Skip to main content

Sell Tickets On-Site With the Box Office App (Staff Operated Mode)

Use the Box Office with a staff app key to enable your team to sell tickets and merchandise on-site using an iPad or iPhone

Written by Alex Thompson

In addition to selling tickets online, TicketSpice gives you the flexibility to sell tickets, merchandise, and memberships on-site using the Box Office app in staff-operated mode. The staff-operated mode is designed for team members to manage in-person transactions quickly and efficiently, making it easy to accommodate walk-up attendees or last-minute sales.

Pro Tip: This article covers setting up a staff-operated Box Office. You can also use self-checkout mode to let attendees purchase tickets or check themselves in. Learn more about the Box Office modes to see which option fits your needs.

Note: The TicketSpice Box Office app is compatible with iPhones and iPads running on iOS 18.6 or higher.

The TicketSpice Box Office app is not available on Android devices.

Box Office Pricing

Box Office fees vary based on the order type and payment method.

  • Credit Card Orders (with at least one ticket): $0.49/ticket

  • Credit Card Orders (merchandise-only or donation-only): No fee

  • Cash Orders: No fee

NOTE: If you later log into your TicketSpice account and manually add a ticket to an existing Box Office order, you will be charged $0.99 per ticket you add.

Jump To...

Create and Complete an Order (Standard, Series of Event, and Date-Based Pages)

You can quickly create and complete Box Office orders for Standard, Series of Events, and Date-Based pages. The Box Office app syncs in real time with your online ticketing page, so all Box Office sales count toward your inventory and capacity limits. This ensures you won’t oversell tickets or merchandise for your event.

Note: This article shows how to use our new Box Office user interface. If your Box Office app looks different, we recommend updating your app key to the new user interface to get the best experience.

Click here to learn how to configure your Box Office to the new experience.

Navigate the Box Office App

Pro Tip: The initial screen you see on the Box Office will vary depending on your page type.

  • For Standard pages, the Box Office will immediately display your available ticket levels, merchandise, donations, and memberships

  • For Date-Based pages, the Box Office will initially show a calendar with your available ticket sale dates and time slots (if applicable). Select the date and time slot (if applicable) to see all ticket levels, merchandise, donations, and memberships available for that date and time

  • For Series of Events pages, the Box Office will initially show a dropdown with your available events. Select your desired event to see all ticket levels, merchandise, donations, and memberships available for that event

  • Log in to the Box Office App. Click here to learn how to log in

  • After opening the Box Office and selecting the correct date or event (if required), you’ll see tiles for all ticket levels, merchandise options, donation fields, and membership fields.

Note: Once you've started an order, you can use the menu bar at the top of the screen to filter and view your ticket levels, merchandise, donations, or memberships.

The menu bar labels in the Box Office are fixed and cannot be customized. They do not reflect the names you assign to your fields. For example, even if you rename your merchandise field to “Add-On Experiences,” it will still appear under “Merchandise” in the Box Office menu bar.

Each tile includes the following elements:

  • A unique color

  • The name of the ticket level, merchandise option, donation field, or membership field

  • The inventory status (if you have limited inventory on the ticket level or merchandise item)

  • The ticket level or merchandise description (if added)

Note: The tile colors are automatically assigned and cannot be customized.

Warning: Ticket level descriptions should use only basic HTML. Avoid using divs or images, as these will not display correctly in the Box Office app.

Add Items to an Order and View the Order

Pro Tip: In the Box Office, you can process a merchandise-only or donation-only order for Standard, Series of Events, and Date-Based pages. To do this, select the merchandise option or donations field you want to add and complete the order. You can still print receipts for these merchandise-only and donation-only orders. There is no Box Office fee for merchandise-only or donation-only orders.

Note: Merchandise-only or donation-only orders cannot be edited in your TicketSpice account unless at least one ticket is added to the order.

  • Tap a tile to add an item to an order

    • If the item has a single price point, no variants, no required information for each ticket, and no independent date or time slot requirements, the item is added instantly

    • If the item has multiple price points, variants, required questions for each attendee, or independent date and/or time slot requirements, a pop-up will appear. Enter the relevant information, and tap Continue

  • Adjust the quantity for this item, if desired

    • Use the - / + icons next to the item to increase or decrease the quantity for merchandise and any tickets that don't require information for each ticket or have independent date or time slot requirements

    • Tap Edit to add tickets, remove tickets, or update details for tickets that require information for each ticket or have date or time slot requirements

Pro Tip: In addition to using the + / – controls, you can also click directly on the item's quantity number to adjust it. This opens a pop-up where you can enter the exact amount you’d like to add to your order.

