Quick Answer
Typically it takes 7-10 business days for Ticketmaster to process refunds for cancelled events. However, the exact timeframe can vary depending on the original method of payment, number of tickets purchased, and other factors. Ticketmaster states they aim to complete refunds within 30 days of the event cancellation.
Detailed Answer
When an event is cancelled, Ticketmaster automatically refunds the ticket price and service fees to the original method of payment used to purchase the tickets. Here is an overview of how long refunds generally take for different payment methods:
Credit/Debit Card Purchases
For tickets purchased with a credit or debit card, refunds are usually processed back to the original card within 7-10 business days after the event cancellation is confirmed.
According to Ticketmaster’s purchase policy, credit card refunds can take up to 30 days to appear on your statement. This allows time for the reversal of charges to fully process through the card network.
So while you may see the refund deducted from your Ticketmaster account balance shortly after cancellation, it could still take up to a month for that money to be credited back to your bank account by your card issuer.
PayPal Purchases
For tickets bought using PayPal, refunds are typically completed within 7-10 business days. However, additional time may be needed for the funds to show up in your PayPal or bank account depending on bank processing times.
You should see the Ticketmaster refund in your PayPal account transaction history shortly after cancellation. But PayPal still has to transfer that money from your PayPal wallet back into your linked bank account.
This bank transfer process can take an extra 5 or more days in some cases. So PayPal refunds may take around 10-15 business days on average to fully reconcile.
Ticketmaster Gift Cards
If tickets were paid for using a Ticketmaster gift card, the refunded amount will be credited back to the original gift card used for purchase. This is usually done within 7-10 business days after event cancellation.
The refund will appear as a credit on your Ticketmaster gift card balance that can be applied to future Ticketmaster purchases.
Other Payment Methods
For other less common payment methods like Apple Pay or mobile wallets, Ticketmaster states refunds are issued back to the original method of payment used and should be processed within 7-10 business days.
However, additional time may be required depending on the policies of the specific mobile payment provider. Certain mobile wallets and pay options can take longer to reconcile refunded amounts back to source accounts and cards.
Factors that can delay refund processing
While Ticketmaster tries to issue all refunds within 30 days for cancelled events, there are some variables that can extend the time it takes:
- High volume of refunds to process after a popular event cancellation
- Delays or issues with your bank/card issuer accepting the funds
- Payment done via a travel or corporate account that requires additional handling
- Investigations for suspected fraud on the purchase
For very large events where Ticketmaster has to handle tens of thousands of refunds all at once, it may understandably take longer for all those transactions to be completed. Having a little patience is advised in these exceptional high-volume situations.
Likewise, any problems or delays from your bank or card issuer in accepting the incoming refund funds can prolong the timeline on their end. This is outside Ticketmaster’s direct control.
If you used a business, travel agency, or corporate account to purchase the tickets, Ticketmaster may have some extra procedures to follow in order to process the refund back to that account correctly.
Ticketmaster may also conduct extra fraud checks on suspicious purchases before issuing refunds. This could add a few days if they have to verify the validity of the order and request more details from the buyer.
How to Check the Status of Your Refund
You can check the status of your refund online via your Ticketmaster account.
Log into your Ticketmaster account and go to your purchase history – this will show any refunds pending or already processed for cancelled events.
Within your account, you can also contact Ticketmaster customer support for specific information on a refund that is taking longer than expected to complete.
Additionally, watch your original payment account or payment statements closely. This could be your credit card statement, bank account, PayPal transaction history, etc.
The cancelled ticket refund should appear here once Ticketmaster has fully processed the return back to your method of payment.
If you don’t see the refund show up within 30 days, follow up with Ticketmaster customer service to investigate the situation further.
Following up on delayed Ticketmaster refunds
If it has been over 30 days since an event cancellation and your Ticketmaster refund still has not shown up, here are some tips on next steps:
- Check for any communications from Ticketmaster on your refund status
- Contact Ticketmaster by phone and through your account to escalate the issue
- Double check statements and accounts for any refund updates you may have missed
- Dispute the charge with your bank/card issuer if you cannot get resolution
Start by thoroughly checking for any emails, notifications, or account messages from Ticketmaster regarding delays in your refund process. There may be an issue they need to resolve that is holding things up.
