Running class memberships with weekly allowances

A weekly allowance, such as two classes a week, is one of the simplest ways to sell classes. Members know what they get, you know roughly how full each class will be, and nobody has to count credits. The details still need deciding, so here are the rules worth settling before you launch.

Memberships, bundles and pay as you go

Most class businesses offer a mix of three options:

• A membership with a weekly allowance, such as two or three classes a week, or unlimited, paid monthly or every four weeks by Direct Debit.
• A bundle, a block of classes such as ten, paid up front and used within a set time.
• Pay as you go, one class at a time, paid by card when booking.

Memberships give you regular income. Bundles and pay as you go let new people try you first.

The rules to settle before you launch

When does the week start?

Pick a day and a time, such as midnight on Monday, and keep to it. A fixed reset is easy to explain and easy to check.

Which week does a class count in?

Count each class in the week it takes place, not the week it was booked. Otherwise a member who books next Tuesday’s class on Friday uses this week’s allowance on a class next week.

Do unused classes roll over?

Rolling classes over sounds generous, but it is hard to track, and a member with a stack of saved classes can crowd out everyone else in a busy week. A clean reset each week, with no roll-over, is simpler for everyone.

What counts as using a class?

Decide whether no-shows and late cancellations count. If they do not, a member can book every class and drop the ones they do not fancy, which keeps places from people who would have come.

When is a cancellation late?

Set a cut-off, such as 12 hours before the class starts. Before it, a cancelled class goes back to the member’s allowance for that week. After it, the class counts as used, but the member can still tell you they cannot come, which frees the place for someone else.

How do waiting lists work?

When a full class has a cancellation, offer the place to the first person waiting and give them a set time to take it, such as two hours, or less when the class is soon. If they do not take it in time, offer it to the next person.

Can members pause?

Holidays and injuries happen. A pause, such as skipping one monthly payment once a year with a week’s notice, keeps members who would otherwise cancel.

Monthly, or every four weeks?

Billing every four weeks means 13 payments a year and lines up neatly with weekly allowances. Billing monthly means 12 payments a year on the same date each month, which some members find easier to plan around. If you bill monthly, a price about 8% higher than your four-weekly price brings in the same over a year.

Who can book which classes?

Some classes are for particular groups, such as an under-18s session or a beginners’ class. Decide who can book each one, and still show every class on the timetable, so people can see everything you run.

Show the rules where members decide

Put the rules in your terms, and show them where members make choices: the classes left this week next to the timetable, and what a cancellation will cost before they confirm it. A rule a member can see at the moment they decide is far easier to apply.

A worked example

A studio offers two classes a week for £55 a month, three a week for £75, a bundle of ten classes for £85 to use within 90 days, and single classes at £9. These figures are only an illustration.

A member on two a week books Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday morning they cancel Wednesday’s class, more than 12 hours ahead, so it goes back to their week and they book Thursday instead. The next week they miss Monday’s class without cancelling: it counts as used, and they have one class left that week. On the following Monday the allowance starts again at two.

How Apogee runs it

Apogee’s Classes module, part of the £29 a month Classes bundle, works this way:

• Weekly allowances, or unlimited, reset every Monday at midnight UK time, count by the week the class takes place in, and never roll over.
• Memberships are paid by Direct Debit, monthly or every four weeks, alongside bundles and pay-as-you-go classes paid by card.
• Members book in two taps, and see how many classes they have left this week.
• The cut-off is 12 hours by default, and you can change it. Before it, members cancel and the class goes back to that week. After it, “Can’t make it?” frees the place and the class counts as used.
• Waiting lists offer a freed place to the next person by push and email, and hold it for two hours by default, or 30 minutes within six hours of the class.
• Members can pause once a membership year with seven days’ notice, and you can change both.
• Class tags let you choose who can book a class, while everyone still sees it on the timetable.
• Each class has a register, with walk-ins, and you can see each week’s usage.

Class members complete their PAR-Q and consent form once, before their first class. PAR-Q forms explains why that matters. See Features, or try the demo as a class member.