▸ Refunds
Refunds on Cancelled Shows
If a show cancels, every buyer is refunded the ticket's face value to their original payment method through Stripe; the payment-processing fee is non-refundable, except where the law of the state where the show was to take place requires it to be refunded. The funds then land on the card network's timeline.
When a Show Cancels
The flow:
- The organizer tells BandPass at support@thebandpass.com as soon as the decision is made, and before the scheduled start (or BandPass cancels for force majeure or a license issue). BandPass marks the show cancelled, which stops new sales, then refunds each buyer.
- Each buyer is refunded the ticket's face value to their original payment method; the payment-processing fee is non-refundable, except where the law of the state where the show was to take place requires it to be refunded. The money then lands back on their card or bank on the network's timeline (often a few business days).
- Because the refund is issued through Stripe, the buyer's refund confirmation comes from the payment network as soon as it processes.
Why This Works
Because buyer funds stay in the Stripe-held balance from purchase through showtime, refunds go out fast from our end — the money was sitting there waiting to be returned. Other platforms route funds through their own accounts and have to “process” returns over 5-30 days.
Vs. the Industry
Platform
What You Get Back
Ticketmaster
Face value; keeps its service fees
Eventbrite
Face value; keeps fees
AXS
Set by the venue; all sales final by default
BandPass
Full face value; processing is kept unless the law of the show's state requires it back
Who Absorbs the Cost
On a full cancellation, the venue takes the hit on their projected revenue (it's their show that didn't happen), and the buyer's ticket face value is returned. Where the law of the state where the show was to take place requires it, the buyer instead gets back the full amount paid, and the organizer who cancelled bears the payment-processing fee.
No Reserves Required
We don't hold a percentage of your earnings against potential refunds like other platforms do. Cancellation is rare: when a show cancels, BandPass refunds the buyers and may recover the cost from the show's proceeds or your payouts, or invoice you for it (Organizer Agreement §6), so there's no need to make every venue post a 5-10% reserve.