Cancellations vs refunds
Cancelling an event and refunding buyers are two different actions. Here’s how each works.
The most important distinction in order management: cancelling an event is not the same as refunding buyers. They’re separate actions, and doing one does not do the other.
Cancelling ≠ refunding
Setting an event to cancelled stops it selling and marks it called off — but does not automatically refund people who already bought.
The right way to call off an event
- 1
Refund the affected orders
From the Orders section — this is the step that returns money.
- 2
Set the status to cancelled
So the event stops selling.
- 3
Email your buyers
Explain what happened and confirm their refund — the status change alone doesn’t notify past purchasers.
Partial situations
A single buyer can’t attend
Follow your refund policy and refund just that order — no need to touch the event.
You’re rescheduling, not cancelling
Consider keeping tickets valid for the new date and emailing buyers, rather than refunding everyone.
Tip
Publish a clear refund policy in Settings → Policies so buyers know what to expect. Keep the service fee in mind when deciding how much you return.
Related articles
Event statuses explained
What draft, published, live, ended and cancelled mean — and what buyers can do in each state.
Viewing & managing orders
Find any purchase, read its details and history, and take action — all from the Orders section.
Resending tickets & access links
When a buyer can’t find their tickets, resend them or a secure access link in a few clicks.