Event Credit Templates are the foundation of how Brushfire issues credits to your attendees during a mass cancellation or refund situation. Setting up a template takes just a few minutes, and getting it right means every credit issued under that template will automatically carry the correct rules — without anyone having to configure them from scratch each time.
This article explains what templates are, how to create and manage them, and how to connect them to your events.
First: Is an Event Credit the Right Tool?
Before setting up templates, it’s worth making sure Event Credits are what you actually need.
Event Credits are designed for cancellation and refund scenarios — situations where an attendee paid for something that can no longer be delivered and needs to be made whole with credit toward a future event. They’re the mechanism Brushfire uses to handle mass cancellations fairly and efficiently.
If you’re looking to offer discounts or promotional pricing, use Promo Codes instead. Promo Codes are the right tool for general discounts, early bird offers, and coupon-style promotions.
How Event Credits Work for Attendees
Before building templates, it helps to understand how credits actually behave at checkout — so you can set accurate expectations with your attendees.
- Partial use: If an attendee has a $50 credit and uses it to buy a $25 ticket, the remaining $25 stays on the same code. They can use it again at their next checkout.
- Order must not exceed the credit balance: Right now, an Event Credit must cover the full order total to be usable. If an attendee has a $50 credit but wants to buy $75 worth of tickets, they won’t be able to apply the credit to that purchase — there’s no way yet to split payment between a credit and another payment method. This is a known limitation that will be addressed in a future update.
| ⚠️ Set expectations early. If you’re issuing credits after a cancellation, it’s a good idea to include this detail in your cancellation message to attendees — especially if your future events are priced higher than what they originally paid. |
What Is an Event Credit Template?
A template is a reusable set of rules that defines two things about an Event Credit:
- When it expires — never, after a set number of days, or on a specific date
- Where it can be used — any event in your organization, events in specific URL keys, or a specific list of events
Templates aren’t credits themselves — they can’t be redeemed directly. They’re blueprints. When Brushfire issues a credit, it uses the template you’ve selected to automatically stamp those rules onto the credit code the attendee receives.
| 💡 Why use templates? If you’re running seasonal events or a series, a template lets you pre-define the rules once — like “usable only for Fall 2026 events, expires December 31” — and then every credit issued for that series will automatically follow those rules. No manual setup per credit. |
Before You Start
A few things to know before creating your first template:
- You’ll need Admin-level access or higher to create and manage Event Credit Templates.
- Templates are shared across your entire organization — any event you run can reference them.
- Once a template is connected to events and credits are being issued from it, edit carefully. You can update a template’s expiration and event scope, and those changes will apply going forward — but credits already issued won’t be retroactively changed.
- Templates can be deleted, unlike standard credits. If you delete a template, any events referencing it will revert to the organization default (“Use anytime for any event in this organization”).
- For more understanding, read more about event credits in Understanding Event Credits.
Step-by-Step: Creating a Template
Step 1 — Go to Event Credits in your dashboard
From your Brushfire dashboard, look for Event Credits in the left-hand side navigation, between Promotion Codes and Payment Gateways. Click it.
Step 2 — Open the Templates tab
You’ll see two tabs at the top of the Event Credits page: Standard and Templates. Click Templates.
Step 3 — Create a new template
Click the button to create a new template. You’ll see a simple form with three settings:
Description (required)
Give the template a clear, recognizable name. This is what you and your team will see when selecting a template in the cancellation form, change orders, and event settings. Be specific — “Fall 2026 Series – 90 Day Credit” is more useful than “Fall Template.”
Expiration
Choose one of three options:
| Option | How it works |
| No expiration | Credits issued from this template never expire |
| Relative date | Credits expire a set number of days after they’re issued to the attendee |
| Specific date | Credits expire on an exact calendar date you choose |
A few things worth knowing about expiration:
- Relative expiration is useful when you want a consistent window — for example, “this credit is good for 30 days from when you receive it.” The clock starts when the credit email is sent to the attendee, not when you set up the template.
- Absolute expiration is useful when credits need to expire at a season’s end or before a specific event deadline, regardless of when they were issued.
- Credits are valid through the full calendar day of their expiration date. An attendee has until 11:59 PM on the expiration date to use the credit.
Where can this credit be used?
