

At its simplest, cancellation answers one question: How do I remove tickets from an order and return money to the customer?

Who uses this: Organisation staff with the OrderCancelAndRefund permission.

Key capabilities:

Cancel individual tickets or entire orders
Process automatic refunds for online card payments
Record manual refunds for cash, cheque, or bank transfer payments
Choose whether to refund handling fees and service fees
Release cancelled seats back for resale

How It Works

At a glance: Select tickets to cancel, configure the refund amount, provide a reason, and confirm. Seats become available immediately and customers receive an email notification.

1. Open the order

Navigate to the order you need to modify and locate the "Cancel / refund" button in the ticket section.

2. Select tickets

Choose which tickets to cancel - either individual tickets or the entire order. The system calculates the refund based on your selection.

3. Configure refund options

Decide whether to refund handling fees and service fees. For manual payments, record that you've refunded the customer outside Seaty.

4. Confirm cancellation

Enter a reason for your records, review the summary, and submit. The refund processes immediately for card payments.

Think of it this way:

Cancelling removes tickets from the order and releases seats

Refunding returns money to the customer's payment method

Recording (for manual payments) updates your Seaty records to match what you've done outside the system

Understanding Cancellations vs Refunds

What Cancelling Does

When you cancel tickets:

Tickets are removed from the order permanently
Seats become available for other customers to purchase
Cancelled tickets appear in order history with cancellation date
Email notification is sent to the attendee automatically
Order logs record who cancelled the tickets and why

Why are cancellations permanent? Once cancelled, seats return to the available pool immediately. Other customers may purchase them, so the action cannot be undone.

What Refunding Does

Refunding only applies to orders that were paid online via card:

Money is returned to the customer's original payment card
The refund processes automatically (typically 5-10 business days to appear)
Refund appears in your Seaty balance and payment dashboard
Organisation balance is adjusted to reflect the refund
No manual bank transfers are needed

Why can't I manually issue refunds? Automatic processing ensures refunds always go to the original payment method, creating a clear audit trail and preventing fraud.

When to Cancel vs Refund

Cancel Only (No Refund)

Use this when:

Customer paid cash/cheque/bank transfer and you've already refunded them outside Seaty
You want to remove tickets but keep them as "paid" in your records
You're removing comp tickets that were free

Cancel with Refund

Use this when:

Customer paid online via card
You want to return money to their payment card
You're cancelling due to event changes or customer requests

Required Permissions

You need the OrderCancelAndRefund permission to cancel tickets and process refunds. Without this permission, the "Cancel / refund" button won't appear on orders.

Why is this permission required? Cancellations and refunds have financial impact on the organisation, so access is restricted to authorised staff.

Cancelling Tickets (Step-by-Step)

Accessing Cancellation

Open the order you want to cancel tickets from
Scroll to the ticket section showing all purchased items
Click "Cancel / refund" button at the bottom of the ticket section
- Button shows "Cancel tickets" if the order has no online payment

The button is hidden when:

All tickets are already cancelled
All tickets are cancelled and no refundable amount remains

Understanding the Cancellation Screen

The screen shows:

Attendee details:

Name and email address of the ticket buyer

Event date:

The performance they're attending

Payment breakdown (for online card purchases only):

Original ticket/merchandise prices
Discounts applied
Handling fee
Enhanced Refund Service fee
Seaty service fees (if not absorbed by organisation)
Any previous refunds already processed
Available to refund total in bold

Selecting Tickets to Cancel

Review the ticket list showing all cancellable tickets
Click "Select all tickets" to select everything, or
Click individual ticket checkboxes to select specific tickets
Click "Deselect all tickets" to clear your selection

Visual indicators:

Checked boxes show selected tickets
Selected ticket count appears in the confirmation message
Previously cancelled tickets appear below but cannot be selected

Quick selection:

Use the "Select all" / "Deselect all" toggle button to quickly select or clear all available tickets.

Configuring the Refund Amount

For online card purchases:

The system automatically calculates the refund based on selected tickets.

