Approving and declining deferral requests

What is a deferral, from my side?

An athlete who cannot run asks to convert their entry into credit for a future race of yours. You decide. Approving releases their place and issues them a credit; declining leaves the entry as it was.

Deferrals are worth offering because the alternative is usually a refund. A deferral keeps the revenue and keeps the athlete.

How long does the credit last?

Twelve months from approval by default. You can set a shorter expiry when you approve, but not a longer one: twelve months is the platform ceiling.

If you try to set a date beyond it you will be told the expiry can be at most twelve months after approval. A date in the past is rejected the same way.

Shortening is a real lever. If your race runs every spring, a nine-month expiry lands the credit on next year's event rather than letting it drift.

Where can the athlete spend it?

On your races only. The credit is tied to the organizer who issued it, so it applies at your checkout and nowhere else. An athlete who tries to use it on another organizer's race is told it cannot be used there.

A credit can be spent once and cannot be split across two entries.

What happens to their place?

Approving a deferral releases the place. If you are running a waitlist, that place goes to the next athlete in line, which is exactly what you want: the deferral costs you nothing in field size.

Can a decision be changed?

Only while it is still pending. Once decided it is settled, and you will be told the request is no longer pending if you try again. An athlete can also withdraw their own request before you decide, which shows the same way.