---
title: "Event Checkout Questions, Order Approval and Cart Recovery"
description: "Win back buyers who leave checkout, ask each buyer what your door team needs, approve orders before tickets go out and check buyer ID."
canonical: "https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/checkout"
---

# Lose fewer sales and know who is coming

Buyers who leave checkout without paying get an email bringing them back to your event. Ask each buyer what your door team needs, and approve orders before tickets go out.

  [Get started free](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/registration) [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo)    ![Ticket Fairy event settings with existing ticket and order custom checkout fields](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-checkout-customisation--custom-fields.png)

- Answers your door team needs at entry
- Tickets only for buyers you approve
- More abandoned carts turned into sales

## Ask each buyer what your team needs to know

Your door and production teams get the details they need before the doors open. Add your own questions to checkout, such as a meal choice, an access request or a company name. Choose whether each answer belongs to the whole order, to each ticket holder or to an add-on, and whether buyers can leave it blank. Offer a list of choices or let buyers enter their own answer. If you choose, the answer shows on the buyer's ticket, on the ticket PDF and in the scanning app, so your door team sees it as each person arrives.

- **Custom questions**: text, phone, choices or an image upload
- **Per order, ticket or add-on**: one answer per purchase or one from each ticket holder
- **Answers at the door**: on the ticket, the PDF and the scan view if you choose

   ![Ticket Fairy Create Custom Field dialog with the checkout question settings](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-checkout-customisation--custom-field-create.png)

## Know who is buying and turn away under-age buyers

Choose which details buyers must enter before they can pay: a phone number, a nationality, an Instagram handle or a date of birth. Set the youngest age you admit. Your age limit applies to each buyer's age on the day your event starts, so a buyer whose birthday falls before the night can still buy. Buyers see in plain words which detail is missing or why they cannot buy. Turn a question off at any time, and buyers stop seeing it from the next order.

- **Buyer details**: phone number, nationality, Instagram handle and date of birth
- **Minimum age**: checked against the buyer's age on the day of your event

   ![Ticket Fairy Ticket Settings card with the phone number, nationality, Instagram handle and date of birth switches turned on](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-attendee-details--ticket-settings.png)

## Decide who gets a ticket before it goes out

Keep a membership tier, an industry night or a limited allocation for the people you want there. Buyers place a request, and you approve or decline each order. Ask for approval on every order, or only on orders with the ticket types you choose. Hold the payment at checkout and take it only when you approve. The Needs Approval tab lists each request with the buyer, the tickets, the total and when the payment hold expires.

- **Order approval**: for the whole event or the ticket types you choose
- **Hold payment until approved**: the buyer pays only when you say yes
- **Needs Approval**: each request waiting for your decision

   ![Ticket Fairy Needs Approval tab with two student orders waiting and the Approve and Decline actions](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-orders--needs-approval.png)

## Ask buyers to prove who they are on high-demand nights

Ask for an ID check on the whole event or only on the ticket types under most pressure. Buyers finish checkout as normal, and their card is held until they pass. The Needs Verification tab shows each order still waiting. You can send a buyer the check again, take the payment without it when you are satisfied another way, or release the hold so the tickets go back on sale. You confirm before you take a payment or release a hold.

- **ID check at checkout**: the buyer's card is held until they pass
- **Resend verification**: a fresh link for a buyer who closed the page
- **Release the hold**: the tickets go back on sale

   ![Ticket Fairy Orders page on the Needs Verification tab with two held orders and the row menu open](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-orders--needs-verification.png)

## Win back the buyers who left checkout

The Abandoned Carts tab lists each buyer who entered their details at checkout and never paid, newest first. You see whether each one started an order or stopped before it, and how many times they came back to try, so you can spot the buyers something blocked. Email them from your event with a reason to return. Ticket Fairy also sends them a reminder for you, with a link straight back to your event.

- **Abandoned Carts tab**: each buyer, how far they got and how often they tried
- **Email the abandoned carts**: each buyer who left a cart, with a reason to come back
- **Automatic reminder**: a link back to your event for recent carts

   ![Ticket Fairy Abandoned Carts tab with a row per buyer showing the name, email, when they left and the cart stage](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-orders--abandoned-carts.png)

## Put your rules and directions in front of buyers

Show your refund policy, code of conduct or participation rules as separate sections of the checkout agreement. Buyers open each one before they tick to accept. Add your own words to every ticket PDF, such as how to get to the venue, which entrance to use and what to bring. Give a camping, VIP or parking ticket type its own text, or hide the date on its tickets.

