What should my event refund policy say?

The short answer

A refund policy should answer three things in a sentence or two: can I get my money back if I cannot come, until when, and what happens if you change or cancel the event. Pick one of a few simple options, show it before people pay, and stick to it.

Whatever you choose, it cannot take away buyers' rights under Australian Consumer Law. If you cancel or materially change the event, people are generally entitled to their money back. If you are unsure, check with your state’s fair trading office.

The usual options

Most small events choose one of these:

• No change-of-mind refunds. Simple, and common for cheap tickets or events where every seat costs you money up front. You still refund if you cancel or change the event. Pair it with flexibility where you can, like letting a friend use the place.
• Refunds until a set number of days before. The most common middle ground. Seven days suits a dinner where you order food; one or two days suits a class.
• Refunds any time before the event. Generous, and good for building trust with new buyers. Best when an empty seat does not cost you much.
• Case by case. You decide each request. Fine for a small community event, but tell people how to ask and how quickly you will answer.

Match it to your costs

Ask yourself what a late cancellation costs you. If you pay a caterer per head a week out, refunds after that point come out of your pocket. If you run a class in your own studio, a late cancellation costs you very little. Set the cut-off where your costs become fixed.

Write it in plain words

Good policies are short. For example:

• “Refundable up to 7 days before the event.”
• “No refunds for a change of mind. If we change or cancel the event, you get your money back.”
• “Refundable any time before the event starts.”

Avoid legal-sounding wording you would not say out loud. Say whether the booking fee is refunded, so nobody is surprised.

The free refund policy generator writes a full policy in plain words from your choices, and there are refund policy templates by kind of event, from yoga classes to fun runs, each with the reasoning behind it.

Say what happens if things change

People worry more about the event changing than about their own plans. Add a line about it: “If we change the date, time or place, or cancel, you can have a full refund.” It costs you nothing extra, because you would need to do it anyway, and it makes people more willing to book early.

On One Ticket

Each event picks one of four policies: no change-of-mind refunds, refunds until a set number of days before, refunds any time before the event, or case by case. The policy is shown on the event page before anyone pays, and your own written policy can sit under it: paste in the one the refund policy generator writes, and buyers see it before they pay and on their ticket.

Where the policy allows it, an attendee refunds themselves from their ticket and gets the ticket price back; the booking fee is kept. On a case-by-case event they ask from their ticket, you have three days to refund or decline, and a request nobody answers goes to One Ticket support. You can refund any order in full yourself from Orders at any time, booking fee included.

If you move the date, start time or place after people have booked, every one of them can refund in full from their ticket, booking fee included, until the event starts, whatever your policy says.

Related: How refunds work on One Ticket, How to handle refunds when someone cannot come and What happens to tickets if I cancel my event?