BackToMe is the compliance infrastructure for the withdrawal right (a European obligation, Directive (EU) 2023/2673, in force since 19 June 2026; in Ireland, enforced by the CCPC under the Consumer Rights Act 2022). Installed with a single line of code, it receives the customer's request, sends them an acknowledgement of receipt by email that they keep, and archives it dated and impossible to alter afterwards for 5 years. Installing the button covers what the law requires and provides solid proof for every request.

Is a dated concert or show ticket refundable through withdrawal?

No. A ticket for a leisure activity that must be provided on a specific date (concert, show, match, festival) is exempt from the withdrawal right under the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU, art. 16), which harmonises this exception across the 27 EU member states. The buyer therefore does not have the 14 days to withdraw. It is the law that grants the exemption, not a clause in your terms of sale.

I sell gift vouchers or non-dated tickets: am I concerned?

Yes. The exemption only applies to a service supplied on a specific date or period. A gift voucher or an open ticket valid for several months is not dated: the 14-day withdrawal right applies, and you must provide the withdrawal button as of 19 June 2026.

My ticketing also sells merchandise and subscriptions: am I concerned?

Yes for that part. Merchandise (t-shirts, vinyl records, goodies) and non-dated vouchers or cards sold online give rise to the 14-day withdrawal right. As soon as a single non-exempt sale is possible on your site, the withdrawal button must be present and accessible from all your pages.

Ticketing and events sector

Withdrawal button: ticketing and events

Q: Do I still have to inform the buyer if the ticketing is exempt?

Yes. Even when the withdrawal right does not apply, you must inform the consumer of its inapplicability BEFORE the conclusion of the contract, an obligation harmonised by the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU, art. 10). In practice, a clear statement at the time of purchase ("Dated ticket: no withdrawal right") is enough. A failure to inform can be penalised even if the exemption is genuine.

Last reviewed on July 22, 2026

Do you sell concert, show, match or festival tickets online ? Good news : dated ticketing is most often exempt from the withdrawal right. But the exception has its limits, and it must not be confused with ticket resale nor with the refund due when an event is cancelled. Here is what is exempt, what is not, and the obligations that remain even when you are exempt.

Am I concerned? (2 min)See the 13 exceptions

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The dated ticket is exempt by law

In plain terms : when you sell a ticket for an event that takes place on a specific date, the buyer has no withdrawal right. They cannot cancel within 14 days to obtain a refund « without reason ». It is the law itself that grants the exemption, on the basis of leisure activities that must be provided on a specific date or period. This exception is harmonised across the 27 EU member states by the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU, art. 16).

What is exempt

A ticket for a concert, show, theatre, match, festival or park on a given date. The logic of the law : a dated seat left unsold at the last minute is a dead loss for the organiser, so it cannot be treated like a returned parcel.

The exception to the exception: what remains concerned

The exemption only applies to a dated service. As soon as the product sold is not tied to a specific date, the 14-day withdrawal right returns, and the button becomes mandatory.

Gift vouchers and non-dated tickets

A gift voucher, an « open » e-ticket or a seat valid for several months is not dated. The service has no specific date : the customer has their 14 days to withdraw and be refunded.

Merchandise and goods

T-shirts, vinyl records, posters, goodies sold through your ticketing : these are goods like any others. The 14-day withdrawal right applies fully, as for any online shop.

A single non-exempt sale possible on your site is enough to make you concerned. The withdrawal button must then be present and accessible from all your pages, not only in the merchandise checkout flow.

Even when exempt, you must say so

Being exempt does not mean doing nothing. Even when the withdrawal right does not apply, you must inform the buyer of this inapplicability before they validate their purchase, an obligation harmonised by the Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU, art. 10). In concrete terms, a clear statement at the payment step is enough, for example « Dated ticket : no withdrawal right ».

Failing to inform means exposing yourself to a penalty even when the exemption is entirely genuine. And if your platform mixes dated tickets and products subject to withdrawal, the simplest approach is to display the button permanently : it does not hinder exempt sales and automatically covers the others.

Withdrawal, resale, cancellation : three different things

In ticketing, three regimes that have nothing to do with each other are often confused. Telling them apart clearly avoids disputes and refunds paid in error.

Cancelled event : the refund is due

If you are the one cancelling a concert, a match or a festival, the buyer is entitled to a refund of their ticket. This has nothing to do with withdrawal : it is a classic contractual obligation, the promised service not being provided. The withdrawal exemption never releases you from refunding an event that you cancel.

Resale and transferability of the ticket

Whether a ticket is personal, transferable or resellable falls under your terms of sale and the national rules on ticket resale, which vary from one EU member state to another. Here again, nothing to do with the withdrawal right : a dated ticket remains exempt, whether it is resellable or not.

To go further

The withdrawal right applies differently depending on what you sell. See also :

The 13 exceptions to the withdrawal right : the detail of each case, including the dated-leisure exception.
Travel, transport and accommodation : the neighbouring case of dated flights, nights and rentals.
Am I concerned? : the 2-minute diagnostic for your activity.
Pre-contractual information : what you must display before the purchase.

Your sector is concerned: the proof that protects you, set up in five minutes

The withdrawal button is a European obligation (Directive (EU) 2023/2673) since 19 June 2026. BackToMe sets it up, proves every request and applies the law of each EU country. 7-day free trial, 0 € today.

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