Protected Payments
Payments held securely until the buyer confirms receipt, then released to the seller through Stripe. No internal wallet, no balance — just protection.
Protected payments are the core of every transaction on Secure Ticket Transfer. When you pay, the money is held — not handed to the seller. It's released only after you confirm the tickets were received and work.
How it works, step by step
- Buyer pays. Card payment is processed through Stripe and held securely.
- Seller is notified. The seller sees payment confirmation but has not received the funds.
- Seller transfers the tickets through the original issuer (Ticketmaster, AXS, SeatGeek). See how ticket transfers work.
- Buyer confirms receipt inside the transaction room after the tickets appear in their issuer account.
- Payout is released to the seller through Stripe to their connected bank account.
Why it works
- Sellers can't take the money and run. The structural incentive to scam is removed.
- Buyers don't pay before delivery. Even though payment is authorized up front, it's not handed over until the tickets work.
- Disputes have something to dispute. If the transfer fails, the funds are still recoverable — they haven't been paid out yet.
Powered by Stripe
Stripe handles payment processing, identity verification, and payout infrastructure. Secure Ticket Transfer is the protected coordination layer around the transfer itself — we are not a bank, escrow company, or ticket issuer. Stripe's scale and compliance posture is what makes this protection possible at low fees.
No wallet, no top-up
Some platforms ask you to fund an internal balance or wallet. We don't. Every transaction is paid per-listing with your card; sellers receive direct payouts to their bank account. Nothing sits in a platform-controlled balance.
What protected payments don't replace
- Card-issuer chargeback rights — those still exist as an additional safety net.
- Issuer refund policies for event cancellations — those are handled by Ticketmaster, AXS, etc., per their own terms.
- Sensible buyer behavior — read the listing carefully before paying.
Related: buyer protection · seller protection · verified sellers.
Frequently asked questions
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