Ticketmaster is one of the largest ticket sales and distribution companies, providing ticketing services for many of the biggest concerts, sporting events, and live entertainment shows around the world. With millions of tickets sold through their platform every year, it’s common for customers to need to request refunds or exchanges on their purchases. But is it possible to get a refund for just a single ticket if you bought multiple tickets together in one order?
The Short Answer
Yes, in most cases Ticketmaster does allow you to refund or exchange just one ticket from an order with multiple tickets. However, there are some limitations and requirements around doing partial refunds or exchanges, which this article will explain in more detail.
Refund and Exchange Policies
Before requesting a partial refund or exchange, it’s important to understand Ticketmaster’s general refund and exchange policies:
- Refunds and exchanges are offered on most tickets, but availability can depend on the event.
- Refunds and exchanges must be requested before the event occurs.
- Fees are usually non-refundable, even when ticket costs are refunded.
- Credits are usually issued instead of cash refunds.
- Partial refunds and exchanges must meet certain requirements, explained below.
These policies are in place to protect against fraud and misuse of the refund/exchange system. The specifics on availability, timing, fees, and credits can vary between different venues and events. Be sure to check the details before purchasing tickets.
Requirements for Partial Refunds
While Ticketmaster does allow partial refunds and exchanges in many cases, there are restrictions in place to prevent abuse of the system. Some key requirements include:
- Only one ticket per order can be refunded or exchanged in most cases.
- The ticket must be for an event that hasn’t happened yet.
- The order must have contained multiple tickets originally.
- The remaining tickets must add up to a valid order based on ticket limit rules.
- Requests are subject to review and approval by Ticketmaster.
These requirements help ensure that customers aren’t unfairly breaking up orders to get around things like ticket purchase limits. They also prevent refunds on tickets for events that have already occurred. Customers can request a refund or exchange on just one ticket if the above criteria are met.
How to Request a Partial Refund/Exchange
To request a partial refund or exchange on Ticketmaster, follow these steps:
- Access your Ticketmaster account online or via the mobile app.
- Find the order that contains the ticket you want to refund/exchange.
- Select the “Refund” or “Exchange” option.
- Choose the specific ticket you want to refund or exchange.
- Follow the prompts to confirm your request.
- Wait for Ticketmaster to review and approve your request.
- If approved, your refund will be processed to your original payment method.
During the process, you’ll need to provide a reason for the partial refund or exchange request. Make sure to only choose the one ticket you want refunded or exchanged. The remainder of the order will still stand.
Reasons for Partial Refunds
There are a few common reasons customers might need to refund or exchange just one ticket from a larger order, including:
- One person can’t attend – If one person in your group can no longer go to the event, you may want to refund just their ticket.
- Accidental extra purchase – Sometimes people accidentally buy one too many tickets and need to undo an extra purchase.
- Splitting up group orders – For group orders, members may want to split up their tickets across multiple orders.
- Event/seat upgrade – Customers could exchange one ticket for a better seat or different event date/time.
As long as your request meets the refund requirements, Ticketmaster will generally approve partial refunds for legitimate reasons like these.
Partial Exchanges vs. Partial Refunds
With Ticketmaster, you can request either a partial refund or a partial exchange:
- Partial refund – Get a refund on just one ticket to remove it from the order.
- Partial exchange – Exchange one ticket for a ticket to another event, date, or seating location.
Partial exchanges are processed similar to partial refunds. The key difference is that instead of removing the ticket from the order, it is exchanged into a ticket for a different event or seating selection.
Downsides of Partial Refunds
While Ticketmaster does allow partial refunds and exchanges in many cases, there are some downsides and risks to be aware of, including:
- Remaining tickets could end up separated from original purchase group.
- Tickets may no longer be together if refunded ticket was in the middle of a row.
- Refund processing time can take 7-10 days in some cases.
- No guarantee partial refund will be approved if requirements aren’t met.
- May not be able to re-purchase released ticket if event sells out.
Before requesting a partial refund, think carefully about how it will impact remaining ticket locations and whether the event could end up selling out. In some cases, it may be better to re-sell unwanted tickets through a resale marketplace if allowed.
Partial Refunds on Resale Marketplace
If you purchased tickets through Ticketmaster’s resale marketplace from another fan, partial refund rules work differently:
- Each resale ticket is treated as a separate order, even if purchased together.
- No partial refunds allowed – must refund/exchange entire order.
- Requests handled by seller once event occurs, not Ticketmaster.
- Sellers can set own policies, but usually no refunds once event starts.
Because all resale tickets are individual orders between buyers and resellers, Ticketmaster cannot process partial refunds on them. You would need to reach out to the seller directly to remove a ticket from a multi-ticket purchase.
Getting Help with Partial Refunds
If you have any trouble requesting a partial refund or exchange on Ticketmaster, there are a few ways to get assistance:
- Contact Ticketmaster Fan Support by phone or chat.
- Reach out to the box office at the original point of purchase.
- Email Ticketmaster Customer Service if you don’t receive a response.
- Reference order details like date of purchase and ticket numbers.
Being prepared with your order information will help Ticketmaster support agents quickly pull up your purchase and assist with processing a partial refund or exchange.
Key Takeaways
The key points to remember are:
- Ticketmaster does allow partial refunds and exchanges in most cases.
- Only one ticket per order can be refunded/exchanged.
- Tickets must be for a future event on an order with multiple tickets.
- Requests must meet Ticketmaster requirements and are subject to approval.
- On resale tickets, each ticket is a separate order and can’t be partially refunded.
- Contact support if you have issues requesting a partial refund or exchange.
Understanding the ins and outs of Ticketmaster’s partial refund and exchange policies can help ensure a smooth process if you ever need to remove a single ticket from a larger order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get a refund on Ticketmaster if you can’t go?
In most cases, yes – Ticketmaster will provide a refund if you can no longer attend an event you purchased tickets for. You will need to request the refund before the event occurs through your Ticketmaster account. Refund availability can vary by event.
How long does it take to get a refund from Ticketmaster?
Ticketmaster refund processing times vary, but can take anywhere from 3-10 business days in most cases. Some venues and events can take up to 30 days. Refunds are typically issued back to the original payment method used.
What fees are refunded on Ticketmaster?
Most Ticketmaster service and processing fees are non-refundable, even when ticket costs are refunded. Things like delivery, facility, and order processing fees will not be included in refunds in most cases. Only the base ticket price is refunded.
Can you get a partial refund on tickets from StubHub?
No – StubHub does not offer partial refunds for multi-ticket orders. Each ticket is treated as a separate order. You would need to refund the full order for any ticket you want to remove from a StubHub purchase.
What if only some of my group can go to an event now?
If your group order needs to be split up, you can request a partial refund or exchange on Ticketmaster to remove tickets from people who can no longer attend. This allows you to refund just a portion of a group order as needed.
Can I resell a ticket I got refunded on Ticketmaster?
If Ticketmaster refunds you for a ticket, that ticket is canceled and can no longer be resold. However, you could request an exchange into a different event instead of a refund, which would allow you to resell the new ticket.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster is quite flexible in allowing customers to refund or exchange just one ticket from a multi-ticket order in many cases. This makes it easy to split up group orders or remove an extra ticket purchased by mistake. Just be aware of the requirements around partial refunds and some of the potential downsides before requesting a change to part of your Ticketmaster order. Their support team can also provide assistance if you run into any issues.