Leftover cashless balance: refund visitors without hassle
Status on 12 November 2026: this article follows the FOD Economie guidelines on own payment means at events, version of 17 July 2026, checked on 12 November 2026.
A leftover cashless balance is the credit still on a visitor's card, wristband or voucher after your event. Belgian rules don't force you to refund it.
Without a refund, though, you must tell visitors before they buy a ticket, and say whether they can spend it all. The regulator's advice is a simple refund at no cost.
Our advice: first make balances smaller: no minimum top-up, prices that add up and bank cards at the bar. Then refund what is left simply and fast.
- A refund isn't compulsory, but you announce your choice before the ticket sale and show it on the day.
- Visitors must always be able to see what they paid and what is left.
- Best practice: a refund at no cost; any fee at most your own cost, for example no more than one soft drink.
- Four routes: online refund, refund at a desk, donation, or letting visitors spend it all.
- Breaches carry a criminal fine.
Why do visitors end up with a leftover balance?
Most leftover balances are built into the setup: fixed top-ups, prices that don't add up, and rounds never ordered.
- Fixed top-up amounts: visitors can only load €10 or €20 at a time.
- Prices that never add up: the FOD Economie's own example. A €20 card with drinks priced in multiples of €3 never runs empty.
- The last round: visitors top up at 23:00 for drinks they don't order.
- Early leavers: the bus, the babysitter, the rain.
You can't stop the last two. You can stop the first two.
The guidelines advise no minimum top-up at all. With our software, visitors top up any amount and see what is left.
The quickest fix is fewer balances. Visitors who pay with their own bank card at the bar have none. That's why some events run hybrid, like Brugge Plus below: bank cards at the bar, a cashless card only for cash payers.
Our post on open loop, closed loop or hybrid explains the trade-off.
In 30 minutes we'll show you how visitors see their balance, ask for it back through QR Refund, and how the refund report sits next to your sales.
What do the Belgian rules say about leftover balances?
A refund isn't compulsory, but whatever you choose must be announced before the ticket sale, visible during the event, and reasonable.
| Rule or advice | What it means for you | Where in the guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Tell them before the ticket | Say whether there is a refund, from what amount, in what period, at what cost and with what form | 2.3 |
| Show it on the day | Display the conditions where visitors pay with your means and where they top up | 2.3 |
| Balance visible | Visitors can always see what they paid and what is left | 2.2 |
| No refund? Say so, and whether it can be spent | Before the ticket sale, say whether visitors can spend the whole balance on site or will always keep a remainder; full spending is advised | 2.3; best practices |
| Conditions must be reasonable | A minimum, a fee or a form must be justified, or it can be an unfair practice | 5 |
| Best practice: simple, no cost | A user-friendly refund that asks only for the data it strictly needs | Best practices |
| Best practice: any fee capped | At most your own cost, market-conform, in line with your prices, for example no more than one soft drink at the event | Best practices |
| Best practice: the window | Starts right after the event, lasts a few weeks, with a reminder and a quick payout | Best practices |
The guidelines are the regulator's reading of the law; a court can still decide otherwise.
The four principles of the festival code of conduct, and how we apply them, are in our post on the code of conduct for festival payments.
What are the four ways to handle a leftover balance?
You can refund online, refund at a desk, let visitors donate, or design the event so the balance gets spent. You can also combine two.
| Route | How it works | What it asks of you | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online refund via the card's QR code | The visitor scans the code on the card and asks for the balance back | A refund window, a reminder, a payout run | Visitors without a bank account |
| Refund at a desk on site | Staff pay out the balance before visitors leave | Staff, cash or a payout terminal, a queue at closing | The rush at the exit |
| Donation | The visitor gives the balance to a charity you chose | A partner, a clear choice in the refund flow | Never make it the default without saying so |
| Spend it all | No refund; prices and top-ups designed so the balance runs out | Top-ups in any amount, prices that fit | You must announce it before the ticket sale |
How does the online route work with Beyond Ordering?
After the event, visitors scan the QR code on their card or wristband, check their balance and ask for a refund. They enter their IBAN in the online wallet.
The balance goes to that account within the refund period you set and publish (our terms and conditions). With open loop payments, we can refund straight to the bank card instead.
Any refund cost for the visitor is yours to set and announce before the ticket sale. Refund fees we charge you, if any, are in your quote.
The digital wallet behind it is explained in closed loop payments with Beyond Ordering.
