Using the previous Dashboard? See Organizer guide: Ticket credits.
A ticket credit lets a customer pay now and choose their tickets later. You attach the credit to a ticket type on an issuing event, and each purchase of that ticket type gives the buyer a code with a set number of credits. The buyer redeems those credits on the events and ticket types you mark as redeemable. Each credit works as a 100% discount on one redeemable ticket, so the ticket costs the buyer nothing at checkout.
Ticket credits suit flex packs, season passes and any offer where buyers commit before every date is set. The issuing event can be a dedicated credit-only event or a normal event, and its date does not need to match the events the credits are used on.
Before you start
Set up the issuing event first. Create it like any other event; the ticket types you sell on it are what buyers purchase to receive credits.
On each ticket type that issues credits, open the ticket type editor, go to the Notifications tab and switch on Exclude from purchase confirmation email. The buyer is paying for credits, not entry, so this keeps a scannable ticket PDF for the issuing event out of their confirmation email. Their credit code still arrives by email.
If one customer should be able to buy several credits in one order (for example, two season pass credits for themselves and a guest), open the issuing event's Order form and switch on Collect guest information per ticket under Information collection. Each ticket then carries its own guest details, and each person can redeem their own credits.
If one customer should be able to use two credit codes on the same event, ask Showpass support to allow multiple discounts on your organization. Without it, an order accepts one credit code.
Where to find ticket credits
In the Dashboard sidebar, open Promote and choose Ticket credits under Promotions. The page lists each credit with its Limit per item, per user, what it is Redeemable on (a count of events and ticket types) and its Status. Search credits by name, or open Filters to narrow the list by Redemption events. Click the edit icon on a row to open that credit.
Direct path: /manage/ticket-credits/ on your dashboard domain.
Creating a ticket credit
- Click Create ticket credit.
- Ticket credit name: the name customers see at checkout and on their ticket credits page.
- Limit per item, per user (optional): how many times one customer can apply the credit to a particular item. Leave it blank for no limit.
- Click Save. The credit opens for editing so you can assign events to it.
Assigning events
The edit page has two assignment lists under Ticket credit assignments.
Credits issued by: the events and ticket types that give out credits when bought. Search in Add issuing event and pick an event; its ticket types appear with a number field each. Enter how many credits one purchase of that ticket type issues. For example, 4 on a GA ticket means every GA purchase gives the buyer four credits. Ticket types on the same event can issue different numbers of credits from one ticket credit. A ticket type can issue credits for only one ticket credit, and ticket types created as issued tickets cannot issue credits; the list marks these and leaves their fields locked.
Credits redeemable for: the events and ticket types the credits can be spent on. Search in Add redemption event and pick an event; every ticket type on it is switched on, and you switch off any that should not accept credits. Add as many events as you like. Use the bin icon on an event card to remove it from either list.
Click Save when both lists are set. Buyers can purchase the credit as soon as an issuing event is assigned and on sale. If every issuing quantity is zero, the page asks you to confirm: the credit will not issue anything until at least one quantity is added.
An event cannot be removed while one of its ticket types assigned to this credit is locked. The bin icon is then disabled with the message "This event has locked ticket credit rows."
You can save a credit with issuing events only and add redemption events later, once those events exist. Buyers can hold credits in the meantime, and it is up to you to tell them when events open for redemption.
Selling tickets through credits only
Each ticket type in the event editor has a switch, Only allow purchases via Ticket Credits, under Purchase limits on the Basic info tab. Turn it on for ticket types on a redemption event that should be available to credit holders alone.
Redeeming credits in the Box Office
Box Office staff can apply a customer's ticket credits to an in-person order.
- Add a ticket from a redeemable event and ticket type to the cart. A credit applies only once a valid ticket is in the cart.
- Click Add Customer, open the Existing customer tab and search by the customer's name or email address.
- Click View Info to open the customer's profile, then choose Ticket Credits from the side menu. Every ticket credit on the customer's account is listed.
- Click Apply next to the credit to use. A confirmation message shows when it is applied.
- Close the customer profile to return to the Box Office and finish the sale.
Staff can also type the credit code into the Discount field. If the code is valid for a ticket in the cart, the credit applies.
A ticket credit shows under the ticket it covers. To take it off, click Remove. If the code is not valid, an error message appears and nothing is applied.