You can call Ticketmaster directly and inquiry about the delayed refund by referencing your order number and ticket details. This will help their support team investigate what could be causing the longer processing time.
Also carefully verify again that the refund has not already been issued to your payment method or statements that you overlooked. Sometimes refunds appear sooner than expected.
As a last resort if you have still not received your Ticketmaster refund after contacting their support, you may need to initiate a chargeback dispute on the purchase with your credit card company or bank. Provide details on the cancelled event and lack of refund to dispute the charge and potentially get the money credited back by your card issuer instead.
Important Refund Tips
To help ensure Ticketmaster cancelled event refunds go through smoothly and quickly, keep these tips in mind:
- Keep payment account/statements handy to watch for the refund transaction
- Don’t close any payment cards used for the purchase until the refund is received
- Save all Ticketmaster emails/receipts related to the order for reference
- Contact support right away if the refund is delayed more than 30 days
- Be prepared to provide order details like ticket numbers to Ticketmaster
Having your original payment statements available to review for the refund will prevent any delayed funds from going unnoticed.
You’ll also want to avoid closing credit cards or payment accounts associated with the ticket order until the refund is fully processed. This can complicate Ticketmaster issuing the return.
Retain all purchase emails and receipts from Ticketmaster as proof of buying the tickets should you need to file a dispute or reference order details when following up.
Be proactive in contacting Ticketmaster if your refund takes longer than their typical maximum 30 day window after the cancellation notice. The sooner you inquire, the quicker they can investigate any problems.
Knowing key ticket details and order numbers will help expedite Ticketmaster customer support investigating refund delays when you reach out to them.
Sample Refund Timelines
To further set expectations, here are some real-world examples of typical refund timeframes reported for cancelled events purchased through Ticketmaster:
Concert Refund Timeline
John bought 2 tickets to a concert scheduled on March 5th for $85 each using his Visa card through Ticketmaster online.
- March 2nd – Concert is cancelled by the artist
- March 3rd – John receives email from Ticketmaster that the event was cancelled and refunds will be processed automatically
- March 12th – The $170 refund appears as a credit on John’s next Visa statement
So in this case, it took just over a week after the cancellation notice for John to see the concert ticket refund processed back to his credit card.
Sports Refund Timeline
Alice purchased 4 tickets to a pro basketball game on January 10th for $50 per ticket through Ticketmaster using her Mastercard.
- January 9th – The game is postponed due to weather conditions
- January 12th – Alice receives email notification of the postponement from Ticketmaster and that refunds will be issued
- January 20th – Alice sees the $200 refund as a credit on her Mastercard account online
For Alice, it took about 8 days for the full sports ticket refund to be processed back to the same Mastercard used for purchase after the postponement notice from Ticketmaster.
Festival Refund Timeline
Bob bought 2 general admission weekend passes for a music festival in April for $400 total through Ticketmaster using his PayPal account.
- March 29th – Festival announces they must cancel due to band lineup issues
- March 31st – Bob receives cancellation email from Ticketmaster
- April 9th – Bob sees the $400 refund appear in his PayPal account’s transaction history
- April 11th – Refund transfers from PayPal to Bob’s checking account
In Bob’s case using PayPal for payment, it took approximately 10 days for the full refund to show up in his PayPal account after the festival cancellation. But it was another 2 days for that money to transfer into his bank account from his PayPal balance.
Conclusion
To summarize, Ticketmaster aims to process refunds for cancelled events within a 30 day window, but most refunds are issued in 7-10 business days. Exact timing depends on:
- Original payment method used
- Processing times for that payment channel
- Volume of refunds being handled
- Any issues on Ticketmaster’s or your bank’s side
Monitor your payment accounts closely and follow up with Ticketmaster customer service if your refund still has not appeared after 30+ days. Being proactive can help resolve any delays in the refund being returned to your payment method.