At Ticket to the Town, we’ve been on the front lines of the event industry for years.
We know that organizing events is hard enough without dealing with the financial headaches that come after the ticket is sold.
One of the biggest problems event organizers face today? Chargebacks.
Let’s dig into what’s going on in the ticketing world — and how our next-day funding and low chargeback rates are changing the game.
Chargebacks are supposed to protect consumers. When a customer disputes a charge with their credit card company — whether due to fraud, a mistake, or dissatisfaction — a chargeback reverses the transaction.
But in the event industry, chargebacks have become a major issue. Here’s why:
- High volume of digital purchases makes fraud more common.
- Event cancellations, delays, or misunderstandings lead to disputes.
- Consumers abuse chargeback systems (more on that below).
- Processors hold funds for weeks or months to protect against potential chargebacks.
Because of this, most event payment processors delay funding. It’s not unusual for organizers to receive their revenue days or even weeks after their event. That’s not just frustrating — it’s bad for business.
Most processors are too nervous to offer next-day payouts. They worry that a flood of chargebacks will hit after they’ve already paid out the event planner.
At Ticket to the Town, we’ve developed smart fraud monitoring tools that reduce chargebacks before they happen. This allows us to safely offer next-day funding — putting money in your hands when you actually need it.
We also charge the lowest fees in the industry for chargebacks. One event planner saved over $50,000 per year in chargeback-related costs after switching to us. That’s not a typo. That’s what happens when you combine advanced fraud detection with transparent pricing.
Chargeback fraud, also known as friendly fraud, happens when a customer knowingly disputes a legitimate transaction. This is a growing problem in online ticketing. Some examples:
- A customer buys tickets, attends the event, and then claims they never made the purchase.
- Someone buys tickets but disputes the charge after losing interest or being unable to attend.
- Users share or resell digital tickets and then claim the charge was unauthorized.
- Music Festival Organizer: Lost $3,000 after dozens of attendees claimed they never bought tickets — despite scanning in at the gates.
- Virtual Conference Host: Saw a spike in disputes after attendees watched sessions, downloaded resources, then requested refunds through their bank.
- Nightclub Promoter: Faced weekly chargebacks from regular customers trying to game the system.
In all these cases, the organizers did nothing wrong. But they still lost the revenue — and often had to pay an extra fee on top of that.
Digital ticket fraud is real — and it fuels the chargeback epidemic. That’s why we invest in advanced ticket security features:
- Unique QR codes tied to each buyer (no duplicate scans).
- Geo-fencing and time-stamping to verify attendance.
- Purchase verification systems that track consumer behavior and flag suspicious activity.
Our system stops fraud before it reaches the bank. That’s how we cut down chargebacks and protect our clients’ revenue.
- ✅ Next-day funding (yes, really)
- 💸 Lowest chargeback rates in the industry
- 🛡️ Smart fraud protection tools
- 💼 Experience saving clients tens of thousands per year
- 🔐 Advanced digital ticket security
Chargebacks aren’t going away. But with the right tools and the right partner, you can keep them under control — and keep your event business profitable.
Ready to stop chargeback chaos and get paid faster?