How to Get Refunded for Canceled Summer Plans
Summer is traditionally a time to overcome your fear of roller coasters or walk on the lawn with your team at a music festival, but not this summer. The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t slowed down enough to make large-scale summer gatherings feasible or even possible, and many major events have already been postponed or even canceled altogether. It’s probably time for you to start thinking about what summer vacation looks like during physical distancing, and provide a refund for any tickets or season passes you may have already purchased.
If you are planning to attend a convention, theme park, concert, or sporting event this summer, here’s how you can get your postponement or cancellation refund:
Broadway
At the time of this writing, Broadway and off-Broadway shows have been postponed until at least June 7th. If you purchased tickets for the show between March 12 and April 12 through Broadway.com or Telecharge , you should already receive a refund. More generally, Telecharge states that customers who have purchased tickets for performances that have been canceled or postponed should receive an email with instructions on how to request an exchange or provide a refund.
Unfortunately, Telecharge’s call center is currently closed and they only process inquiries by email. If you have questions or problems that you need to resolve, please send an email to Tickets@telecharge.com and give them a response within 3-5 business days.
Walt Disney theme parks
Orders and bookings made directly through Disney may be canceled or changed online .
Tickets
Walt Disney theme parks are currently closed and no opening dates have been set yet. Any theme park multi-day or specific date tickets already purchased and not expired before the parks closed have been extended until December 15, 2020.
If you purchased Disney After Hours, Disney Villains After Hours, Disney Early Morning Magic, or Disney H2O Glow Nights tickets valid from March 16 until the end of the closing period, you will receive an automatic refund.
Packages with rooms
Disney waives all voluntary change and cancellation fees for arrivals prior to June 30, 2020.
Annual subscriptions
Fully paid annual passes will be renewed for the number of days the park is closed. The new expiration date will appear in your online account until the park reopens. You can also receive a partial refund for the park’s closure period by contacting Ticket Support at 407-939-7277. The company warned of a large number of calls.
Since the beginning of April, monthly payments have been suspended for holders of annual passes, who pay on a monthly basis. Payments made between March 14 and April 4 were to be returned retroactively.
Six flags (all locations)
Six Flags, with 19 branches nationwide, is the third-largest theme park operator in the United States, but the company’s approach to recovering funds in the wake of the pandemic seems limited. They do not currently offer refund options other than asking you to contact Guest Relations at the particular park you have planned to visit.
Season Pass Option
Six Flags is offering 2020 Season Pass holders one day of entry into the 2021 Season for each day the park is closed in 2020. They will also provide free friend bonus days and other special perks after the parks reopen for the remainder of the day. 2020 season – if they open at all. There is also the option to suspend your membership , but you must be the primary account holder and have the latest information on your payments in order to take advantage of this.
One day tickets
For now, the only option offered to day ticket holders is to extend the validity period until December 2020.
Seaworld Parks & Entertainment
Theme parks include Seaworld (in Florida, California, and Texas), Sesame Place in Pennsylvania, and Busch Gardens in Virginia. They also revolve around the question of how they plan to refund guests if they so choose.
The FAQ section on their website states that any ticket expiring this year will be extended until December 31, 2020, although Busch Gardens will only be extended until November 1, when the park closes for the season. Events in the park, which depend on the date, will be rescheduled until 2021. Discovery Cove reservations that were booked before April 19 will be allowed to rebook without a change fee if done by December 31, 2020.
There is no mention of a pandemic refund policy for any of the parks.
versatile studios
The Universal Studios website does not provide a refund option for any of their various ticket sales levels. It states that tickets for the period from March 14 to May 31 will be extended until December 18, 2020. VIP ticket holders must call 888-622-8477 to reschedule their trip, but regular tickets will be sold at the box office.
If you paid monthly for the FlexPay Season Pass, those monthly payments were suspended. Fully paid annual and seasonal passes will be renewed for the number of days the theme park is closed.
Comic-Con in San Diego
For the first time in its 50-year history, San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) has officially closed. The SDCC attracts over 135,000 visitors annually, and the competition for the badge – not to mention where to stay during the show – can be fierce. If you’re one of the many who now have to put their cosplay plans on hold for the summer, getting a refund shouldn’t be a problem.
