Are you haunted by crypts of paper waivers, soul-crushing check-in lines, and the nightmare of manually tracking signatures? We’ve brewed up some terrifyingly good news.
Introducing Digital Waivers, a dreadfully powerful new feature on HauntPay, designed to give you peace of mind and your victims—er, guests—a seamlessly terrifying experience.
Now, you can create and attach custom digital waivers directly to any ticket type. Attendees sign their life away online, and you get a secure, digital tomb for every signature—all in one place.
You can start conjuring your first waiver right now, or keep reading to unearth the details on how waivers work and why your haunt needs them.
What is a Liability Waiver?
A liability waiver is a pact between two parties—in this case, the haunt owner and a guest—that acknowledges the inherent risks of your attraction (hello, chainsaw-wielding clowns!) and releases liability before they enter. You might also know them as release forms.
Our new digital waivers replace the dusty paper forms of the past and create a secure, time-stamped digital record of your guest’s consent.
What are the Ghoulish Benefits of Digital Waivers?
Waivers can protect your haunt when the unexpected happens (and in this industry, it always does). But there are several other sinister benefits, too!
- Slay Your Legal Worries: From strobe lights and thick fog to startle scares and physical contact, waivers ensure your legal bases are covered so you can focus on the frights.
- Exhume Yourself from Paperwork: Digital waivers let you ditch the clunky clipboards and printers. Save some trees for your haunted forest trail and reduce your haunt’s environmental footprint.
- Kill the Check-in Lines: No one likes filling out forms in a zombie shuffle. Give your guests a modern, digital-first experience that gets them to the scares faster.
- Appease the Insurance Underwriters: Meet policy requirements and strengthen your position in a claim with a robust, time-stamped digital record. Some providers may even offer a discount if you use liability waivers!
- A Digital Crypt for Your Records: Instantly find any signed waiver right from your HauntPay dashboard. No more digging through coffins full of paper to find a specific record.
Does My Haunt Need a Waiver?
For a haunted attraction, the question isn’t if you need a waiver, but how you’re implementing one. If you answer “yes” to any of the following, a formal digital waiver is a no-brainer:
- Do you use strobe lights, intense fog, startle scares, or actors that might get a little too close for comfort? (Of course you do!)
- Do your guests navigate dark corridors, uneven floors, or claustrophobic spaces?
- Do you operate “touch” or “full contact” experiences?
- Do you serve “spiked” cider or other spirits at your event?
- Will minors be attending, especially for “lights on” or less intense events?
- Are you taking photos or videos of screaming victims for your marketing? (You may need a media/photo release).
- Does your insurance provider demand it?
(Disclaimer: We’re haunt tech experts, not lawyers from the netherworld! This guide is for informational purposes. We always recommend consulting with a legal professional to draft your waiver and ensure it’s terrifyingly airtight.)
Waivers vs. Event Terms: What’s the Difference?
Your HauntPay account already includes a free option for “Event Terms.” The biggest difference is that Event Terms are accepted by just one guest during checkout, while Waivers are digitally sent to and signed by every single ticketholder. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive curse of protection, waivers are the way to go.
Here’s a breakdown of your three options to help you decide which is right for your haunt.
| Feature | Event Terms | HauntPay Waivers | Third-Party Waivers (via Zapier) |
| Cost | Free | Pay-as-you-go ($0.50 per waiver) | Varies (Typically a monthly subscription + overage fees) |
| Attendee Action | Must scroll & click “I accept”. | Must check a required box to agree. | Varies by platform; usually an email link or separate page. |
| Record Keeping | Order notes that terms were accepted. | A time-stamped, digital record is permanently attached to the order in HauntPay. | Signed waiver is stored in the third-party system, separate from the HauntPay order. |
| Fee Handling | No fees | Option to automatically pass the fee on to the customer. | Must manually calculate and adjust your ticket price to cover costs. |
| Best For | Basic rules (e.g., no refunds, no touching actors). | Any haunt needing robust liability protection where keeping all data in one crypt is a priority. | Haunters who are already deeply integrated with a specific third-party waiver platform. |
- 1. Free Event Terms: Perfect for laying down the basic rules of your haunt for the person buying the tickets.
- 2. HauntPay’s Integrated Waivers: This is our most powerful solution, designed for attractions like yours where liability and consent are a matter of survival. The integration is seamless, the pricing is a simple pay-as-you-go model, and you can automatically pass the fee to your guests.
- 3. Third-Party Waiver Systems (Connected via Zapier): Already use a platform like Smartwaiver? You can connect it to HauntPay. Just remember your data will be in two places, and you’ll have to manually manage covering the costs.
How Do I Conjure a Digital Waiver?
With HauntPay, it’s scary simple!
- Create: Log in to your admin panel, go to your event settings, and navigate to the “Waivers” tab. Write or paste your waiver text into our editor.
- Attach: Assign your waiver to specific ticket types with one click (e.g., a “Full Contact Experience” waiver for your VIP ticket).
- Sell: Attendees review and accept your terms before their purchase is complete.
- Track: All signed waivers are digitally stored and linked to the attendee’s order. No escape.
Want all the details? Check out our walk-through video below!
How Do My Guests “Sign” the Waiver?
After checkout, the ticket purchaser gets an email summoning them to sign the waiver. They can also access any unsigned waivers under their “My Tickets” page. If they bought tickets for their whole coven, they can electronically assign the other waivers to their friends to sign individually.
Do Waivers Work for At-the-Door Sales?
Absolutely! When selling tickets at your gate with the Passage Manager app, a “Sign Waivers” button will appear on the final screen. Tapping it pulls up the form for your guests to sign right on the spot.
How Can I Prove an Attendee Signed?
This is the killer feature. Every agreement creates a time-stamped record attached to the order details. You can pull up any order at any time to see the exact moment they consented to the terror.
Are Digital Waivers Legally Binding?
Digital agreements are widely accepted as legally valid. Features like a required action and a time-stamped record create a strong audit trail. However, we always recommend having your waiver text reviewed by a legal professional to ensure it’s fit for your specific brand of horror.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let legal fears haunt you more than your own creations. Whether you need the simple protection of our free Event Terms or the ironclad security of a time-stamped digital waiver, HauntPay gives you the tools to run a smoother, safer, and scarier event.
Ready to protect your haunt from real-life nightmares? Log in to your HauntPay account to get started!
