Access codes | Mercleo Docs

The Access codes tab lets you put your registration form behind one or more codes. When at least one code on the event is active, attendees must enter a valid code before they can see or complete registration. Codes do not discount prices: they control access.

When to use access codes

Access codes are the right tool when you want to restrict who can reach the registration form at all. Common cases:

Private or invite-only events where the link circulates publicly but registration must stay closed
Member-only registration, where codes go out to members before the event opens publicly
Pre-release access, where a small group registers before general admission opens

Once an attendee enters a valid code, they see every ticket type on the event. Codes do not restrict which ticket types or price tiers an attendee can see; for that, use registration paths instead.

Creating an access code

Open the event, go to the Access codes tab, and select New code in the page header. Each code has these fields:

Code, required: 2 to 50 characters, letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores only. The field auto-uppercases as you type, and validation is case-insensitive, so VIP2026 and vip2026 are the same code.
Description, optional: an internal note, up to 2,000 characters. Attendees never see this field.
Max uses, optional: a whole, non-negative number. Leave it blank for unlimited uses.
Valid from / Valid until, optional: date-time windows in the event's timezone. Leave both blank for no time restriction.
Status: Active or Paused. New codes default to Active.

How gating activates

Gating is driven entirely by whether at least one code is active. Before you add any code, the tab reads: “Add a code and registration becomes code-gated. Until one is active, anyone with the public link can register.”

The moment one code is active, the status line changes to something like: “Registration is code-gated: 2 active codes, and attendees need one of them to register.” From here, the registration form requires a valid code to proceed.

When a code rejects

When an attendee enters a code, Mercleo checks it against five conditions in order. The first one that fails is the error the attendee sees:

Code not found: “Invalid access code.”
Code is paused: “This code is paused.”
Valid from is in the future: “This code isn't active yet.”
Valid until has passed: “This code has expired.”
Max uses reached: “This code is no longer available.”

The Used / max column on the tab tracks usage against the limit for each code. A code's use count increments at the point of completed registration, not when an attendee merely enters and checks the code.

Pausing vs deleting

Pause a code (toggle Status to Paused) when you want to disable it temporarily. The code stays in the list, keeps its use count, and can be reactivated at any time. Attendees who try to use a paused code see “This code is paused.”

Deleting a code is permanent. Registrations that already used the code are not affected, they stand as-is. The code immediately stops working for any new attempt.