CoverCount Events can be free or paid. Paid event tickets use the venue's connected Stripe account, while free events skip card payment and still create attendee registrations.
Price, tax, service charge, gratuity, and total are stored on each registration when the guest registers. That means the receipt stays accurate even if you later edit the event price for future guests.
Choose Free Or Paid
Use a free event when you only need RSVP capacity and an attendee list.
Examples:
- Member pickup RSVP
- Complimentary launch event
- Free tasting for invited guests
- Education event included with a membership
Use a paid event when guests should pay at registration.
Examples:
- Winemaker dinner
- Cocktail class
- Pairing dinner
- Ticketed tasting
- Workshop
- Release party with paid admission
Free does not mean unlimited. Set capacity and max tickets per registration either way.
Confirm Stripe Is Ready
Paid event registration depends on the venue's Stripe connection. Before publishing a paid event:
- Confirm card payments are enabled.
- Confirm the event checkout can calculate a total.
- Complete a test registration when appropriate.
- Confirm the registration appears in the attendee list.
- Confirm the confirmation email shows the correct receipt.
If payment setup is not ready, keep the event hidden.
Set The Ticket Price
Enter the price guests should pay per ticket. A quantity of 2 multiplies the subtotal by 2.
Example:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticket price | $85 |
| Quantity | 2 |
| Subtotal | $170 |
Use guest-facing copy to explain what the ticket includes, especially when the price covers food, beverage, tax, gratuity, or a member benefit.
Add A Member Price
The same event can sell at two prices. Alongside the public ticket price, you can add a discounted
eligible price for wine club members or another guest group you define — including 0 for free member
tickets.
Membership is verified automatically at checkout from the email and phone number the guest enters, using either a guest tag or a connected wine club integration. Verified members pay the member price; everyone else pays the public price, with no extra steps and no error. Tax, service charge, and gratuity apply the same way to whichever price the guest pays.
For setup, verification options, and members-only events, see Offer member pricing and members-only Events.
Decide Whether To Collect Tax
Use tax collection when your event ticket should collect sales tax or another applicable tax. The tax rate comes from the venue's event payment settings, and the event controls whether tax applies.
Confirm tax treatment with your accountant or local rules before publishing. CoverCount can calculate the configured tax, but the venue is responsible for choosing the correct policy.
Choose A Service Charge Mode
CoverCount supports three service charge modes for Events:
| Mode | When to use |
|---|---|
| None | No service charge or gratuity is shown at checkout. |
| Required service charge | A fixed percentage should be added to every registration. |
| Optional gratuity | Guests may choose one of the configured gratuity tiers, enter a custom dollar amount, or skip gratuity. |
For a required service charge, use a clear label such as Service charge or Event service charge.
Decide whether that amount should be included in the taxable base based on your venue's policy.
For optional gratuity, choose tiers that match the event style and staff expectation. Guests can also choose Custom at checkout and enter their own dollar amount, up to the ticket subtotal. The amount the guest actually paid is stored on the registration and flows to the receipt, confirmation email, and revenue reports.
Review The Guest Total
Before publishing, open the guest registration flow and confirm:
- Ticket subtotal
- Service charge or gratuity
- Tax
- Total
- Refund language
- Confirmation email receipt
Guests should not be surprised at checkout. If the event price already includes tax or service, say so in the description and configure the checkout consistently.
Pricing Changes Apply Going Forward
When a guest registers, CoverCount snapshots the pricing fields onto that registration. Later edits do not reprice existing sold tickets.
Use this rule:
- Edit pricing before publishing whenever possible.
- If registrations already exist, treat pricing edits as future-only.
- Do not promise existing guests a new price unless you intend to handle adjustments manually.
For cutoff and cancellation policy setup, see Set sales cutoffs, refund cutoffs, and cancellations.