--- title: "Use Freefund to reduce no-shows at free and RSVP events | Ticket Fairy Guides" description: "Keep entry free for people who show up, and ask for a refundable deposit so attendees have a reason to come." canonical: "https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/reduce-no-shows-at-free-rsvp-events" --- 1. [Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/) 2. [Guides](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides) 3. Use Freefund to reduce no-shows at free and RSVP events Setting up an event # Use Freefund to reduce no-shows at free and RSVP events If you organize free or RSVP events, some of the people who click Attend will not turn up, and your staffing, stock and sponsors depend on the number who do. Freefund asks each attendee for a refundable deposit and starts their refund when they check in at the door, so everyone who turns up pays nothing and fewer people RSVP without meaning to come. Takes: 8 minutes - [Choose the Freefund RSVP template](#step-1) - [Turn on Freefund for all admission tickets](#step-2) - [Turn on Freefund for one ticket type instead](#step-3) - [Enter the deposit](#step-4) - [Explain it on the event page](#step-5) - [Choose the check-in cutoff](#step-6) - [Confirm that unscanned tickets are charged](#step-7) - [Deposits released at the door](#step-8) - [Check or change the rule later](#step-9) ## Before you start - You have an owner or admin role for the event. Freefund is available on every plan. - Your event has a start time and end time. - You have chosen a deposit large enough to put off people who RSVP without meaning to come. 1. ## Choose the Freefund RSVP template When you create a new event, choose the **Freefund RSVP** template. It adds the Freefund setting for all admission tickets and a refundable-deposit ticket type. **Note:** For an existing event, open **Tickets** and use the same settings. The template leaves the confirmation beside the Freefund setting for you to tick. ![Event template gallery with the Freefund RSVP template first](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-freefund--template-gallery-scene.png) *Create event, template gallery.* 2. ## Turn on Freefund for all admission tickets In **Tickets**, turn on **Make every admission ticket free when the attendee checks in**. All admission ticket prices then work as refundable deposits. **Note:** The event-wide rule applies to all admission ticket types and takes priority over individual ticket settings. Table types keep their existing payment settings. ![The Freefund event setting with its check-in cutoff and confirmation together](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-freefund--event-settings.png) *Tickets, Freefund.* 3. ## Turn on Freefund for one ticket type instead Optional: For one admission ticket type, turn on **Make this ticket free when the attendee checks in** in that ticket editor instead. ![Ticket editor with a refundable deposit and Freefund enabled](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-freefund--ticket-editor.png) *Tickets, ticket editor.* 4. ## Enter the deposit Enter the ticket price as the deposit amount. **Note:** The deposit must be greater than zero. For an order placed close to the event, Ticket Fairy may use one card hold for all its Freefund deposits, and each ticket's deposit still depends on its own check-in. 5. ## Explain it on the event page Describe the tickets on your event page as free entry for attendees who check in, backed by a refundable deposit. 6. ## Choose the check-in cutoff Choose **Throughout the event**, a relative option such as **2 hours after the event starts**, **4 hours before the event ends**, or a specific time. A cutoff you choose has to fall between the event start and end times. **Note:** If door staff scan a ticket after the cutoff, the attendee still gets in, but Ticket Fairy doesn't return the deposit. If you shorten the event and the current cutoff no longer fits, it stays visible so you can choose a new one. 7. ## Confirm that unscanned tickets are charged For the event-wide rule, turn on **I confirm that tickets not scanned in time are charged**, then save. The ticket editor shows the same confirmation for that ticket type. **Note:** Ticket Fairy records who confirmed the rule, when, and the refund timing; a ticket-level rule also records its deposit. You confirm again when you change where Freefund applies or change the cutoff. ## Deposits released at the door Door staff scan each ticket as its attendee arrives. Ticket Fairy tells an eligible attendee straight away that the deposit is on its way back to their card. If door staff scan three tickets from an order of five by the cutoff, Ticket Fairy returns those three deposits and charges the other two. If every ticket covered by a card hold is scanned in time, Ticket Fairy releases the full hold; otherwise, it charges only the deposits for tickets that were not scanned in time. **Note:** The card issuer can take several days to update a released hold or show an issued refund. 8. ## Check or change the rule later Open **Tickets** again to check, change or turn off Freefund. **Note:** Each order keeps the Freefund terms the buyer agreed to at checkout, so a change you save applies to later purchases and doesn't change existing orders. Confirm again after you change where Freefund applies or change the cutoff. ## Or have it done for you Fai, your AI teammate, can check sales, update your event or change a ticket when you ask. Fai can turn Freefund on for all admission tickets or one admission ticket type, set a relative or specific cutoff and show exactly what is charged before asking you to approve it. When you approve, Ticket Fairy records your confirmation. ### In your dashboard, with Fai ``` Set up Freefund for my event. Ask if it should cover all admission tickets or one admission ticket type, what deposit to use and when check-in stops earning it back ``` ## Questions you might have **Does Ticket Fairy charge every deposit at checkout?** When a card hold can stay in place until the event ends, Ticket Fairy holds one amount for the order and later charges only the deposit amounts for tickets not scanned by the cutoff. Otherwise, Ticket Fairy charges the card at checkout and issues each eligible ticket refund when staff scan it. **What happens when every ticket in the order is scanned?** Ticket Fairy releases the full card hold. If the card was charged at checkout, Ticket Fairy refunds every eligible scanned ticket in full. **When is a deposit kept or collected?** For an order with a card hold, Ticket Fairy charges only the deposit amounts for tickets not scanned by the cutoff after the event ends. When the card was charged at checkout, the payment stays charged and Ticket Fairy refunds each eligible scanned ticket. ## Still have a question? Book a demo and we will answer it on a call, on your kind of event. Or create your account and see it for yourself. [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) No setup fees. No monthly fee. No credit card required. ## Related guides - [More ways to use Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/ticket-types-and-pricing/free-and-online-events) - [Run ticketing for a nightclub](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-nightclub) - [Approve orders before buyers receive tickets](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/approve-orders-before-buyers-receive-tickets) - [Create a reusable event template](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/create-a-reusable-event-template) - [Run ticketing for events at your bar or small venue](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-bar-or-small-venue) - [Create an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/create-an-event) - [Set up ticket types](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/set-up-ticket-types) - [Start from the freefund rsvp template](https://www.ticketfairy.com/templates/free-rsvp-refundable-deposit-template) - [Every Ticket Fairy guide](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides) ## Do this on your own event Create your account, build your event and follow the steps in your own dashboard. You do not need to book a sales call. [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) ## Sell tickets with Ticket Fairy Start free with unlimited events and no monthly fee, and choose a paid plan when you need more. - Set up your event in minutes - Free events are free - Fai, your AI teammate, is built in [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) No setup fees. No monthly fee. No credit card required. ## See it on a call Book a demo and we will show you how Ticket Fairy handles your kind of event. [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) [More ways to use Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/ticket-types-and-pricing/free-and-online-events) ### Tips for selling more tickets Practical advice from working event organizers, and every new guide as it is published. We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime. --- This page is on Ticket Fairy, a ticketing, marketing and operations platform for live events and the venues that host them: festivals, club nights, concerts, conferences and tours, and night clubs, beach clubs and concert venues. It grows revenue with fan rewards that turn an audience into a sales channel, and runs the money side with payments and payouts, Vault business banking, and working capital advanced against ticket sales. [How Ticket Fairy ticketing works](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing) ยท [Ticket Fairy for AI assistants](https://www.ticketfairy.com/llms.txt)