How Resale Refunds Work on StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, and Ticketmaster

Every resale marketplace advertises a guarantee, and every guarantee covers the same headline case: the show is canceled outright. Where they differ is in everything around that case. Whether you get cash or credit, whether the credit is worth more than you paid, whether a fee is deducted, what happens when the show is merely postponed, and whether there is any route out if your own plans change. Those differences are written into each company’s official policy pages, and they are not small. Here they are, read from the pages themselves on September 6, 2026, for StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, and the two primary ticketers’ resale programs, Ticketmaster and AXS.

The quick answer

• Canceled and not rescheduled: everyone refunds, but not the same way. StubHub issues “a credit in your StubHub Wallet worth 120% of the total amount you paid,” with a cash refund available on request. SeatGeek gives “a full refund of the purchase price or, subject to applicable laws,” a credit, at its sole discretion. Vivid Seats gives “full compensation of the purchase price (including delivery charges, less possible restocking fees), or a credit,” also at its discretion. Ticketmaster refunds resale buyers and charges the seller; AXS refunds “in accordance with our Client’s instructions”
• Postponed or rescheduled: nobody refunds by default. StubHub: “StubHub does not provide refunds for rescheduled events.” SeatGeek: refunds “are generally not offered for these events unless required by applicable state laws.” Vivid Seats: “the order will not qualify for a refund or other compensation, except in jurisdictions where it is required by law.” AXS: “not typically available,” even when the original buyer is offered one. Ticketmaster: only if the organizer authorizes it and you ask
• Changed your mind: only SeatGeek sells a way out. Its optional Refundable Tickets add-on, chosen at checkout, lets you “cancel your entire order for any reason up to 48 hours before the event start time” for a full cash refund minus the add-on’s own charge. Everywhere else, all sales are final
• Fastest cash: StubHub’s cash refund lands “within 10 business days” of the request; SeatGeek’s “within 3-10 business days”; Ticketmaster’s 5 to 7 business days on a manual request. Vivid Seats and AXS publish no clock
• The condition people miss: SeatGeek’s guarantee requires you to “contact SeatGeek immediately” about a ticket problem, or it “may be unable to provide you replacement Ticket(s) and/or a full refund”

Key facts at a glance

Scenario	StubHub	SeatGeek	Vivid Seats	Ticketmaster resale	AXS resale
Canceled, not rescheduled	120% Wallet credit (1 year, same currency) or cash refund on request	Full refund or credit, SeatGeek’s choice; you are contacted, no request needed	Purchase price plus delivery, “less possible restocking fees,” or credit, Vivid Seats’ choice	Refund to buyer; seller’s card charged, tickets returned to seller	Refund per client instructions, to payment method on file
Postponed or rescheduled	Tickets valid for new date; no refund; resell	Tickets valid; no refund unless state law requires; replacements if venue requires new tickets	Tickets valid; no refund except where law requires; reissued tickets forwarded	Refund only if organizer authorizes and buyer requests	Not typically available, even if the original purchaser is offered one
Change of mind	No	Only with the Refundable Tickets add-on bought at checkout, up to 48 hours before	No, “All sales are final”	No	No
Invalid or late tickets	”Get valid tickets to any event or your money back”; replacements sought first	Comparable or better tickets, refund, or credit, “case-by-case”; must contact immediately	Delivered before the event and valid, or “your money back”	Ticketmaster’s verified resale, organizer rules apply	Client rules apply
Refund timing	Cash within 10 business days of request	3-10 business days after processing; longer for large cancellations	Not stated	5-7 business days (manual), 14-21 days (automatic)	Not stated
Playoff game never played	Not addressed	Treated as canceled: “full refund or credit”	Not addressed	Not addressed	Not addressed

StubHub: the only guarantee that pays more than you paid

StubHub’s event-change page is the clearest of the five, and its cancellation rule is unusual. For a canceled event, “You’ll receive a credit in your StubHub Wallet worth 120% of the total amount you paid. The credit is valid for one year from the issue date for ticket purchases in the same currency.” Cash is a second step you take yourself: “To receive a cash refund, go to your StubHub Wallet and select ‘Request cash refund’ on the appropriate credit. We’ll issue the refund to your original payment method within 10 business days.” So the default is the larger credit, and the refund is opt-in. One housekeeping line matters for paper tickets: “please keep the tickets for 30 days,” because a seller may need them back to claim a refund from the original provider.

Postponement is the opposite: “Your tickets will be valid for the rescheduled date. You can resell your tickets if you can’t make it. StubHub does not provide refunds for rescheduled events.” StubHub’s own newsroom, in an August 20 explainer, lists what FanProtect does not cover: “You simply change your mind and don’t want to go anymore,” “You can no longer attend,” “Your travel plans change,” and “An event is postponed or rescheduled rather than canceled.”

The FanProtect page also draws a boundary that matters if you were pointed to StubHub through another app: “Only tickets you buy and sell on StubHub sites or StubHub mobile apps are covered by our guarantee.” The seller side is blunt: “When an event is canceled, StubHub does not pay you for the sale,” and the seller’s refund comes from the original ticket provider, not from StubHub.

SeatGeek: refund or credit is SeatGeek’s call, and speed is the promise

SeatGeek’s Buyer Guarantee, last updated June 21, 2024, phrases cancellation as a choice the company makes: “If your event is canceled and not rescheduled, SeatGeek, in its sole discretion, will provide you with a full refund of the purchase price or, subject to applicable laws, issue you a credit for use on a future purchase.” The help article written for fans leans toward cash, “SeatGeek will issue a full refund to the original payment method or provide account credit where permitted by law,” and removes the need to act: “You do not need to contact support. SeatGeek will reach out to eligible fans once the cancellation is confirmed.”