Default refund amount:

Face value of all selected tickets
Limited to available refund balance (if partial refunds already processed)

Custom refund amount:

Click "Enter a custom amount"
Enter the amount in pounds and pence (e.g., 25.50)
Click "Confirm" to use this amount
Click "Cancel" or "Clear" to return to automatic calculation

Validation:

Amount must be a number
Cannot exceed the available refund amount
Cannot be negative

Optional Refund Additions

Handling fee refund:

If a handling fee was charged:

Checkbox appears: "Refund handling fee of £X.XX"
Tick to include the handling fee in the refund
Handling fee can only be refunded once per order
Shows "already been refunded" message if previously refunded

Seaty service fee refund:

If you're cancelling all tickets and the customer paid service fees:

Checkbox appears: "Refund Seaty service fee of £X.XX to attendee"
Warning: Our fees are not refundable - the amount will be deducted from your event's card payment balance
Only available when all tickets are selected
Only appears if organisation didn't absorb fees

Adding Balance Refund (Manual Payments Only)

For orders paid outside Seaty (cash, cheque, bank transfer):

Checkbox appears: "Add a balance refund of £X.XX"
Tick this box if you've already refunded the customer outside Seaty
This updates their Seaty balance for record-keeping

Important: This doesn't send them money - it only records that you've refunded them elsewhere.

Providing a Cancellation Reason

You must enter a reason for cancellation (minimum 5 characters).

Why is a reason required? Cancellation reasons appear in order logs, creating an audit trail for financial accountability and customer service history.

What to include:

Why the tickets are being cancelled
Who requested the cancellation
Any relevant context for record-keeping

Examples:

"Customer requested refund due to illness"
"Event date changed, customer cannot attend new date"
"Duplicate order, keeping order #12345 instead"
"Complimentary tickets for staff member"

This reason:

Appears in order logs
Included in refund records
Not shown to the customer in emails

Reviewing Before Confirming

Before you click "Confirm and submit", review the confirmation message:

It shows:

How many tickets you're cancelling
Order number being modified
Refund amount being sent (if applicable)
Confirmation that refund goes to the original payment card
Or confirmation that no refund will be issued

Example confirmation:

You are about to cancel 2 tickets in order #12345 and send a refund from the #YourOrg account of £25.00 to the card used to pay.

Completing the Cancellation

Review all details carefully
Click "Confirm and submit" to proceed

The button is disabled when:

No cancellation reason provided (or less than 5 characters)
Custom amount entry is open but not confirmed
No tickets selected and no refund amount

Processing time:

System processes cancellation immediately
Shows "Cancelling tickets..." loading message
Returns to order details when complete with confirmation: "The tickets have been cancelled"

What Happens After Cancellation

Immediate Actions

Tickets are removed from the order
Seats become available for resale
Order log entry is created with reason and who cancelled
Event availability cache updates automatically

Email Notifications

Attendee receives:

Cancellation confirmation email
List of cancelled tickets
Refund amount (if applicable)
Expected refund timeline (5-10 business days for card payments)

You receive:

No automatic notification (check order logs if needed)

Financial Processing

For online card refunds:

Refund processes immediately
Money typically appears in customer's account within 5-10 business days
Refund appears in your payment dashboard
Organisation Seaty balance is adjusted
Refund record is created in your records

For manual payment refunds:

No automatic processing
Balance adjustment only (if you ticked the checkbox)
You handle the actual refund outside Seaty

Order Status Changes

Partial cancellation:

Order remains active
Shows mix of active and cancelled tickets
Cancelled tickets display cancellation date

Full cancellation:

All tickets show as cancelled
Order marked as fully cancelled
"Cancel / refund" button disappears

Partial vs Full Order Cancellations

Partial Cancellations

When cancelling some tickets:

Refund is calculated from selected tickets only
Remaining tickets stay active
Discounts remain applied to the full order
Service fees are not refunded (only when all tickets cancelled)

Example:

Order has 4 tickets at £10 each (£40 total):

Cancel 2 tickets = Refund £20
2 tickets remain active
Customer keeps their tickets for the event

Full Cancellations

When cancelling all tickets:

Full face value refunded
Option to refund Seaty service fees (if customer paid them)
Option to refund handling fee (if not already refunded)
Order appears as fully cancelled

Example:

Order has 4 tickets at £10 each (£40 total):

Cancel all 4 tickets = Refund £40
Plus optional handling fee refund
Plus optional Seaty fee refund (deducted from your balance)
No active tickets remain

Handling Fee Refund Rules

Handling fee:

Organisation-set fee charged per order
Can be refunded separately from ticket value
One-time refund only - once refunded, cannot be refunded again
Shows "already been refunded" message if previously processed

When to refund:

Customer paid handling fee at checkout
You're cancelling tickets (partial or full cancellation)
You decide to return the handling fee to the customer

Important: Handling fee refund is optional. You can cancel tickets without refunding the handling fee.