According to Comic-Con International , badge holders can either hand over their convention passes for next year or request a refund. All refund requests must be sent by July 1st. Requests after this date will not be returned; instead, passes will automatically carry over to Comic-Con 2021, which is set for July 22-25, 2021.
The company notes that requests for refunds are left to the discretion of the SDCC. If you request a refund, your entire badge purchase will be refunded. SDCC does not offer partial refunds for multi-day badges.
Burning man
The 2020 Burning Man Festival, which runs from August 30 to September 7, has been canceled and moved to an online event. You can request a refund through your specified Recorder Profile. Options to be provided include full and partial refunds and the remainder of your purchase price donated to Burning Man ; you can also donate the full value of your tickets. Event organizers are actively working on creating their refund tool so that they can properly handle all requests.
There is currently no option to renew your Burning Man 2020 tickets until 2021.
Sport events
Baseball says, “If you build it, they’ll come,” but right now, many sports leagues are in danger of missing out on all of their seasons. Unfortunately for those of you who bought tickets to the games this summer, a lawsuit may be the best way to get your money back.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
MLB has recently been criticized for not wanting to refund ticket holders. For now, they see their games as deferrals and allow teams to keep all of their ticket sales (as reported by ESPN ). There is no mention of a refund option on the MLB website for 2020 season ticket holders as they appear to be hoping the season will eventually continue.
NHL (National Hockey League)
The NHL also seems reluctant to refund ticket holders. At present time, established policies depends on whether they will offer money back:
Hockey matches are currently suspended and tickets will be paid for at future games or refunded if games are canceled. As soon as additional information on future games becomes available, game day ticket buyers will contact you with their options. If customers on the day of the game want to return the money immediately, a refund is possible through your point of purchase.
If you do not wish to attend or are unable to play the ported game, refunds may be “obtainable through the point of purchase.” However, since the NHL hasn’t canceled the season yet, no one is currently eligible for a refund.
On the other hand, Season Pass members and NHL Pass holders will receive automatic account credits for all canceled games.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
The NBA became the first major sports league to suspend the 2020 season . Commissioner Adam Silver announced back in March that fans would be refunded if the delayed games were indeed canceled. The NBA website has not been updated since March and still indicates that the season is only postponed, not canceled. As a result, there are currently no refund options or any updates as to when the season might start again.
Shared bookings through third party services
StubHub
StubHub will email you when the event is rescheduled and provide the new event details. They also offer the option to resell your tickets if you no longer wish to attend a rescheduled event. If your event is canceled, StubHub will email you with 120% credit of your original ticket purchased. You will have until December 31, 2021 to use this credit for any new events.
Ticketmaster
In accordance with Ticketmaster’s Canceled Events Policy, you will receive a refund of the full ticket price and fees using the original payment method you used to purchase your tickets. The site states that you should expect to receive a refund within 30 days.
Ticketmaster’s fan sales policy is that they will automatically refund your money, minus UPS fees, if the event is canceled, although you will have to wait up to 30 days to receive your money due to the ongoing cancellation volume. This does not apply to tickets for MLB games, however: MLB tickets between fans are non-refundable through Ticketmaster. If an event is postponed rather than canceled, the event organizer must offer you a refund for you to receive it.
Living nation
Parent company Ticketmaster made the headlines for offering controversial refund policies. The only mention of possible changes to existing policies is that buyers can check the status of their event by going to their website . They have yet to come up with an action plan for those looking to get their money back.
Eventbrite
If your event is canceled by the organizer, the entire value of your ticket, including Eventbrite fees, will be refunded by the organizer of the event. If the event organizer claims to be unable to refund your money, please contact Eventbrite through this form if you meet the following requirements:
- The event has been canceled.
- The event was scheduled from March 15, 2020 to May 15, 2020.
- You placed an order before March 15, 2020.
Eventbrite estimates that refund requests can take up to eight weeks. After that, if the return is approved, you will receive it in another 5-7 business days.