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Payment troubleshooting

Most payment issues are related to the Square connection or the buyer's bank. Here are the most common problems and how to resolve them.

Checkout not working for buyers​

Symptom: Buyers see an error at checkout or the payment page does not load.

Check:

  1. Is your Square account connected? Go to Settings → Square and confirm the connection is active
  2. Is your Square account in good standing? Log in to your Square Dashboard and check for any account restrictions
  3. Are you using the correct Square environment? Sandbox accounts cannot process real payments

Fix: If the connection appears broken, disconnect and reconnect from Settings. If the issue persists, contact Square support.

Buyer says they were charged twice​

Symptom: A buyer reports seeing two charges on their bank statement.

Check:

  1. Look up the order in TimbaTicket — is there one order or two?
  2. Check your Square Dashboard — is there one payment or two?

Most likely cause: The buyer clicked "Pay" more than once, or their bank shows a pending authorisation alongside the actual charge. Pending authorisations typically drop off within 3–5 business days.

Fix: If there are genuinely two orders, refund one. If there is one order but two charges, the issue is on the bank side — advise the buyer to contact their bank.

Payment shows in TimbaTicket but not in Square​

This should not happen. TimbaTicket processes all payments through Square. If you see an order in TimbaTicket, there should be a corresponding payment in Square.

If this occurs, contact support with the order reference number.

Square connection expired or disconnected​

Symptom: The Square section in Settings shows the connection is inactive.

Cause: Square OAuth tokens can expire. This is normal.

Fix: Go to Settings → Square and click Connect Square Account again. The process is the same as the first time.

Fee policy questions​

See Absorb vs pass-through fees for a detailed explanation of how platform fees work, who pays them, and how to change the policy.

Refund failed​

Symptom: You tried to refund an order but the refund failed.

Common causes:

  • The original payment was more than 120 days ago (Square's refund window)
  • The Square account has insufficient funds to cover the refund
  • The payment was processed in a different Square account

Fix: Check your Square Dashboard for the specific error. If the refund window has expired, you may need to issue the refund manually through Square.

Still stuck?​

If none of the above resolves your issue:

  1. Check the Troubleshooting overview for general steps
  2. Email support@timbaticket.com with:
    • Your organisation name
    • The order reference number (if applicable)
    • A description of what happened
    • Screenshots of any error messages
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