Redemption Rules Tab

The Redemption Rules tab controls how the pass works and how it can be redeemed. There are 5 different types of Memberships that can be created in Theatre Manager. Each one serves a specific purpose, yet remains flexible in the parameters you determine. The 5 types are:

  1. Free Admission
  2. Dollar Value
  3. Average Dollar Per Admission
  4. Can't Buy A Thing
  5. Use Promotion

While a pass seems like something you are selling, it really is, first and foremost, a payment method.

People buy passes or gift certificates with the expectation that they can redeem them. After all, it is their money. Some passes can be limited to the amount of money that can be redeemed, after which Theatre Manager will require and up-charge.

Most passes and gift certificates should be tax exempt (but may include the total intended redemption value that includes taxes)

At time of sale, the value of the entire value of the pass is generally deferred in a liability account. When a portion of it is used to pay for tickets, the ticket will have the actual taxes payable calculated that the time of the sale of the ticket -- and the passes redemption value covers the entire cost of the ticket.

Tax is never allowed on a 'Dollar Value' or an 'Average Dollar Admission' type of pass to enforce those rules

Method of Redemption
Free Admission Free Admission is simply that - a "free admission." If you are giving away a ticket to an event in a radio giveaway or an auction, you can create a Free Admission pass. This allows the recipient to exchange the free admission pass for an admission ticket to any event. You can limit the events applicable to the pass in the "Valid Plays" tab of the Membership setup. Special Considerations:
  • The number of free admissions can be controlled by changing the # of Passes issued on the right side of the screen.
  • If the passes are going to be free, then the "Can be sold for a zero value" on the EDITS tab must be selected.
Dollar Value A Dollar Value pass is essentially a Gift Certificate. If the patron gives you $50 to use at a later date, then redeems the pass to purchase tickets, it should be set up as a Dollar Value. Special Considerations:
  • Typically, the "# of Passes Issued" is set to 0, and the "Purchase Amount" is set to $0. Then on the EDITS tab, the "Value Can Be Changed During Purchase" option is selected so Gift Certificates can be sold in any amount.
  • In most U.S. States, and all of Canada, Gift Certificates never expire and should be set as such in the EDITS tab.
  • The General Ledger accounts for "Dollar Value" and "Average Dollar Per Admission" are typically liability accounts as they start out as a credit to the patron and then are used as a reduction of that credit.
  • Tax is not allowed on this Pass Type.
Average Dollar Per Admission This is more commonly known as a "Flex Pass" where a patron purchases a pack of "x" admissions for "y" price. The Flex Pass is then redeemed for tickets on whatever schedule the patron wishes. The parameters can be set such that the patron can use one, some or all admissions on the same performance. Average $ per Admission passes (or better known as "Flex Passes") are rapidly becoming more popular than the traditional "all-in" subscriptions.
Special Considerations:
  • The values for "# Passes Issued" and "Purchase Amount" must be set for an Average Dollar Per Admission type.
  • Theatre Manager will split the Purchase Amount equally across all available redemptions. So if the Flex Pass is $100 for 5 admissions, regardless of the actual price of the ticket, Theatre Manager will attribute $20 ($100/5) to each event where the pass is redeemed.
  • Tax is not allowed on this Pass Type.
You may set a "Maximum per admission" to limit the value to which the pass can be applied.

Using the above example, you set a Maximum per admission of $25. If the recipient attempts to redeem the pass on an event where the ticket price is $30, Theatre Manager will apply $25 from the pass to the ticket, and leave a balance owing of $5 to be paid in some other form.

This allows the box offie the flexibility of up-charging for more expensive nights even when a patron buys a lower price pass - and creating a win-win from a customer service perspective.

Can't Buy A Thing This is used as a true membership such as a Symphony League, Community Players, or other membership group. This can also be used to track sales that are merchandise, concessions, advertising sales, rental fees or other miscellaneous forms of income.
Special Considerations:
  • Can't Buy A Thing and Use Promotion are the only two membership types where "Grace period before approval needed to renew expired memberships" (on the EDITS tab) can be employed. This is because these are the only two true membership types, whereas the previous three are based on admissions.
Use Promotion This pass type is designed to allow pass holders reduced admission prices for a specific time period. When this pass is used, the price of the tickets changes from their original promotion to something else using the sales rules mapping.
Examples of this membership type are:
  • Annual movie pass
  • Alumni who receive a "2 for 1" discount on tickets
  • Musicians who receive a dollar discount on tickets purchased
  • or patrons who belong to an elite club within your organization who, as a benefit of membership, receive a set discount on tickets.

Redeemable By


There are four options for who can redeem the pass or gift certificate.
Purchaser only Only the patron who purchased the pass will be able to redeem it. This is good when you wish to limit the pass to the owner alone.

