How do I scan tickets for my event using the Scanner app?

Note: We’ve released a new Bold Type Tickets Box Office app for devices running iOS 9+ that combines a full-fledged Point of Sale system with the ability to scan tickets at the door. For information on scanning tickets with the Box Office app, click here.

To scan print-at-home, mobile, or mailed tickets, you’ll first need to download our iOS scanner app. The app requires an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad with a rear-facing camera, and is compatible with iOS 8.0 and above.

Once the app is installed on your device, you can log in using either your regular Bold Type Tickets dashboard login or a Scanner Login (which only has access to the scanner app).

Scanning Tickets

Once you’re logged into the app, you’ll see a list containing all of your upcoming events. Tap the name of the event you’d like to scan tickets for to begin the sync process. It should only take a few seconds for the app to download all of the relevant ticket data from the server.

Note: If your event allows re-entry, you’ll be asked whether to you want to scan tickets in or out. You can switch back and forth between the two from within the scanning interface.

After the app has synced, you’ll be brought to the scan interface, and the camera on your device will activate. To scan a ticket, center the ticket’s QR code on the screen and keep the device steady until it registers. Hold the ticket about 4 inches from the scanner for best results. Once the ticket has been checked, hit “Continue” to return to the camera view in order to scan additional tickets.

For an explanation of the different scan response messages, see the next section.

Searching for Tickets

Sometimes, if a ticket is damaged (or a customer just plain forgets to bring it), you won't be able to scan them in using the camera. In those situations, you can tap the magnifying class in the top-right corner to bring up a check-in interface and a search option.

To locate a ticket, you can either browse the list by purchaser name or search for any of the following:

Purchaser name (first, last, or both)
Purchaser email address
Order number
Ticket serial number

Any and all tickets that match the information you entered will be displayed.

Tap the ticket you wish to check in, and it will be marked as "Redeemed". If you redeem the wrong ticket, don't worry! Tap it again to reset that ticket's status.

Scan Result Messages

In a perfect world, every customer would present a valid ticket. We know that’s not always the case, so our app is designed not just to tell you whether a ticket is good, but also what’s wrong with it in the event that it’s bad.

Scanned In

This ticket is valid and has been successfully redeemed. Hooray!

Already Scanned

This ticket has already been redeemed and is not valid. You’ll be able to see how long ago it was scanned and which user scanned it in. If the ticket was scanned just seconds ago by the same user account you’re logged in under, it’s likely that the ticket was accidentally scanned twice.

Void

This was once a valid ticket, but it has been voided for some reason. Reasons can include (but are not limited to):

This ticket was reissued for another date as part of an exchange.
This ticket was refunded.
This ticket was determined to be part of a potentially fraudulent order.

Not Yet Active / Expired

This ticket is outside of its scan dates. By default, tickets become scannable 24 hours prior to the event’s start time, and expire 24 hours after the event’s end time.

Scanning a ticket prior to that window returns a “Not Yet Active” message along with the date and time it becomes scannable, while scanning a ticket after that window will flag it as “Expired” and show you when it ceased to be valid.

Note: If you’re going to be scanning tickets outside that default +/- 24 hour window for any reason, reach out to us at support@boldtypetickets.com to let us know. We can adjust that viability window to whatever timeframe you’d like.

Not Recognized

This ticket cannot be recognized by the scanner. Reasons for this can include:

The ticket is for the wrong event. If your event is part of a series, make sure that the ticket in question isn’t for another showtime.
The ticket hasn’t been synced to the scanner. Make sure your scanning device is connected to the internet and has been synced recently, then try again.
It’s simply not a valid ticket.

Syncing & Offline Mode

Provided your device is connected to the internet, the scanner app syncs with our servers once a minute. During this time it uploads its own scan data and downloads new tickets and redemption data from other devices. You can change how often the device syncs by going to Events > Settings > Automatic Sync Interval.

While we strongly recommend that your scanners stay online while in use, sometimes that’s not feasible. The scanner app is capable of validating tickets without an internet connection, provided it has already been synced and downloaded the ticket data from the server. This has its limitations, however:

Tickets purchased after the device was synced will not be recognized
A given scanner will not be able to validate whether a ticket has already been scanned by another device or checked in via Ticket Lookup.
Redemption data will not be uploaded to the server (and thus will not be reflected on your event’s Admissions Data page) until the app syncs again.

In the event that you’re going to be without an internet connection while you’re scanning, it’s important that you make tickets go off-sale before your event is scheduled to start. Once sales have ended, log into the scanner app on each device you’ll be using, select the event(s) you’ll be scanning tickets for, and allow the app to sync completely.

Tips & Tricks

If you’re in scanning mode and haven’t used the app in a minute or two, the app will automatically shut off the camera to preserve your device’s battery. To resume scanning, just tap the on-screen prompt.
For security purposes, the app will automatically log you out of your account after a period of inactivity. By default, this interval is set to one hour; if you’d like to change that, go to Events > Settings > Session Timeout.
To log into the app, an event manager needs to have sent you a user invite and/or created a scanner login for you. If you’re having trouble logging into something you’re supposed to have access to, shoot us an email at support@boldtypetickets.com.