Event Credits are Brushfire’s built-in way to issue store credit to attendees — giving them value they can apply toward a future event you host, without sending money back to their original payment method.
Think of them like gift cards you issue yourself. An attendee receives a unique 12-digit code by email. They enter it at checkout for a future event, and the balance is applied to their order. If they don’t use the full amount, the remainder stays on the same code for next time.
This article covers how Event Credits work, the two types Brushfire supports, and how to create and manage them.
First: Is an Event Credit the Right Tool?
Event Credits are purpose-built for cancellation and refund situations — when an attendee paid for something that can no longer be delivered and you want to make them whole with credit toward a future event.
They are not a discounting tool. If you’re looking to offer promotional pricing, early bird discounts, or coupon codes, use Promo Codes instead. Promo Codes are designed for that use case.
How Event Credits Work
How attendees receive a credit
Every Event Credit is tied to an email address. When a credit is created — whether through a mass cancellation, a change order, or manually by an admin — Brushfire sends a credit email to that address. That email contains:
- The full 12-digit credit code (this is the only place the full code ever appears)
- The credit balance
- Any restrictions on where or when it can be used
- Links to the applicable events
Everywhere else in Brushfire — order history, the dashboard, reports — the code is masked and only shows the last four digits.
How attendees use a credit
At checkout, attendees enter their 12-digit code just like a gift card number. Brushfire validates the code and, if everything checks out, applies the balance to the order.
A few important behaviors to understand:
- Running balance: Credits are not single-use. If an attendee has a $50 credit and uses it on a $25 order, $25 remains on the same code. They can use it again later.
- Full coverage required: Right now, a credit must cover the full order total to be usable. If an attendee’s balance is $50 but the order is $75, they won’t be able to apply the credit — there’s no way yet to pay the difference with another payment method. This is coming in a future update.
- Validation at checkout: Brushfire checks that the code is valid, hasn’t expired, applies to the event in the cart, and has enough balance to cover the order. If any check fails, the attendee will see a clear error message explaining why.
| ⚠️ Set expectations with your attendees. If you’re issuing credits as part of a cancellation, it’s worth mentioning in your message that the credit needs to cover the full order total — especially if your future events are priced higher than what attendees originally paid. |
The Two Types of Event Credits
Brushfire has two distinct types under the Event Credits section of your dashboard: Standard credits and Templates. They serve very different purposes.
| Standard Credit | Template |
| Has a dollar amount | No dollar amount |
| Can be redeemed at checkout | Cannot be redeemed — rules only |
| Created automatically or manually | Created manually by an admin |
| Cannot be deleted | Can be deleted |
| Only description, email & notes are editable | Expiration and event scope are editable |
| Issued to a specific person by email | Applied to events as a default rule set |
Standard Credits
A standard credit is an actual, redeemable code with a dollar amount attached to it. It’s the thing an attendee receives and uses at checkout.
Standard credits can be created in three ways:
- Automatically, when a mass cancellation is processed and credits are issued to attendees
- Automatically, when a change order results in a refund issued as a credit
- Manually, by an admin creating a one-off credit from the Event Credits dashboard
Standard credits cannot be deleted — only edited (description, email address, and notes). This is intentional: a credit may already be in an attendee’s inbox, and the full transaction history needs to stay intact for your records.
Templates
A template is a reusable set of rules — specifically, when a credit expires and which events it can be used on. Templates are not redeemable. They’re blueprints that get applied when standard credits are created.
When Brushfire creates a credit automatically (through a cancellation or change order), it uses whichever template you’ve configured for that event to stamp the correct rules onto the credit.
Templates can be deleted, unlike standard credits.
| 💡 The relationship between the two: Think of a template as a mold. Every credit poured from that mold comes out with the same expiration and event restrictions — but each one has its own unique code and dollar amount. |
For a full walkthrough of creating and managing templates, see How to Set Up Event Credit Templates.
When to Create a Standard Credit Manually
Most of the time, standard credits are created automatically through mass cancellations or change orders. You don’t need to think about them — Brushfire handles it.
Manual credit creation is useful when you want to issue a credit outside of those automated flows. Some examples:
- A goodwill gesture — An attendee had a poor experience and you want to offer them something toward their next visit, without processing a formal refund.
- A service recovery situation — Something went wrong at the event and you want to make it right for one specific person.
- An ad-hoc arrangement — You’ve agreed with an attendee to give them credit instead of a refund, and there’s no change order to trigger it automatically.
Manual credits are created one at a time. Bulk creation isn’t supported — if you need to issue credits to a large group, use the mass cancellation tool or process change orders. For discounts in bulk, use promo codes.
Step-by-Step: Creating a Standard Credit Manually
Step 1 — Go to Event Credits in your dashboard
From your Brushfire dashboard, find Event Credits in the left-hand navigation, between Promotion Codes and Payment Gateways. Click it.
Step 2 — Go to the Standard tab and create a new credit
You’ll see two tabs: Standard and Templates. Make sure you’re on Standard, then click the button to create a new credit.