Online Redemption Rules:

  • The patron can see this pass and redeem it without a password because it is assigned specifically to them.
  • No other patron can redeem this pass (including household members)
Any Household Member Any member of the same household can redeem the pass. This is good for a flex pass where you may want it redeemable by the patron, their spouse or any other members of the household.

Online Redemption Rules:

  • The patron who owns the pass can see and redeem it without a password because it is assigned specifically to them.
  • Other household members can see the pass and use it without a password when they choose 'Redeem passes' at the cart or checkout page.
  • Patrons outside the household will be unable to use the pass
Any Patron (Visible to Purchaser) This pass can be redeemed by any patron in the database. This type of redemption is good for Gift Certificates or Raffle/Give-Away vouchers where you do not know the final user at the time of the sale.

Online Redemption Rules:

  • The patron who owns the pass can see and redeem it without a password because it is owned by them.
  • All other patrons will need both the pass control number and the redemption password.
If a pass that may be redeemed by any patron is to be used online, then the BOX OFFICE MUST also give the patron the redemption password. It is 15 characters long and can be printed on the 'pass' ticket face or on a form letter based on passes/gift certificates.
Any Patron (Not Visible to Purchaser) This pass can be redeemed by any patron in the database. This type of redemption is good for Gift Certificates or Raffle/Give-Away vouchers where you do not know the final user at the time of the sale.

Online Redemption Rules:

  • All PATRONS will need both the pass control number and the redemption password.
  • Even the patron who purchased it cannot use it without the password because it is not visible in their account
For this redemption method, ALL Patrons (including the one who purchased the pass) will need to enter the pass redemption password. The pass will not show on anybodies account until it us used at least once.

Redemption Options for Passes

Depending on the type of Membership, you may be able to specify certain parameters about how it operates. The available fields will grey out or become available as appropriate.

# of Passes Issued For Free Admission or Avg $/Admission, you can indicate how many passes will be issued with this membership. The number can be zero, as long as on the EDITS tab, you indicate that the value can be changed during purchase.
Purchase Amount The cost of this membership. The value can be set to zero as long as one of two conditions are met on the EDITS tab. Either:
  • "Value can be changed during purchase" or
  • "Can be sold for a zero value" are enabled.
The former is ideal for Gift Certificates. The latter is for use with a Free Admission type of pass.
Redeemable Amount The value of the pass during the redemption process. This is usually the same as the Purchase Amount, however can be different. For example, you may have a "Holiday Gift Certificate" where the Redeemable Amount is higher than the Purchase Amount. To achieve this, set the Purchase Amount at $1, and the Redeemable Amount at $1.10. This will increase your Gift Certificate value to 10% more than the Purchase Amount.
Sales Rules Sales Rules are mappings for converting one Sales Promotion to another Sales Promotion. They can be really useful when redeeming gift certificates online to show how the origina price was changed.

Internet Options for Pass or Gift Certificate Redemption

At your discretion, you may choose to make some Memberships redeemable online. For example, a Flex Pass holder or Gift Certificate owner may be able to redeem their Membership for tickets online.

Redeem via the Internet This checkbox indicates whether the selected Membership can be redeemed online. If enabled:
  • The patron will be able to see all the passes associated with their account online on a pass/gc redemption web page
  • A patron can redeem passes/gift certificates online that were given to them by another patron if they know both:
    • the pass number -and-
    • the redemption code.
    The redemption code is a secret serial number unique to each pass/gift certificate that is generated when it is sold. The Box Office staff can only see this redemption code if it is printed on a ticket face or on a form letter based on Passes/Gift Certificates. This is for security reasons and also that they do not need the redemption code to use the pass at the box office.

    Under certain circumstances, Theatre Manager may support redemption codes embedded in track III on specialty cards - contact sales to find out more about the encoding and where to source cards.

Refer to rules regarding payment of pass before use for the sub-options.
Renew via Internet If the Membership is renewable (applies to "Can't Buy a Thing" and "Use Promotion" only), this checkbox indicates if the pass is renewable online.
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Reference

Redeemable via Internet Options

If you decide to allow the pass or gift certificate to be redeemed online, you have two options:
  • Must be fully prepaid for. This is the default option and means that the pass or gift certificate must be paid for by the patron before it can be used online. This includes making postdated payments towards the value of the pass.
  • Might be unpaid. If this option is selected, it means that a patron can redeem the pass or gift certificate online before it is even paid for. Enabling this option requires that the employee has the function security enabled for Payments - use pass that has not been fully paid for'
    This option exposes you to Risk and is not recommended.

    If a pass or gift certificate is not paid for and the patron uses it to see a show, you risk being left with a receivable that the patron might never pay for after seeing the show. In effect, it means you gave away a comp ticket unwillingly.

Diataxis: 
Reference