- **Checkout agreement**: each section of your terms one tap away
- **Text on the ticket PDF**: directions and entry details on every ticket
- **Text for each ticket type**: different words for camping, VIP or parking

   ![Ticket Fairy Checkout Agreement card with refund policy and code of conduct sections](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-checkout-customisation--custom-terms.png)      [Get Started for Free](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/registration) [Book Demo Call](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo)

## Go Deeper Into Checkout

See each job done in your dashboard, with step-by-step guides and answers to your questions.

- ### [Checkout questions](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/checkout/checkout-questions-and-attendee-details)

  Ask your own checkout questions per order, ticket holder or add-on, and require buyer details and a minimum age. Have buyers accept your terms, and print directions on each ticket.
- ### [Fair access](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/checkout/fair-access-and-anti-touting)

  Cap tickets per order and per account, and approve or verify buyers before they get their tickets. Put names on tickets and offer returns to your [waiting list](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/orders-refunds-and-resale/resale-transfers-and-waiting-lists) at face value.
- ### [Checkout that converts](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/checkout/checkout-that-converts)

  Sell more tickets with guest checkout and phone sign-in, prices in each buyer's currency, the payment methods buyers trust, the same checkout on your own website, and emails that win back abandoned carts.

## Get the answers you need and sell more at checkout

- ### Custom checkout questions

  Ask for a meal choice, access request or company detail, once per order, per ticket or per add-on.
- ### Required buyer details

  Make buyers enter a phone number, nationality, Instagram handle or date of birth before they pay.
- ### Minimum age

  Turn away buyers who are under your minimum age on the day your event starts.
- ### Order approval

  Approve or decline each order before the buyer receives tickets, with the payment held until you approve.
- ### ID checks

  Hold the buyer's card until they prove who they are, then resend the check, take the payment or release the hold.
- ### Abandoned carts

  See who left checkout without paying and why, and email them back to your event.
- ### Waiting room

  Keep checkout quick on a busy on-sale. A waiting room shows buyers their place and lets them into checkout in turn, with nothing for you to switch on.
- ### Checkout without an account

  New buyers check out as guests, and returning buyers sign in with a code sent to their email.
- ### Checkout agreement

  Show your refund policy and code of conduct as sections buyers open and accept.
- ### Text on tickets

  Print directions and entry details on every ticket PDF, with different text for each ticket type.
- ### Payment methods

  Buyers pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or a local payment method.

  [Learn more](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/payments-and-payouts)
- ### Checkout A/B tests

  Compare different checkout questions and answers, and see which brings in more revenue.

  [Learn more](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/event-pages-and-website)
- ### Promo codes at checkout

  Give buyers a code that takes money off or reveals hidden tickets.

  [Learn more](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/promo-codes-and-discounts)
- ### QR Quick-Buy links

  Share a link or print a QR code for one ticket type, an add-on or the whole event. Buyers pay in a few taps with Apple Pay or Google Pay and no account.

## See It in Your Dashboard

- ![Ticket Fairy confirmation before approving a pending order](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-orders--approve-pending.png) Approve a held order in one step. The buyer is charged and gets their tickets.
- ![Ticket Fairy confirmation before a held card payment is taken without the ID check](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-orders--capture-and-bypass.png) Take the payment for a held order yourself when you have checked the buyer another way.
- ![Ticket Fairy Ticket Settings card with directions and door times in the ticket PDF text box](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-tickets--event-ticket-pdf-text.png) Print your directions and door times on each ticket your buyers download.
- ![Ticket Fairy ticket type form with camping wristband collection text for the ticket PDF and the option to hide the date](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-tickets--ticket-type-pdf-text.png) Give a camping ticket its own collection directions and hide the date on its tickets.