Step 3 — Fill out the credit details
Description (required)
Give the credit a name that will help you identify it later. This doesn’t need to be unique, but something specific — like “Service recovery – Jane Smith Oct visit” — is more useful than “Event Credit.” This is internal-facing; attendees won’t see it.
Email address (required)
This is where Brushfire will send the credit code. It must be a valid email address. As soon as the credit is saved, the credit email goes out to this address automatically — so double-check it before saving.
| ⚠️ Need to correct a mistake? You can update the email address later and resend the credit if needed. More on that below. |
Amount
Enter the dollar value of the credit. This is set once and cannot be changed after the credit is created. The balance can only go down through redemption — it can never be topped up.
Expiration and event restrictions
You have two ways to configure where and when the credit can be used:
- Pick a template — Select one of your existing templates. The template’s expiration and event restrictions will be applied automatically, and you’ll see a summary of those rules once you select it. Recommended if you have templates set up for your events.
- Set manually — Configure the expiration and event scope yourself. Choose no expiration, a relative window (e.g., 30 days from issuance), or a specific date. Then choose whether the credit applies to any event in your organization, specific URL keys, or specific events.
Notes (optional)
An internal note field. Use it to record context — like why the credit was issued or who authorized it. Attendees never see this.
Step 4 — Save the credit
Click Create Credit. Brushfire will generate a unique 12-digit code, save the credit, and immediately send the credit email to the address you provided. You’ll see the new credit appear in your Standard credits list.
Managing Existing Standard Credits
What you can edit
After a standard credit is created, only three fields can be changed: Description, Email address, and Notes. Everything else — the amount, expiration, and event restrictions — is locked once the credit is created.
Viewing credit activity
On the edit screen for any standard credit, you’ll see an activity panel showing the full transaction history for that code. Credits are shown in green (+), redemptions in red (−), along with the date and a link to the associated order. This is useful for confirming whether a credit has been used and how much balance remains.
Resending the credit email
If an attendee says they never received their credit, or if you updated the email address, you can resend the credit email directly from the edit screen — as long as there’s a remaining balance on the code. Brushfire will send a fresh copy of the original credit email to the address currently on file. This action is logged in the credit’s change history.
Searching and filtering credits
The Standard credits list can be searched by the last four digits of a code, by description, or by email address. Advanced filters let you narrow by balance, date, and more. Credits with a remaining balance are sorted to the top; fully redeemed credits appear at the bottom.
Enabling Event Credits on Your Events
For attendees to be able to redeem credits at checkout, Event Credits needs to be turned on as a payment method for the event.
Go to your event, open the Payment Methods tab, and find Event Credit in the list. You can enable it for admin-side checkout, internet (attendee-facing) checkout, or both.
| 💡 Generating vs. redeeming: Creating credits through cancellations or change orders doesn’t depend on this setting — credits can be issued regardless. This setting only controls whether attendees can redeem credits at checkout for that event. |
How Credits Appear in Orders and Reports
Anywhere an Event Credit is used as a payment method — order confirmations, order history, reports — it displays as Event Credit ••••XXXX using the last four digits of the code. The full code is never shown.
A dedicated report, R330 – Event Credit Breakdown, shows all standard credits for your organization: their descriptions, balances, redemption totals, and expiration dates. You can filter by event to see credits redeemable at specific events.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a standard credit and a template?
A standard credit is a real, redeemable code with a dollar amount. A template is a reusable set of rules (expiration and event restrictions) that gets applied when credits are created. Templates can’t be redeemed — they just shape what the resulting credits look like.
Can I issue a credit to someone who didn’t buy a ticket?
Yes. Manual credit creation just requires an email address and an amount — there’s no requirement for a prior order. This makes it useful for goodwill gestures or situations outside the normal ticketing flow.
Can I create credits in bulk?
No. Manual credit creation is one at a time. For large-scale credit issuance, use the mass cancellation tool.
Can I increase the balance on an existing credit?
No. The balance is set at creation and can only go down through redemption. If you need to issue additional credit to someone, create a new credit for the additional amount. The attendee will then have two codes, each carrying its own balance.
What happens if I send the credit to the wrong email address?
Update the email address on the credit and use the resend option. The corrected email will receive a fresh copy of the original credit. Note that if the original recipient already received the code, it’s still active — credits can’t be invalidated based on who received the email.
Can an attendee use their credit on any of my events?
Only if the credit was issued with no event restrictions (the organization default). If the credit was issued from a template that restricts it to specific events or URL keys, it will only work at those events. The credit email the attendee receives will show them exactly which events apply.
What if an attendee’s credit doesn’t cover the full order total?
They won’t be able to apply the credit to that order — there’s no option yet to split payment between a credit and another method. The ability to do this is coming in a future update.
Can I see all credits I’ve issued in one place?
Yes — the Standard tab in Event Credits shows all credits across your organization, with search and filter options. The R330 report gives you a detailed breakdown including balances and redemption history.
Should I use Event Credits as a promotional discount tool?
No — use Promo Codes for that. Event Credits are designed for refund and cancellation scenarios. The two tools work differently and serve different purposes.