Under our standard terms, credits can only be used with you, within the assignment they were issued for, and you set how long they stay valid. 12 Inch Lovers, for example, keeps the balance valid without limit on all its events (12 Inch Lovers balance rules).
A cup deposit is a different refund, paid back per cup at the return point. See our guide to reusable cups and QR Refund.
How does a refund round run, step by step?
A refund round has five steps, and three of them happen before the last visitor goes home.
Step 1: Put the rules on the ticket page
Say on the ticket page and in your FAQ whether there is a refund, from when, until when, and how to ask. If you charge a fee, say how much. The guidelines want it complete and before the sale.
Step 2: Let visitors see their balance on the day
Every visitor should be able to check their balance in seconds, on the card's QR code or at a top-up point. Signs at the bars and top-up points repeat the refund rule.
Step 3: Run the last hour on purpose
Stop selling large top-ups in the last hour. Small top-ups and bank cards at the bar keep balances low.
Step 4: Open the window right after the event
Open the refund right after the event and keep it open for a few weeks, as the guidelines advise. Send every visitor a reminder with the start, the end and the steps.
Two published windows show the range. Lokerse Feesten 2026 took requests from 12 August to 11 September, at no cost (Lokerse Feesten cashless page). 12 Inch Lovers takes them up to 7 days after the event and pays within 2 weeks (12 Inch Lovers cashless info).
Step 5: Pay out fast and close the books
Pay out as soon as you can, then check the refund report against your sales before the books close. Our festival dashboard shows refunds next to revenue, credits and reusables.
Whatever stays unclaimed after the window goes where you decided in advance. If we run your refunds, you get a statement and the rest of the refund pot back, minus any refund fees in your quote, within 14 working days after the refund period.
In practice: Brugge Plus and Lokerse Feesten
The event: Brugge Plus runs city festivals, Feest in 't Park and Cirque Plus, on a hybrid setup.
The challenge: visitors paid at every bar with their own bank card or wallet. Only cash payers needed a cashless card.
The setup: one secure, central cash point, where cash payers swapped cash for a cashcard with a unique QR code. That one code did three jobs: payments, balance checks and refunds without transaction costs.
The result: no loose cash at every bar, and a faster bar flow. Settling with external stallholders after the event was simpler than ever.
Lokerse Feesten: donations, and crew credit kept apart
At Lokerse Feesten, ten days and 135,000 visitors, the refund after the event was set up to be clear and simple.
Visitors could also donate their leftover amount to local charities, which the festival wanted to give a fixed place.
Crew credit worked differently. It was sent to each worker's card for the day, valid that day only and not refundable. So crew balances never turned into refund work.
Also running on Beyond Ordering: Student Kick-off Gent, Couleur Café, 12 Inch Lovers and Sinksen Kortrijk.
Checklist: leftover balances at your next event
Tick these eight points before the ticket sale opens.
- Decide: online refund, desk, donation, spend it all, or a mix.
- Drop minimum top-ups, or keep them low.
- Check that your prices and top-up amounts can reach zero.
- Put the refund rules, window and any fee on the ticket page.
- Make the balance visible on the card and at every top-up point.
- Set separate rules for crew, partner and sponsor credit.
- Plan the reminder and who answers refund questions.
- Agree how you will check refunds against sales afterwards.
How top-ups and refunds run on the day is in how a cashless festival works.
Frequently asked questions
Does a festival have to refund the leftover balance?
No, not under the FOD Economie guidelines.
But then you must say so before the ticket sale, and say whether visitors can spend the whole balance on site. The guidelines advise that they can.
Can I charge a fee for a refund?
You can, if it's announced and reasonable.
The regulator advises no fee. If you charge one, it advises keeping it at your own cost and in line with your prices, for example at most one soft drink.
How long should the refund window be?
The guidelines advise a few weeks, starting right after the event, with a reminder to every visitor. You set the window yourself.
Can visitors see their balance during the event?
They must be able to. The guidelines ask that visitors can always see what they paid and what is left.
Plan your refund round with us
Evaluating this season, or planning 2027? Our festival and event setup covers top-ups, the bar and the refund in one system.
In a 30-minute demo we go through your payment means, your refund rules and your crew credits. Rather ask a question first? Get in touch.
Leftover balances without the hassle
In 30 minutes we'll go through your payment means, refund rules and crew credits, and show how QR Refund and the refund report work.
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