Ticket credits and account credits
Showpass has two other kinds of credit that sit on a customer's account. Customers see all of them in their Showpass profile, so it helps to know how they differ when a buyer asks about a credit.
| Ticket credits | Organizer credits | Universal credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A code with a number of uses, each covering one redeemable ticket | A dollar balance usable with your organization only | A dollar balance usable on any event on Showpass |
| How it is created | Bought by the customer through an issuing ticket type you set up | Issued when an order is refunded to credit instead of to the payment card | Issued by Showpass |
| Where it applies | The events and ticket types you mark as redeemable | Any purchase from the organization that issued it | Any purchase on Showpass |
| Box Office | Applied from the customer profile or the Discount field | Applied in the Cart Summary once an existing customer with credits is selected | Not available |
| Partial use | One use per ticket, up to your per-item limit | All or none on each order | All or none on each order |
Organizer credits come from refunds. To give a customer an organizer credit, ask Showpass support to refund the order to credit; no money goes back to the customer's card. The customer needs a Showpass account so the credit can be linked to it, and the transaction shows as an Account Credit Refund.
Account credits apply to the whole purchase, not to a single ticket type. When a customer applies one, the full order amount is drawn from the balance, up to what they hold; they cannot choose to use only part of it. Any balance left over stays on their account. For example, a customer with $100 of credit who places a $50 order pays nothing and keeps $50 for later.
An organizer credit created from a refund includes the fees the customer paid on the original order. When they spend it on a ticket with no processing fee charged on the credit, a small balance can be left over. For example, a $10 ticket with $2.59 in fees refunded to credit leaves $2.59 after the customer rebooks the $10 ticket.
If an order paid with account credits is fully refunded, the credits used go back to the customer's account. A customer who holds both organizer and universal credits can use only one kind in a single transaction.
What customers see
After buying a credit, the customer receives a confirmation email with their credit code. If the issuing ticket type is excluded from the confirmation email, no ticket PDF comes with it.
In their Showpass profile, the Credits page shows Universal Credits, Organizer Credits and Ticket Credits in separate sections. View Available Events beside a credit shows the events it can be used on. From there they pick an event and click Buy Tickets.
At checkout for a redeemable event, the credit applies automatically while the customer is signed in to the Showpass account they bought it with. If they hold more than one credit that fits the order, they choose which one to apply. If it does not apply on its own, they can select Enter Promo, Discount Or Credit Code and type the code from their email.
The customer can keep using the credit across several purchases until all its uses are spent, within the per-item limit you set.
Checking a customer's credits
Open Customers > Manage customers, select the customer and choose the Credits tab. The top of the tab shows any account credit the customer holds. Under Ticket credits, the Available and Used tabs list each Ticket credit code with the event that issued it (Issued by) and its Used / Available count.
Refunds and credits
When you refund an order that was paid with credits or was part of an exchange, the refund goes back to the customer as credits rather than to a card. If you refund an order whose issued ticket credits have already been used, the refund screen reminds you to void the tickets bought with those credits as well.
Limitations
- The ticket credit form has no expiry date setting.
- One ticket credit covers different credit counts per ticket type, but every ticket type on it redeems against the same list of events.
- Universal credits cannot be used in the Box Office.
- A customer cannot combine organizer and universal credits in one transaction.
Troubleshooting
The credit does not apply automatically at checkout. The customer is either signed out or bought the credit as a guest, so it is not linked to the account they are using. Ask them to sign in with the email address they bought the credit with, or to enter the code by hand with Enter Promo, Discount Or Credit Code.
The customer has several credits and the wrong one applied. They can choose which credit to apply at checkout, or enter the code they want by hand.
The customer cannot use two credit codes on one event. Ask Showpass support to allow multiple discounts on your organization.
A customer who bought several credits in one order cannot share them with a guest. Switch on Collect guest information per ticket on the issuing event's Order form before more credits are sold.
Buyers received a scannable ticket for the issuing event. Switch on Exclude from purchase confirmation email on the issuing ticket type's Notifications tab so future buyers receive only their code.
The customer's credit shows no events. No redemption events are assigned yet. Add them under Credits redeemable for and let your buyers know.
The code is rejected in the Box Office. Check that a ticket is in the cart and that its ticket type is switched on under Credits redeemable for.
Reporting
The Ticket Credit Usage Report (Insights > Reports, CSV) lists credit purchases and redemptions.
Credit redemptions count toward gross and net sales on the event's stats, even when the amount charged to a card is zero. Credit use appears as its own payment type on the stats page.
In the Financial CSV, the Account Credit Applied and Credit Type columns show where account credits paid for part or all of an order.
Related pages
- Box Office: selling and adding customers to in-person orders.
- Creating and editing ticket types: the Notifications tab and purchase limits.
- Discounts: other ways to reduce ticket prices.
- Reports: the Ticket Credit Usage Report and Financial CSV.