Note: When adding tickets to an order, the Box Office gives your staff more flexibility than your online ticketing page

  • The Box Office does not limit the total number of tickets that can be purchased across multiple ticket levels in a single order when using a staff app key. This allows your team to manage ticket quantities on a case-by-case basis without being restricted by your online settings

  • If you’ve set selection limits for a specific ticket level, the Box Office will only enforce the maximum quantity of tickets that can be selected for that ticket level. It does not enforce minimum quantities or specific quantity increments. For example, if your online page only allows quantities of 2, 4, or 6 for a specific ticket level, the Box Office will allow staff to select any number of tickets up to 6

  • After adding at least one item, the order summary displays each item’s name, price, quantity, and the total order cost.

    • On an iPad, the order summary appears in the Current Order column on the right-hand side

    • On an iPhone, tap the cart icon in the upper right-hand corner or tap View Order to open the order summary

Note: To clear the order entirely, click the trash can icon in the top right corner of the order summary, and click Clear Order or End Session.

Complete the Order

Once you create the order, you can complete the order by selecting whether the attendee is paying with cash or a card. The instructions for cash and card transactions vary slightly, so check below for more information.

Cash Payment: Complete a Box Office Sale

  • Tap Checkout

  • Tap Cash as the payment method

  • Enter a name and email for the order (optional). The name field is optional, but we recommend adding a name, as it identifies the purchaser in your reports. If left blank, the system will display "Cash" as the name

  • Tap Continue

Pro Tip: By default, collecting an email address is optional for Box Office orders. If you’d like to require an email for all cash orders, you can enable this in your app key settings. Click here to learn how to customize your Box Office app key.

Keep in mind that buyers will only receive an order confirmation and be added as a contact in TicketSpice if an email address is collected.

  • Enter the amount of cash you received. You will see the change you should give to the customer if needed

  • Tap Complete Payment

  • Select Send Tickets Via Text to send the ticket buyer their tickets in a text message

  • If you've turned on the option to check in attendees after purchase in your App Key, tap Check In to check in the attendees

Pro Tip: TicketSpice shows the amount of cash paid and the amount of change needed on the initial confirmation screen and the confirmation email the ticket buyer receives (if an email was collected).

Note: The TicketSpice Box Office App can connect to a cash drawer. If you would like to learn how to set this up, click here.

Card Payment: Complete a Box Office Sale

Pro Tip: If you would like to complete card payments, we recommend setting up a card swiper. On TicketSpice, you can use our NYC1 card readers, Magtek card swipers, or Square.

Click here to learn how to set up a NYC1 card reader. Click here to learn how to set up a Magtek card swiper. Click here to learn how to set up a Square card swiper.

  • Tap Checkout

  • Tap Credit Card as the payment method

  • Use the card swiper to complete payment

  • Once the payment is accepted, enter a name and email address to send a confirmation email and save the individual as a contact in TicketSpice. The name field is optional, but we recommend adding a name, as it identifies the purchaser in your reports. Tap Skip to continue without entering this

  • Tap Send Tickets Via Text to send the ticket buyer their tickets in a text message

  • If you've turned on the option to check in attendees after purchase in your app key, tap Check In to check in the attendees

  • Tap Send Confirmation via Email if the attendee didn’t originally include their email on the order but would like to add it. This allows them to receive the confirmation email and ensures they’re saved as a contact in TicketSpice. This option is only available on orders paid with a credit card

Pro Tip: Collecting an email address is optional for credit card orders. However, keep in mind that buyers will only receive an order confirmation and be added as a contact in TicketSpice if an email address is collected.

Note: In some cases, the cardholder’s name will automatically populate in the confirmation name field. This depends on the issuing bank, so not all cards will provide this information. If the name is auto-filled and the staff member skips entering an email, the name will still be captured and saved to the order.