Two provisions are unique to SeatGeek. The guarantee covers series games that never happen: “Any contingent games, such as playoff series games, that are not played because of a team’s elimination, will be subject to a full refund or credit as a canceled event.” And it sells flexibility as a product. Refundable Tickets is “an optional Refundable Tickets add-on at checkout” for select events; with it, “you can cancel your entire order for any reason up to 48 hours before the event start time and receive a full cash refund (excluding the refundable service charge).” It cannot be added after purchase, it applies to the whole order only, and its own charge is refunded only if the event itself is canceled.

The timing page is specific: “Most SeatGeek refunds appear on the original payment method within 3-10 business days,” with a warning that “for major event or tour cancellations, refunds may take longer than usual while the venue, promoter, and ticket providers coordinate.” The guarantee’s fine print carries the one obligation on the fan: “If you fail to contact us immediately upon becoming aware of an issue with your Ticket(s), we may be unable to provide you replacement Ticket(s) and/or a full refund.” Postponements follow the industry line: tickets stay valid, “refunds are generally not offered for these events unless required by applicable state laws,” and if a venue change forces new tickets, “SeatGeek will work to provide seats of similar value and experience.”

Vivid Seats: full compensation, minus a possible restocking fee, at its discretion

Vivid Seats’ 100% Buyer Guarantee promises delivery before the event, valid and authentic tickets, and seats “identical, comparable, or even better than the ones you ordered or your money back.” On cancellation the wording has two hedges the other marketplaces do not: “If an event is canceled with no rescheduled date, you receive full compensation of the purchase price (including delivery charges, less possible restocking fees), or a credit to use on a future purchase, as determined at our sole discretion.” Delivery charges are included, a restocking fee may be subtracted, and cash versus credit is the company’s decision. The Sales Terms, updated July 22, 2026, add a condition that any original tickets be returned within two weeks of the cancellation notice.

The support article on weather and date changes narrows eligibility further: “We are only able to issue compensation for events that are officially cancelled by the venue, team, or performer and not rescheduled,” and rain alone does not count. For postponements the terms say “the order will not qualify for a refund or other compensation, except in jurisdictions where it is required by law.” Everything else is covered by one sentence: “All sales are final. No compensation will be given for any reason except as explicitly described elsewhere in these Sales Terms.”

Ticketmaster and AXS resale: the primary ticketer’s rules apply

The two primary platforms run their own resale, and their refund logic follows the event organizer rather than a marketplace guarantee. On Ticketmaster, a canceled event refunds the resale buyer and charges the seller: Ticketmaster will “charge your credit card on file to refund the buyer of your tickets” and return the tickets to the seller’s account. Postponed events refund only when the organizer authorizes it and the buyer requests it. On AXS, refunds on cancellation follow “our Client’s instructions,” and for postponements the purchase agreement says refunds “are not typically available for Resale Ticket purchases if events are suspended, postponed or rescheduled, even if offered to the original purchaser.” The full mechanics, including the seller-side clawback and the timing windows, are in our Ticketmaster vs AXS resale refund guide.

What to do, by situation

1. The show is canceled. StubHub: open your Wallet; take the 120% credit if you will buy again within a year, otherwise select Request cash refund. SeatGeek and Vivid Seats: wait for the email; the choice of refund or credit is theirs, and on Vivid Seats check the amount for a restocking deduction. Ticketmaster: the refund is automatic once the organizer releases it
2. The show is postponed. Keep the tickets; on all five platforms they carry over. If you cannot make the new date, the sanctioned route is to relist. On Ticketmaster, check whether the organizer opened a refund window and request inside it
3. You might not be able to go. Only SeatGeek’s Refundable Tickets add-on, bought at checkout, covers this, and only for the whole order, up to 48 hours before
4. The tickets did not arrive or did not scan. Contact the marketplace before the event, not after: SeatGeek’s guarantee says the delay itself can cost you the remedy. StubHub and Vivid Seats both promise replacements or money back
5. Check where you actually bought. StubHub’s guarantee covers “only tickets you buy and sell on StubHub sites or StubHub mobile apps”; a listing reached through a partner app may be under different terms

The price you compare across these sites already includes fees, because the FTC’s all-in rule covers resale marketplaces as well as primary sellers; how that display works is in our all-in pricing guide. And the proposed Live Nation settlement, if entered, would define which resale marketplaces count as “eligible” sellers on Ticketmaster’s platform, covered in our settlement guide.

Bottom line

For a canceled show, StubHub is the only marketplace whose written policy gives you more than you paid, provided you take the credit; SeatGeek and Vivid Seats both reserve the refund-or-credit decision for themselves, and Vivid Seats alone mentions a restocking fee. For a postponed show, no marketplace refunds by policy, and the AXS agreement says so even when the original buyer is offered one. For a change of plans, only SeatGeek’s paid add-on exists, and only if you bought it at checkout. The guarantees are real, but each is narrower than the word suggests, and the narrowing is in the sentences quoted above.

Policies quoted from StubHub’s support and newsroom pages, SeatGeek’s Buyer Guarantee and help center, Vivid Seats’ Buyer Guarantee, Sales Terms, and support center, Ticketmaster’s help center, and the AXS Purchase Agreement, read on September 6, 2026. Marketplace terms change without notice; the version shown at checkout governs your order.