Guides › Tickets and Events › Event Cancelled or Moved: Getting a Ticket Refund
Event Cancelled or Moved: Getting a Ticket Refund
If an event is cancelled, moved or rescheduled, you can get a refund from an official seller. The refund is usually the face value printed on the ticket; booking or card fees may not be refunded. If you simply change your mind or cannot go, there is no right to a refund unless the seller’s own terms allow it.
At a Glance
Your Rights
What the rules say, with a link to the official source for each.
Cancelled or Changed Events
Refund If Cancelled
If an event is cancelled, moved or rescheduled, you can get a refund from an official seller. The organiser tells you how to claim. source
How Much You Get Back
The refund is usually the face value printed on the ticket. Postage may be refunded in some cases, but booking or card fees may not be. Travel and accommodation are usually excluded unless they were bought as part of a package with the ticket. source
If You Change Your Mind
If you change your mind or cannot go, you are not entitled to a refund. source
No Cooling-Off Period
The usual 14-day cooling-off period for online and phone purchases does not apply to tickets for leisure events that state a specific date or time period, such as concert tickets. Once you have bought, you generally cannot cancel just because you changed your mind. source
Resale Tickets
Refunds on Resale Tickets
From resale, secondary, private or fan-to-fan sellers you are unlikely to get a refund, so check the seller's terms and the event or artist's website before you buy. source
Resale Information Rules
When you buy a resold ticket online, the seller and the resale site must give you clear information before you complete the purchase: enough detail to identify the exact seat or standing area, any restrictions on who can use the ticket (such as an age limit or a disabled-only area), the face value printed on the ticket, and any connection between the seller and the resale site or the event organiser (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 90). source
Getting Help
STAR Complaints Scheme
If the seller is a member of STAR (the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers), you can use STAR's complaints procedure. STAR members should refund face value if the event is cancelled and the organiser has agreed to refunds. source
Card Provider Help
If you cannot get your money back any other way, check whether your card provider can help, for example through a Section 75 claim for credit card payments over 100 pounds or a chargeback. source
Trading Standards
You can report a seller to Trading Standards if they give wrong or misleading information, use unfair terms or use unfair sales tactics, such as false claims that tickets are almost sold out. source
Time Limits to Know
Miss a deadline and you can lose a right. Check the dates on your own paperwork.
- Organiser's deadlineAsk for a refund when an event is cancelled or movedBy the organiser's stated deadline, so claim as soon as you hear
- NoneCancel a ticket just because you changed your mindNo cooling-off period for tickets with a fixed event date; check the seller's own terms
- Straight awayReport fake ticketsAs soon as you suspect fraud, and tell your bank at once
Steps to Take
Step 1 of 5
Check the organiser’s or seller’s announcement for how and by when to claim.
Step 2 of 5
Ask the official seller for a refund in writing and keep your ticket and booking confirmation. Our free letter templates can write it for you.
Step 3 of 5
If the seller is a STAR member and will not put it right, use STAR’s complaints procedure.
Step 4 of 5
If you still cannot get your money back, ask your card provider about Section 75 or a chargeback.
Step 5 of 5
If you think the tickets were fake or you were scammed, report it straight away.
(Tap the numbers to reveal steps)
Where to Go If It Is Not Put Right
Your options, in order, and when each one applies.
STAR Complaints Procedure
Your ticket seller is a STAR member and has not put it right.
Card Provider: Section 75 or Chargeback
You paid by card and cannot get a refund from the seller.
Report Fraud
You think your tickets were fake or you were scammed. Phone 0300 123 2040, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.
Trading Standards via Citizens Advice
A seller gave misleading information or used unfair sales tactics.
Good to Know
Small things that make your complaint stronger.
Travel and accommodation are usually not refunded unless they were bought as a package with the ticket.
Want Help?
If you would like one of our team to look at your problem, our initial case review is free. We cannot guarantee any outcome and we do not give legal advice.
Lead reviewer
Luke Marley
Founder and Lead Reviewer
Luke founded CPUK in 2026 after seeing how hard it is for ordinary people to get problems with companies put right. He oversees our guides and checks them against official sources.
Research by Katie Burt, Co-founder and Operations Lead (17 years in the care sector, including managing services for vulnerable adults), and the CPUK Research Team. Researched with AI-assisted research tools, then checked and corrected by our team.
Last checked: 12 October 2026. We are not paid by the companies we write about. Adverts never affect our guidance. Read our editorial policy.
Sources and official links
- citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/event-tickets/getting-a-refund-on-an-event-ticket Checked 12 October 2026
- nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/exemptions-right-cancel-consumer-contracts Checked 12 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/90/notes Checked 12 October 2026
- citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/somethings-gone-wrong-with-a-purchase/getting-your-money-back-if-you-paid-by-card-or-paypal Checked 12 October 2026
- reportfraud.police.uk Checked 12 October 2026