Create and Complete an Order (Reserved Seating Pages)

Once you’ve logged in to the Box Office, you can easily create and complete in-person orders. The inventory in the Box Office app updates in real time with your online ticketing page, so you won't sell the same ticket twice or oversell your event.

Navigate the Box Office App

When you first open the Box Office, you'll see your event's venue map. From there, you can filter seats by price, show accessible seats, automatically select the best available seats, and enter a seat code.

Pro Tip: To navigate the venue map, you can drag your finger to move around the venue.

Use standard gestures to zoom. Pinch to zoom out of the venue, and spread two fingers to zoom in to your venue.

Select Seats and Complete Your Order

Note: On Reserved Seating pages, you must select at least one seat to submit an order. Merchandise-only or donation-only orders are not supported on Reserved Seating pages.

  • Tap a section where you want to select seats

  • Tap View Section

  • From that screen, tap the seat you want to add

  • Tap Add to Order

Note: Once you select a seat, you have 10 minutes to finalize the order.

  • Tap View Order to view the full order

  • Tap Checkout in the bottom right corner when you have selected all of the seats for this order

  • Add any additional options to the order, including merchandise, a coupon code, or a donation

  • Tap the customer's desired payment method to complete the order

Complete the Order

Cash Payment: Complete a Box Office Sale

  • Tap Cash as the payment method

  • Enter a name for the order (optional). This field is optional, but we recommend adding a name, as it identifies the purchaser in your reports. If left blank, the system will display "Cash" as the name

  • Enter an email

  • Tap Continue

Pro Tip: By default, collecting an email address is optional for Box Office orders. If you’d like to require an email for all cash orders, you can enable this in your app key settings. Click here to learn how to customize your Box Office app key.

Keep in mind that buyers will only receive an order confirmation and be added as a contact in TicketSpice if an email address is collected.

  • Enter the amount of cash you received. You will see the change you should give to the customer if needed

  • Tap Complete Payment

  • Select Send Tickets Via Text to send the ticket buyer their tickets in a text message

  • If you've turned on the option to check in attendees after purchase in your app key, tap Check In to check in the attendees

Pro Tip: TicketSpice shows the amount of cash paid and the amount of change needed on the initial confirmation screen and the confirmation email the ticket buyer receives (if an email was collected).

Note: The TicketSpice Box Office App can connect to a cash drawer. If you would like to learn how to set this up, click here.

Card Payment: Complete a Box Office Sale

Pro Tip: If you would like to complete card payments, we recommend setting up a card swiper. On TicketSpice, you can use our NYC1 card readers, Magtek card swipers, or Square.

Click here to learn how to set up a NYC1 card reader. Click here to learn how to set up a Magtek card swiper. Click here to learn how to set up a Square card swiper.

  • Tap Card as the payment method

  • Use your card swiper, or input the credit card details manually

  • Select Complete Payment

  • Select Send Tickets Via Text to send the ticket buyer their tickets in a text message

  • If you've turned on the option to check in attendees after purchase in your app key, tap Check In to check in the attendees

Pro Tip: Collecting an email address is optional for credit card orders. However, keep in mind that buyers will only receive an order confirmation and be added as a contact in TicketSpice if an email address is collected.

FAQs

Why can't I see my ticket levels in the Box Office App?

A common reason why you might not be able to see your ticket levels is that these ticket levels are set to Online Only in your TicketSpice page. Here is how to confirm that your ticket levels are available on the Box Office app.

  • From the Pages screen, click the pencil icon on the page that you want to edit

  • Scroll to the ticket block

  • Click Edit Ticket Information directly above the ticket block

  • Scroll to your ticket levels, and open your ticket level(s) to see more information

  • Set the Visibility field to Everywhere or Box Office Only.

    • Everywhere will show this ticket level on your online ticketing page and on the Box Office App

    • Box Office Only will only show this ticket level on the Box Office, not on your online page

  • Click Done

  • Click Save Now in the upper-right corner of your page to save your changes. Click Publish to publish these changes to your live page

Does the Box Office app update with my inventory?

Yes, the Box Office app updates the inventory for your event with your online ticketing page in real time, ensuring you don't oversell at your event.

How do I rent or purchase NYC1 card readers or Magtek swipers from TicketSpice?

