Refund policies are one of those things nobody wants to think about until something goes wrong. But having a clear, fair policy in place before you sell your first ticket protects both you and your attendees.
This guide covers the legal requirements, best practices, and practical approaches to refunds for UK event organisers.
The legal baseline
In the UK, your refund obligations are governed by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and guidance from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The core rules are more straightforward than most organisers realise.
If you cancel the event: You must offer a full refund. This is non-negotiable. If the event does not happen, the attendee is entitled to their money back. You cannot force them to accept a credit note, a transfer to another event, or a rescheduled date instead of a refund.
If you significantly change the event: If you change the headliner, the venue, the date, or something else that fundamentally alters what was advertised, attendees who no longer wish to attend are entitled to a refund. What counts as "significant" depends on context, but the CMA has been clear that changes to the headline act, date, or venue typically qualify.
If the attendee simply changes their mind: There is no legal obligation to offer a refund for change-of-mind. The Consumer Contracts Regulations (which give a fourteen-day cooling-off period for online purchases) specifically exclude event tickets where the date is fixed. This means you can legitimately have a no-refunds policy for standard change-of-mind requests.
What the CMA expects
The CMA issued specific guidance on event ticket refunds following the pandemic. The key points that still apply are:
- Refund rights must be clearly communicated before purchase
- The refund process must not be unreasonably difficult
- Organisers cannot impose unfair terms that remove consumers' statutory rights
- Credit notes or vouchers can be offered as an alternative but cannot replace the right to a refund when one is legally due
In short: be upfront about your policy, make refunds easy when they are required, and do not try to take away rights that the law gives your customers.
Writing a clear refund policy
Your refund policy should be visible on your event listing page before someone buys a ticket. Use plain English and cover these scenarios:
Event cancelled by the organiser: State clearly that full refunds will be issued. Specify how (automatic refund to original payment method) and the timeframe (within fourteen days is reasonable).
Event postponed or rescheduled: Explain that tickets will be valid for the new date. Offer a refund to anyone who cannot attend the new date. Set a reasonable deadline for refund requests (thirty days from the announcement of the new date).
Change of mind: State whether you offer refunds for change of mind. If you do, specify any deadlines (for example, "refunds available up to seven days before the event"). If you do not, say so clearly.
Partial refunds: If you allow cancellations but retain a portion to cover admin costs, state the amount or percentage clearly. A five to ten per cent administration fee is common and generally considered reasonable.
Postponements versus cancellations
This is where it gets tricky. If you postpone an event to a new date, you must still offer refunds to anyone who cannot attend the new date. You cannot simply declare all tickets valid for the new date and refuse refunds.
Best practice for postponements:
- Announce the new date as quickly as possible
- Confirm that all existing tickets are automatically valid for the new date
- Offer a full refund to anyone who cannot attend the new date
- Set a reasonable deadline for refund requests (thirty days is fair)
- Communicate all of this clearly by email to all ticket holders
If no new date is announced within a reasonable period (the CMA suggests this is typically a few months), the event should be treated as cancelled, and full refunds should be offered.
Processing refunds efficiently
When a refund is due, the process should be as frictionless as possible. Refund to the original payment method, and do it promptly. The Consumer Rights Act says refunds should be processed within fourteen days, but doing it faster builds goodwill.
If you use a ticketing platform with Stripe Connect, refunds are straightforward. The refund is processed back through Stripe to the original card. Platforms like Tickts allow organisers to process refunds directly from their dashboard without needing to contact support or fill in forms.
Keep records of all refund requests and when they were processed. This protects you if there is ever a dispute.
Offering alternatives to refunds
While you cannot force someone to accept an alternative when they are legally entitled to a refund, you can offer options:
- Transfer to another event: Let the attendee apply their ticket value to a different event you are running
- Credit note: Offer credit for future events. Make sure it has a reasonable expiry date (at least twelve months)
- Ticket transfer: Allow the attendee to transfer their ticket to someone else instead of seeking a refund
Many attendees prefer these options, especially if they are fans of your events. But always present them as alternatives, not replacements for the refund they are entitled to.
Communicating your policy
The best refund policy is useless if nobody reads it. Display it prominently:
- On your event listing page, near the ticket purchasing area
- In the confirmation email sent after purchase
- On your website's terms and conditions page
Use short, clear sentences. Avoid legal jargon. Your attendees are not lawyers, and your policy should not require one to understand.
A fair approach benefits everyone
A generous refund policy feels risky, but it often pays for itself. Attendees who know they can get a refund if something comes up are more likely to buy tickets early. They are more likely to recommend your events to friends. And they are far less likely to dispute charges with their bank, which creates chargeback fees and administrative headaches.
The organisers who build the best reputations are the ones who handle refunds quickly, fairly, and without making people jump through hoops. Your refund policy is part of the attendee experience, and it should reflect the standard you set for everything else.