Choose one of three options:
| Option | How it works |
| Any event in this organization | The credit can be used at checkout for any of your Brushfire events — no restrictions |
| Events in specific URL keys | The credit is limited to events that match one or more URL keys you specify |
| Specific events | The credit is limited to a hand-picked list of events |
If you choose URL keys, you can type in any URL key — including ones for events you haven’t created yet. This is useful when you’re planning ahead for a future series. URL keys can be set for each event in the Main Details tab of the event configuration.
If you choose Specific events, you’ll select from your existing events by name.
Also set this as the default template for all associated events (optional)
If you select events or URL keys above, this checkbox will appear. Checking it automatically updates the default template setting on every event you’ve connected — so when Brushfire issues a credit for one of those events, it’ll use this template without anyone having to configure each event manually.
This is a great shortcut if you’re setting up templates for an entire series at once.
Step 4 — Save the template
Click Create Template. The template will now appear in your Templates list and will be available to select across the platform — in event settings, change orders, and the mass cancellation form.
Connecting a Template to an Event
There are two ways to set a default template for a specific event:
Option A — From the template itself (recommended for series)
When creating or editing a template, select the events or URL keys it applies to, then check “Also set this as the default template for all associated events” before saving. Brushfire will update all connected events at once.
Option B — From the event’s Main Details tab
Navigate to your event, go to the Main Details tab, and find the Issue credits using the following template setting. Select the template you want from the dropdown. The dropdown lists all your templates alphabetically, plus the organization default at the top.
| 💡 Tip: If you copy an event in Brushfire, the default template setting copies with it. You won’t need to re-connect it manually for duplicated events. |
Editing and Deleting Templates
What you can edit:
You can update a template’s description, expiration rules, and event scope at any time. Changes apply to future credits issued — existing credits already sent to attendees are not affected.
What you can’t do:
- You can’t convert a template into a standard credit or vice versa.
- You can’t set a credit amount on a template — amount is always set at the time a credit is issued.
Deleting a template:
Templates can be deleted from the Templates list. Before deleting, be aware: any events currently using that template as their default will revert to the organization default. If you have active cancellations or credits being issued, check your event settings after deleting to confirm the fallback is what you intended.
How Templates Appear Elsewhere
Once you’ve created templates, they’ll show up in a few places across Brushfire:
In the Mass Cancellation form
When running a bulk cancellation, you’ll select an Event Credit Template to determine what rules apply to every credit issued in that cancellation. Selecting a template will display a summary of its rules so you can confirm it’s the right one before submitting.
In change orders
When processing a refund as an Event Credit through a change order, you’ll choose a template the same way. The event’s default template will be pre-selected, but you can switch it.
In the event settings dropdown
On any event’s Main Details tab, the template dropdown lists your templates alphabetically. The organization default (“Use anytime for any event in this organization”) is always at the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a template different from a standard Event Credit?
A template is a set of rules — it can’t be redeemed. A standard credit is an actual code with a dollar amount that an attendee can use at checkout. Templates are used to automatically apply rules (expiration, event scope) when standard credits are created.
Can I have multiple templates?
Yes — you can create as many as you need. They’ll all be available in the dropdown across the platform, listed alphabetically by description.
What if I don’t set a default template on my event?
Brushfire will use the organization default, which means the credit is valid for any of your events with no expiration. Templates are only necessary when you want to add restrictions.
Can I change which template an event uses after credits have already been issued?
Yes. Changing the event’s default template only affects future credits — attendees who already received credits keep whatever rules were in place when their credit was created.
What happens to my events if I delete a template?
Any events using that template as their default will revert to the organization default. Credits already issued from the deleted template are not affected — attendees keep their codes with the original rules intact.
Can I use URL keys for events that don’t exist yet?
Yes. When setting a template’s event scope to specific URL keys, you can type in any URL key, including ones for future events. When those events go live with that URL key, the credit will work there automatically.
Will my template settings carry over when I copy an event?
Yes. When you duplicate an event in Brushfire, the default template setting is included in what gets copied.
What if an attendee wants to use their credit on an order that costs more than their balance?
Right now, an Event Credit must cover the full order total. If the order exceeds the credit balance, the attendee won’t be able to apply the credit to that purchase. The ability to split payment between a credit and another payment method is coming in a future update.
Should I use Event Credits for general discounts?
No — that’s what Promo Codes are for. Event Credits are designed specifically for cancellation and refund scenarios.