▸ Refunds
Refunds on Cancelled Shows
If a show cancels, every buyer is entitled to a full refund — face value plus any service fee — returned to their original payment method through Stripe. The funds then land on the card network's timeline.
When a Show Cancels
The flow:
- Venue or artist marks the show as Cancelled (or BandPass cancels for force-majeure, license issues, etc.) and we begin issuing buyer refunds.
- Each buyer is refunded to their original payment method — face value plus the service fee they paid. 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
Fees Refunded?
Ticketmaster
No — keeps service fees
Eventbrite
No
DICE
Partial
BandPass
Yes — full purchase amount
Partial Refunds
If a show is rescheduled (not cancelled), tickets carry over automatically — buyers can opt in to keep their tickets or request a refund within 7 days. Refunds go back to the original payment method the same way.
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), but the buyer is made whole. BandPass absorbs the Stripe processing fees (~2.9% + 30¢ per refund) — we don't pass those back to the venue.
No Reserves Required
We don't hold a percentage of your earnings against potential refunds like other platforms do. Cancellation is rare and we'd rather absorb the small Stripe fee occasionally than make every venue post a 5-10% reserve forever.