How To Give Event Credits

How to recognize external payments and loyalty rewards.

Sometimes you need to give your guests a credit or recognize a payment made outside of Auctria. The approach you choose depends on how you want the transaction to affect your event income reporting.

Record Payment (Positive Amount)

Use when you've received an actual external payment (cash, check, wire transfer, etc.)
Enter as a positive amount
Shows as income in your event totals
Example: Guest pays $100 via check before the event. This increases Total Income by $100.

Note

If they later spend exactly $100 at your event, Total Income will show $200 even though net revenue is only $100.

Record Credit via Negative Purchase (Negative Amount)

Use when giving a promotional credit, volunteer credit, or loyalty reward
Enter as a negative amount using a For Sale item
Reduces Total Income appropriately
Example: You give a volunteer a $100 credit. When they spend $100 at your event, Total Income shows $0 ($100 purchase - $100 credit = $0 net), which accurately reflects that no actual revenue was generated.

You can use the Record Sale function and select the Other payment method tab, then select an appropriate type from the drop-down selector. Enter the amount as a positive number.

An example from a demonstration event.

You can add different payment options as needed; see Checkout Payment Options for more information on adding additional drop-down options to choose from. Adding details to the Additional Notes field can also be a useful reference.

Promotional Credits and Rewards

This approach provides more accurate Total Income reporting when giving promotional credits or rewards, as it offsets the credit against actual purchases.

To apply a credit to a bidder's account, you need to include it as part of a purchase transaction. You cannot add a credit as a standalone action.

Create a For Sale type item specifically for credits (e.g., "Auction Credit" or "Volunteer Credit")
When a bidder makes a purchase, use the Record Sale page (left sidebar Sales Record Sales)
Add both the regular item(s) they're purchasing AND the credit item to the same transaction
For the credit item, enter a negative amount to offset the purchase total
Set Payment Method to None (or the appropriate payment method if they're also paying a balance)
Click Record Sale button to process the transaction

An example showing a credit item with a negative amount added to a purchase.

The negative amount will offset the purchase total, effectively applying the credit.

Example: A volunteer purchases a $150 item. You want to give them a $100 volunteer credit. Add both the $150 item and the credit item (at -$100) to the same transaction. The net amount due will be $50.

Ignore Validation Rules

If an error message appears when processing the transaction, check the Ignore Validation Rules checkbox to suppress conflicting validation rules and force the transaction through.

Learn about related topics:

Sales Dashboard
The Sales dashboard lets you quickly and easily record Sales transactions, including Tickets, Sponsorships, and other simple sales.
Handling Payments
An overview of the common methods of handling Checkout in Auctria.
In-Person Checkout And Payments
An overview of how to handle in-person checkout and payments during the night of your event.
Checkout Payment Options
Auctria offers several options and settings to ensure your Checkout process follows your requirements.

Last reviewed: February 2026