## Set up your checkout step by step

- [Add custom questions to your event checkout](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/add-custom-checkout-questions)
- [Choose which details checkout asks your ticket buyers for](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/choose-which-attendee-details-checkout-collects)
- [Approve orders before buyers receive tickets](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/approve-orders-before-buyers-receive-tickets)
- [Clear the ticket orders waiting on an ID check](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/verify-buyer-identity-at-checkout)
- [Win back buyers who left checkout](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/recover-abandoned-carts)
- [Add custom terms to your event checkout](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/add-custom-terms-to-your-checkout)
- [Print venue directions and entry details on your tickets](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/print-venue-directions-and-entry-details-on-your-tickets)
- [How do you keep a high-demand on-sale running smoothly?](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/keep-a-high-demand-on-sale-running-smoothly)
- [How do you keep touts and bots off your tickets?](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/keep-touts-off-your-tickets)

## Questions About Checkout

### Checkout

#### Should a checkout question belong to the order or to each ticket?

Choose the order when the buyer gives one answer for the whole purchase. Choose the ticket when each ticket holder can answer differently, such as a meal choice. Each question belongs to one event, so add it to each event where you need it.

#### Does every ticket holder give a date of birth?

No. Only the buyer, the person paying, gives a date of birth, and the age check uses it. To collect a detail from each ticket holder, add a custom question answered once per ticket.

#### Is the buyer charged before I approve their order?

Not when Hold payment until approved is on and the buyer uses a payment method that supports holds. The amount is held and taken when you approve. Other payment methods charge at checkout and refund the buyer if you decline, and the processing fees may not come back. Approve before the hold expires, or the order is declined and the held amount released. Approval covers the whole order.

#### How do I turn on ID checks?

Turn on the ID check for your whole event or for the ticket types you choose. Buyers get an email reminder every twelve hours, and if the buyer does nothing, Ticket Fairy starts clearing the order after seven days. You cannot undo taking a payment or releasing a hold.

#### How far back does the Abandoned Carts tab go?

The last 30 days, up to the 10,000 most recent people. An email to the abandoned carts audience goes to each person who left a cart on the event, up to the same 10,000 most recent, leaving out buyers who opted out. A buyer appears once they have entered their email address at checkout.

#### Which events get the automatic cart reminder?

Events in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The reminder goes out twice a day, to buyers whose cart is between one and thirteen hours old. Events with nothing left to sell are skipped, and support can turn the reminder off for your event.

#### Which payment methods can buyers use at checkout?

Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, plus the local payment methods your payment processing account offers.

#### How do I add custom terms to my checkout?

Give each section of your terms its own heading and wording, such as your refund policy and code of conduct. When custom terms are on, buyers on an embedded checkout go to Ticket Fairy's hosted checkout, so they see the complete agreement.

#### Do I have to switch the waiting room on?

No. It sits in front of every on-sale and turns itself on when arrivals climb. Buyers see their place, and refreshing the page does not move them up or down.

## Explore More of Ticket Fairy

- ### [Turn more of your visitors into ticket buyers](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/event-pages-and-website)

  Build event pages that answer buyers' questions and give each campaign its own page. Test which version sells more and sell tickets on your own website.
- ### [Get your ticket money when you want it](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/payments-and-payouts)

  Get paid daily as buyers pay, or after the event if you prefer. Choose who pays the booking fee, offer [payment plans](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/event-payment-plans) and know when each event pays out.
- ### [Answer buyers quickly and keep resale at face value](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/orders-refunds-and-resale)

  Find and fix any order, and refund buyers or let them refund themselves. Keep resale at face value with a waiting list, and tell ticket holders when you postpone or cancel an event.
- ### [Sell tickets to exactly the people you choose](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/private-sales-and-presales)

  Sell to exactly the people you choose with personal invitations, group invitation links, passwords and access codes. Reward registered fans with a presale, or sell only to your NFT holders.

      [Previous **Event pages & website**](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/event-pages-and-website) [Next **Orders, refunds & resale**](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/orders-refunds-and-resale)

Ticket Fairy in full: [ticketing platform for event organisers](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/), with the features, pricing and support behind this page.

## Start Selling Tickets Online

Sign up without a credit card and build a test event before you commit. Go on sale in minutes when you are ready.

    No monthly subscription required for ticketing    Start selling tickets immediately    Ticketing tools included in the service fee   [Get Started](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome)

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---

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) · [Ticket Fairy for AI assistants](https://www.ticketfairy.com/llms.txt)