Seaty Service Fee Considerations

Default behaviour:

Seaty service fees are not refunded
Fees cover platform services provided at time of purchase

Optional refund (full cancellations only):

When cancelling all tickets, you can choose to refund Seaty fees to the customer:

This costs you money - amount is deducted from your event's card payment balance
Seaty doesn't return fees - you're paying the customer from your balance
Only available if customer paid fees (not absorbed by organisation)
Shows clear warning about financial impact

When to consider:

Customer loyalty and satisfaction
Event was cancelled or significantly changed
Organisation policy to refund all fees
High-value orders where goodwill matters

Reselling Cancelled Tickets

Automatic availability:

Cancelled tickets automatically become available for other customers to purchase.

Seat assignment:

Allocated seats return to the seating plan
General admission tickets increase available quantity
No manual action needed

Pricing:

Seats return at current ticket category prices
May differ from original purchase price if you've changed pricing

Payment Method Considerations

Online Card Payments

Refund process:

Automatic processing
Returns money to original payment card
Shows in customer's bank account within 5-10 business days

Connected payment accounts:

Refunds work the same way
Deducted from your connected payment account balance
Application fees refunded separately (if Seaty fee refund selected)

Manual Payments (Cash, Cheque, Bank Transfer)

No automatic refunds:

System cannot process cash/cheque refunds
You handle refunds outside Seaty

Recording refunds:

Process the refund yourself (return cash, bank transfer, etc.)
Tick "Add a balance refund" when cancelling
This updates the customer's Seaty balance for record-keeping only

Balance tracking:

This ensures your Seaty records match your actual financial transactions.

Important Behaviours

Refund Calculation Limits

The system prevents over-refunding:

Cannot refund more than "Available to refund" amount
Previous refunds are deducted from available balance
Custom amounts must be less than or equal to available balance

Currency Handling

All refunds are processed in the original purchase currency (typically GBP for UK events).

Multiple Partial Refunds

You can perform multiple partial refunds on the same order:

Cancel 2 tickets today, refund £20
Cancel 2 more next week, refund another £20
Each refund is tracked separately
Available balance reduces after each refund

Cancelled Ticket Display

Cancelled tickets remain visible in the order:

Show cancellation date: "Ticket cancelled on DD/MM/YYYY"
Cannot be selected for further cancellation
Excluded from financial calculations
Preserved for audit history

Common Questions

Reversing Cancellations

Can I undo a cancellation?

No. Cancellations are permanent. The tickets are removed and seats become available immediately. You'd need to create a new order to give the customer replacement tickets.

What if I cancel by mistake?

Contact the customer immediately and create a new order for them. Cancellations cannot be reversed once submitted.

Refund Timing and Amounts

How long do refunds take?

Typically 5-10 business days to appear in the customer's bank account, depending on their bank. The refund processes immediately on our end, but banks take time to show the credit.

Can I refund a different amount than the ticket price?

Yes. Use the "Enter a custom amount" option to specify any amount up to the available refund balance.

What happens to discounts when I cancel some tickets?

Discounts remain applied to the original order. The refund is calculated from the discounted ticket price, not the face value.

Fees and Charges

Why can't I refund the Seaty service fee?

Seaty fees cover platform services at the time of purchase (payment processing, ticket delivery, QR codes, etc.). These services were provided and cannot be returned. If you choose to refund fees to customers, it comes from your organisation's balance.

Customer Access

Can customers request refunds themselves?

No. Only organisation staff with the OrderCancelAndRefund permission can cancel tickets and process refunds. Customers must contact you to request refunds.

Tracking Refunds

How do I know what refunds have been processed?

Check the order's financial summary which shows "Refunded amount" as a negative value. You can also view complete refund history in order logs and your payment dashboard.