In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Class packs vs memberships: which to sell
- 02Expiry, freeze and refund terms that are fair
- 03Late cancellation and no-show fees
- 04Waitlists, auto-promotion and instructor schedules
- 05Booking tools compared (prices approximate)
- 06Payments: packs, memberships and PayNow
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Sell class packs (credits) for casual students and monthly memberships for regulars. Show the expiry, late-cancel fee and refund rules before payment, keep packs short enough to be fair, and use a booking tool with automatic waitlist promotion. Prefer monthly card billing to large prepaid bundles.
Class packs vs memberships: which to sell
Most studios sell both. The question is which one your booking system and terms are built around.
Class pack (credits)
Pay per use- Student buys 5, 10 or 20 credits upfront
- Each booking uses a credit
- Needs a clear expiry date
- Prepaid balance is a liability if the studio closes
Best for: Occasional students, newcomers, private session bundles.
Monthly membership
Recurring- Fixed number of classes or unlimited per month
- Charged automatically each month
- Needs freeze and cancellation rules
- Smaller prepaid amount at any time
Best for: Regulars and predictable studio income.
Large prepaid bundles are where disputes start. When a fitness and yoga chain closed in September 2026, Mothership reported that CASE had received 241 complaints about more than S$609,000 in unused memberships and packages. Monthly billing and modest pack sizes reduce what any student has at stake, which is also a selling point.
Expiry, freeze and refund terms that are fair
No Singapore law sets a minimum expiry for class packs, but the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act prohibits unfair practices such as misleading a customer about their rights or the terms of a deal. CASE's guidance on cancelling a gym contract, which applies just as well to studios, says cancellation fees must be reasonable, mandatory fees should be disclosed upfront, members should not have to come in to cancel, and significant changes to the service should come with an option to end the contract without a fee.
Class pack and membership terms
Prepayment protection is a live topic. In October 2026 CASE called for mandatory safeguards as reported consumer prepayment losses rose. Nothing has been legislated yet, but it is a good reason to avoid very large, long-dated packages now.
Late cancellation and no-show fees
A late-cancel rule protects instructors' time and gives waitlisted students a fair chance. It works when the rule is simple, shown at booking and applied the same way every time.
Rules that work
- Free cancellation up to a fixed time, for example 12 hours before class
- Late cancel or no-show uses the credit, or a fee shown at booking
- Reminder sent before the cancellation cut-off
- One goodwill waiver per term at the studio's discretion
Rules that cause disputes
- Fees not mentioned until after the class
- Different cut-offs for different classes with no explanation
- Charging a card on file without having said you would
- Penalties far larger than the class price
If you charge late-cancel fees to a saved card, the student must have agreed to that when they saved the card. Stripe and most booking platforms support saving a card for later charges, but the consent wording is yours to get right.
Waitlists, auto-promotion and instructor schedules
A waitlist turns late cancellations into bookings. The key setting is what happens when a spot opens.
Set a class capacity per room and per class type
Reformer Pilates is limited by machines; mat yoga by floor space. Set capacity per class, not one number for the studio.
Choose auto-promotion or offer-and-accept
Auto-promotion books the first person on the waitlist automatically and uses their credit. Offer-and-accept notifies them and gives a short window to confirm. Auto-promotion fills more spots; offer-and-accept avoids surprise bookings.
Set a waitlist cut-off
Stop auto-promotion a few hours before class, after your late-cancel cut-off, so nobody is booked in at the last minute and then charged for missing it.
Notify by email or app push
Send a clear notification when someone is promoted, with a one-tap cancel link. WhatsApp notifications are possible through the WhatsApp Business Platform, at Meta's per-message rates.
Link instructors to classes
Assign instructors per class so students can book by teacher, substitutions show automatically, and you can report classes taught per instructor for pay.
Booking tools compared (prices approximate)
You can use a general appointment tool, a booking platform with class and package features, or a dedicated fitness studio platform. Prices below are from vendor pages, approximate as of October 2026, before GST.
| Tool | Pricing basis | Starting price | Fit for studios |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimplyBook.me | Bookings per month and providers | Free (50 bookings); Basic €11.9/mo billed yearly (100 bookings); Standard €24.9/mo (500) | Classes, packages and memberships available as custom features |
| Calendly | Per seat | Free plan; Standard about US$10/seat/mo | Built for meeting scheduling; check credits and waitlists before choosing |
| Dedicated studio platforms | Usually per location, often by quote | Varies | Built around credits, memberships, waitlists and instructor pay |
| Custom build on Stripe | Development plus Stripe fees | Quoted | When existing tools do not fit your rules |
Whatever you choose, check four things in a trial: can students buy a pack and see remaining credits, does the waitlist promote automatically with a cut-off, can students freeze or cancel online, and can you export your student list if you leave. Our guide to online booking systems for clinics and salons covers reminders and deposits in more detail.
Payments: packs, memberships and PayNow
Class packs are one-off payments; memberships are subscriptions. Many booking platforms include payments, but check the fee and whether PayNow is offered. If you take payments directly through Stripe, Stripe Billing handles plans, failed-payment retries and a customer portal where students update cards or cancel.
- Use cards for memberships so renewals run automatically; PayNow is paid by the customer each time.
- Offer PayNow for packs if your tool supports it; it is usually cheaper than cards.
- Use a clear billing descriptor so students recognise the charge, which avoids many chargebacks.
- Send a receipt that repeats the pack's expiry date and the cancellation rule.
Our guide to setting up subscription billing with Stripe walks through plans, trials and the customer portal, and our gym website and membership guide covers price transparency on your site.
Do it yourself or get help?
A studio owner can set up a booking platform in a weekend. The time goes into writing the terms, configuring credits and waitlists to match them, and testing the student experience end to end.
Our Online Booking System (S$390) sets up a booking tool in your name with your services, staff and opening hours, deposits or full payment at booking, reminders and calendar sync. Subscriptions & Recurring Billing (S$490) builds membership plans in Stripe with a self-service portal, and Online Payment Setup (S$290) adds PayNow and card payments for packs.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. No law sets a minimum expiry for class packs, but the expiry must be clear before purchase and not misleading. State the validity next to the price, say whether it runs from purchase or first class, and explain freeze options. CASE expects fees and terms to be reasonable and disclosed upfront.
Generally yes, if students are told the rule before booking and the fee is reasonable compared with the class price. Common practice is free cancellation up to a fixed number of hours before class, with a late cancel or no-show using the credit. Charging a saved card needs the student's prior agreement.
When a booked student cancels, the system automatically books the first person on the waitlist into the class and notifies them. It fills more spots than asking people to confirm, but you should stop it a few hours before class so nobody is booked in too late to attend and then charged for missing it.
Most studios offer both: class packs for newcomers and occasional students, monthly memberships for regulars. Memberships give steadier income and smaller prepaid balances. Very large or long prepaid packages carry more risk for students and have attracted consumer complaints, so keep them modest.
Options range from general booking tools with class and package features, such as SimplyBook.me (free for 50 bookings a month, paid plans from about €11.9 per month billed yearly as of October 2026), to dedicated studio platforms priced per location. Test credits, waitlists, online cancellation and data export before committing.