Updated 18 November 2026
How to protect your event tickets from chargebacks
What a chargeback on a ticket sale costs a promoter, why fraud chargebacks are so hard to win, and how catching an early fraud warning before the event lets you refund it first. Includes how SHWDWN does it automatically.
A chargeback is when a buyer's bank takes a card payment back. For a promoter it is one of the more expensive things that can happen to a single sale: the ticket money goes, a dispute fee goes on top, and the seat sat sold to someone who was never coming. Most promoters only learn how chargebacks work after the first one lands.
This guide explains where ticket chargebacks come from, why the fraud ones are so hard to win, and what you can do before the event to stop them. The short version is that the cheapest chargeback is the one you refund before it happens.
What a chargeback actually costs
When a payment is charged back, the full amount goes back to the cardholder and the payment processor charges a dispute fee. On Stripe in the UK that fee is £20 per dispute. You can submit evidence and try to win the money back, which takes weeks, and you only get the fee back if you win.
Card networks and payment processors also watch how often a business receives disputes. A rate that stays high can lead to extra monitoring, fees, or in the worst case losing the ability to take card payments, so even small numbers are worth keeping down.
Why fraud chargebacks on tickets are hard to win
Most ticket chargebacks fall into two kinds. Some are buyers who did buy the ticket and later dispute it, for example because they could not make the event. Those can often be won with a clear no-refunds policy and proof the ticket was delivered.
The other kind is fraud: someone used a card that was not theirs. Here the cardholder is telling the truth, they did not make the purchase, and evidence that the ticket was scanned at the door or the stream was watched does not change that. Fraud disputes on tickets are rarely won, so the money and the fee are usually gone.
The warning you get first
Fraud chargebacks rarely arrive without notice. When a cardholder reports a payment as fraud, their bank usually sends an early fraud warning through the card network, often days before a chargeback is filed. Stripe passes these on as early fraud warnings.
A payment you refund at that point is very unlikely to be charged back. You lose the sale, which you were going to lose anyway, but you avoid the dispute fee and the dispute counting against you. And if the event has not happened yet, the seats go back on sale.
What you can do as a promoter
Act on warnings before the event. A warning on an order that has not been used yet is the easiest decision you will make: refund it, and resell the seats.
Look before refunding anything that has been used. If the tickets were scanned in or the stream was watched, someone may have a genuine claim, and it is worth checking the buyer's history before deciding.
Keep a clear no-refunds policy. It does not help against fraud, but it is what wins the other kind of chargeback, from buyers who simply changed their mind.
Keep check-in records. Proof of entry is your evidence if a non-fraud dispute comes in after the event.
How SHWDWN handles it
On SHWDWN this is automated. Automated fraud protection is on for every promotion: when a card's bank sends an early fraud warning on one of your orders, SHWDWN refunds the payment in full before it becomes a chargeback. It does this automatically when the order includes tickets, the event has not started, nothing on the order has been used (scanned in or streamed), and the order is £300 or less. Anything else is reviewed by the SHWDWN team, who may check with you first.
When an order is refunded this way, the tickets are cancelled and the seats go back on sale, you are not charged the booking fee on that order, and you get an email and an app notification showing what a chargeback would have cost. The buyer gets an email saying their order was refunded, with a way to get in touch if they did make the purchase. Normal refund rules do not change: tickets are still non-refundable, and buyers cannot use this to get their money back.
Promoters can ask for it to be switched off. With it off, a warned payment that becomes a chargeback is the promoter's to cover, including the dispute fee. The details are in Section 8 of the Promoter Terms.
See what SHWDWN can do for you
Fight cards, ticketing and PPV on one event, a sales link for every fighter, and purses paid out through Stripe. Promoters pay nothing — buyers pay 7.5% (minimum £2), card processing included.
Common questions
What is a chargeback on an event ticket?
A chargeback is when the buyer's bank reverses a card payment for a ticket. The full ticket price goes back to the cardholder and the payment processor charges the seller a dispute fee, which is £20 per dispute on Stripe in the UK. The seller can submit evidence to try to win it back, but fraud chargebacks on tickets are rarely won.
How do I stop chargebacks on my event?
Refund suspicious payments before they become chargebacks. When a cardholder reports fraud, their bank usually sends an early fraud warning first, often days before a chargeback. A payment refunded at that point is very unlikely to be charged back, so you avoid the dispute fee and, if the event has not happened, the seats go back on sale. A clear no-refunds policy and check-in records help you win the other kind of dispute, from buyers who changed their mind.
What is an early fraud warning?
An early fraud warning is a notice from the card network that a cardholder has reported a payment as fraudulent. It usually arrives before a chargeback is filed, which gives the seller a window to refund the payment and avoid the dispute. Stripe passes these on to the business that took the payment.
Can I win a chargeback if the ticket was scanned at the door?
For a buyer who changed their mind, often yes: proof of entry plus a clear no-refunds policy is strong evidence. For fraud, usually not. The cardholder's claim is that they did not make the purchase, and proof that someone used the ticket does not show the cardholder authorised the payment.
Does SHWDWN protect promoters from ticket fraud?
Yes. SHWDWN's automated fraud protection refunds a payment as soon as the card's bank warns it may be fraudulent, before it becomes a chargeback. It happens automatically when the order includes tickets, the event has not started, nothing on the order has been used and the order is £300 or less; the SHWDWN team reviews anything else. The promoter avoids the £20 dispute fee and the seats go back on sale. It is on for every promotion and promoters can ask for it to be switched off.