The pass that ran out in February
A family bought a family annual pass at your museum and farm last spring. They came often in the summer holidays, less in autumn and not at all over winter. The pass expired in February. They received one email about it, which went to the dad's work address and was deleted with the rest.
In April, they turn up at the gate with the old pass. It is refused. Renewing means queueing at the kiosk behind a school group while two children ask how much longer. They buy day tickets instead, grumbling, and never renew.
Your pass holder numbers drop each winter, and nobody is sure why.
Why renewals slip
Pass expiry dates are spread across the year, because they start whenever someone buys. That makes renewals a steady trickle that nobody owns, rather than a campaign someone plans.
Many ticketing systems can send an expiry email, but it is generic and sent once. It does not know that the family visited twelve times in summer and would respond to a reminder of that, or that winter is the worst time to ask.
Renewal itself is often harder than buying new. If holders have to find a login they set up a year ago, or queue at the gate, many simply do not bother.
What lapsed passes cost
| Gap | Result |
|---|---|
| One generic reminder | Easy to miss, easy to ignore |
| Reminder at the wrong time | Asked to renew in the quietest month |
| Renewal only at the kiosk | Holders buy day tickets or stay away |
| Old email addresses | Reminders never reach the holder |
| No view of who lapses | You cannot tell which pass types are failing |
Annual passes bring people back through the year, and repeat visitors spend in the café and shop. A pass holder who lapses is a lost relationship, not just a lost sale.
A renewal journey built on visit history
We build on your ticketing system's pass data and scan records.
- Each holder's visits are counted from gate scans, so we know who used the pass heavily and who barely used it.
- Reminders go out at times you choose, for example well before expiry and again close to it, and can include a short summary of their visits and anything coming up, such as a summer event.
- A renewal link logs them straight in with the pass details already filled in, so renewing takes a couple of taps.
- Holders who miss expiry get a follow-up with a grace period if you choose to offer one.
- At the gate, a lapsed pass can be renewed on the spot from a staff tablet, without joining the ticket queue.
- A report shows renewal rates by pass type, by visit count and by the month the pass started.
If your ticketing system supports automatic renewal by card, we can set that up as an option for holders who want it, with clear notice before any charge.
Cases that need a rule
- Gift passes bought by grandparents: the reminder goes to the buyer and the holder, as you decide.
- Family passes where the adults have separated: named holders can be updated at renewal.
- Passes bought in a sale with a special price: renewal price follows your rule.
- Holders who opt out of marketing: they still receive service messages about expiry, as your privacy notice allows.
What the gate and the office see
Renewals arrive steadily online. At the gate, a lapsed pass holder is renewed on a tablet in a minute. You can see which pass types lapse most and when, and plan offers around it.
- Reminders timed and tailored to each holder
- Online renewal in a couple of taps
- Gate renewals that skip the ticket queue
- Clear renewal rates by pass type
Is this your pass scheme?
- Pass holders get one generic expiry email.
- Renewing means queueing at the kiosk.
- You do not know renewal rates by pass type.
- Pass numbers drop every winter.
- Lapsed holders arrive at the gate surprised.