You can either rent or purchase NYC1 card readers or Magtek swipers from TicketSpice. You must rent or purchase these card readers and swipers directly from TicketSpice, as these readers and swipers are specifically designed to work with TicketSpice's Box Office App.

To request to rent card readers or swipers from TicketSpice, click here.

You can also purchase compatible readers or swiper from TicketSpice here.

Pro Tip: Rental reader or swiper requests should be submitted at least one month before your event. Our shipping business hours are 9 am-5 pm PST, Monday through Friday. We recommend submitting the rental form as early as possible so readers or swipers can be reserved for your event date.

When renting a reader or swiper, please note that you must pay for shipping, which varies in price depending on the number of readers or swipers being rented. For international shipping, we'll provide a quote and charge your card for the additional cost.

Once someone completes a purchase through the Box Office App, does TicketSpice automatically scan in their tickets?

No, the Box Office App doesn't automatically scan in attendee's tickets after the purchase is completed.

If you would like to give cashiers the option to check in attendees through the Box Office App after their order is completed, we recommend turning on the feature to check in attendees after purchase. Click here to learn how to enable this in your Box Office app key.

Why aren't my payments processing on the Box Office app?

If payments aren't going through, click here for troubleshooting steps.

If I complete a Box Office order and the ticket buyer added an email address, when will the buyer receive their confirmation email with their tickets?

If a ticket buyer enters an email on the Box Office app, they will receive an email containing the tickets within 5-10 seconds of the order being submitted.

Please note that delays can happen when the WiFi or phone connection is weak. If your attendee hasn't received their confirmation email after a minute, we recommend asking the attendee to check their spam folder, and search for the sending email "noreply@ticketspice.com."

If I just made edits to my TicketSpice page, why don't I see these changes in my Box Office App?

If you've made edits to your TicketSpice page but don't see them in your Box Office app, we recommend logging out of the Box Office App completely, and manually re-entering your app key. After logging back in, your changes should appear.

Note: If you end your current session, and start a new session without re-entering your Box Office App Key, you won't see the new changes.

The Box Office App Key must be manually re-entered for updates to appear.

Can I add multiple memberships in one Box Office order?

No, you can only add one membership per order in the Box Office. If someone wants to purchase multiple memberships, we recommend processing a unique order for each membership they want to buy.

On date-based pages, does Box Office enforce the sales cutoff and calendar date ranges that I set on my online ticketing page?

No, the TicketSpice Box Office app does not enforce sales cutoffs or calendar date ranges set on your online ticketing page when using the staff operated Box Office mode. This gives your staff the flexibility to sell tickets on a case-by-case basis without being restricted by your online settings.

Will my actions work on the Box Office App?

Generally, actions work on the Box Office App. Actions to change the price, dynamically adjust the capacity of a ticket level, show and hide specific fields, set a value, select a specific option, and dynamically require and not require certain fields work on the Box Office App.

Are waivers compatible with the Box Office app?

Yes, waivers are supported in the Box Office app. If a ticket level includes a waiver, attendees will be prompted on the confirmation page to complete it on the Box Office device or a personal phone.

If your app key allows staff to check in attendees, staff can choose to check in attendees before the waiver is completed if desired. Once the waiver is signed, you’ll have the option to send tickets to the attendee via text.

Note: Uploading documents in a waiver is not supported in the Box Office app. If your waiver requires document uploads, remove this requirement for your waiver or ask attendees complete the waiver from their phone or email instead.

Are terms fields compatible with the Box Office app?

No, the Terms field is not supported in the Box Office app. It will not appear or function whether added to a ticket level or to the order section below the ticket block.

Is the Dynamic Options field compatible with the Box Office page?

Right now, the Dynamic Options field is not compatible with the Box Office. We recommend using a Multiple Choice field or another field type when selling tickets on the Box Office.

Can I use a Donation ticket level on the Box Office app?

No, donation ticket levels are not supported in the Box Office app. To collect donations, we recommend adding an optional Donations field to your ticketing page. You can then use the Box Office app to submit a donation-only order for attendees who want to donate.

Can I redeem vouchers in the Box Office App?

No. Vouchers are not compatible with the Box Office App. If you need to redeem a voucher, we recommend completing the purchase through your online ticketing page instead.

How do I log out of the Box Office app?

Click here to learn how to end your session and log out of the Box Office app.

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?