Booking policies decide when payment is collected, whether bookings need a contact, whether check-in is required, and how cancellations are refunded. You can have one policy for the whole organisation or different policies per location, area type, class type, instructor type, or plan.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.1club.ai/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Overview
A booking policy is a reusable configuration that applies to a set of bookings. When a member books a class, the system finds the matching policy (most specific scope wins) and applies its rules. Key capabilities:- Enforce payment - Pick a single point at which payment is enforced: at booking, at check-in, or not at all.
- Anonymous bookings - Let admins book on behalf of someone who doesn’t have a profile yet.
- Check-in rules - Require check-in to avoid no-shows, or auto-check-in at booking start.
- Booking duration limits - Set min and max slot lengths and step sizes.
- Lead times - Set how far in advance bookings can or must be made.
- Cancellation rules - Set refund tiers based on how far in advance the cancellation happens.
- Scope - Apply the policy to specific clubs, area types, class types, instructor types, or plans.
Managing booking policies
Viewing all policies
- Navigate to Settings → Booking Policies in the admin panel.
- Each policy appears as a card with quick-glance metadata: cancellation rules count, min slot, scope, clubs, and which payment and check-in toggles are on.
- Click a policy to edit it, or click Add to create a new one.
Creating or editing a policy
- Click Add in the top right (or click an existing policy to edit it).
- Fill in the sections: Policy details, Scope, Booking rules, Cancellation rules, and Orders.
- Click Save when done.
Booking rules
This is the heart of the policy. Every toggle and field below lives in the Booking rules section of the policy dialog.Min/max booking slot
- Min. booking slot (minutes) - Minimum booking duration. Shorter bookings are rejected.
- Max. booking slot (minutes) - Maximum duration. Longer bookings are rejected.
- Booking duration step (minutes) - Booking duration must be the minimum plus a multiple of this step (e.g. min 60 + step 60 → only 60, 120, 180 min are allowed).
Lead times
- Min. booking in advance (hours) - Members must book at least this many hours ahead. Leave blank for no limit.
- Max. schedule in advance (days) - Members can only see and book up to this many calendar days ahead. Leave empty for no limit.
Waitlist claim window (minutes)
When a spot opens 2–12 hours before a class, the first person on the waitlist has this many minutes to claim it. The default is 15. Leave empty to use 15.Enforce payment
A single dropdown that decides when payment is enforced. Pick one of three options:- At booking - Members must pay in the portal before the booking is confirmed. Any booking that still has unpaid transactions is also blocked at check-in.
- At check-in - Members can create bookings without paying in advance, but reception cannot complete the check-in until the payment is collected (or an active membership / external program covers the visit).
- None - Payment is not enforced. Members can be checked in even if they still have unresolved payments. The front desk uses judgment to follow up.
This replaces the older Require Payment Upfront and Require Payment at Check-in toggles. The two are now mutually exclusive options in a single dropdown - you can no longer enable both at once. Existing policies are migrated automatically: upfront wins if both were on, otherwise the matching single toggle is preserved, and policies with neither toggle land on None.
Admin override - When an admin creates a booking from the admin dashboard, the At booking enforcement is bypassed so staff can record bookings that will be paid later. Check-in still respects the policy: if the balance is unpaid when the member arrives, the check-in is blocked until the payment is collected.
Upsell available plans
When enabled, members see suitable membership plans on the booking confirmation screen and can add one to the same order. Useful for converting drop-ins to members.Check-in required
Mark no-show if not checked in by end of day.When on, any booking that isn’t checked in by the end of the booking day is automatically marked as a no-show. Use this to keep your attendance reports accurate and to enforce no-show fees if you have them.
Auto check-in at booking start
Auto check-in at start time.When on, the system automatically checks the member in at the booking start time without staff action. Useful for venues where staff don’t physically scan members in (e.g. self-service court reservations).
Allow anonymous bookings
When enabled, admin can create bookings without selecting a contact.Use this when admins need to book for someone who doesn’t have a 1club profile yet — for example, a phone caller asking for a personal-training session before they’ve signed up. The booking is recorded without a contact link; you can attach a contact later if the person creates a profile. This setting only affects what admins can do in the admin dashboard. It does not let members book anonymously from the public portal.
Scope
Use the Scope section to control which bookings the policy applies to.- Clubs - Leave empty to apply to all clubs, or pick specific clubs.
- Scope by type - Pick one of All types, Area type, Class type, Instructor type, or Plan. Then narrow further by selecting a specific area type, class type, instructor type, or plan(s).
Cancellation rules
Add tiered refund rules based on how far in advance the cancellation happens. For each rule:- Hours in Advance - How many hours before the booking does the cancellation happens?
- Refund % - What percentage of the booking price is refunded?
- 24 hours in advance - 100% refund
- 4 hours in advance - 50% refund
- Less than 4 hours - 0% refund
Orders
The Product categories offered with the bookings field let you allow specific product categories on the booking confirmation page (e.g. drinks, towels, equipment rental). Members can add these to the same order.Worked examples
Drop-in yoga studio
You want walk-ins to be welcome but the front desk must collect payment.- Enforce payment - At check-in
- Allow anonymous bookings - off
- Check-in required - off (members may walk in without a booking)
Strict class-based gym
You sell classes online and the schedule is the source of truth.- Enforce payment - At booking
- Check-in required - on (so unclaimed bookings auto-mark as no-shows)
- Auto check-in at booking start - off (staff scan members in)
- Allow anonymous bookings - off
Personal training booked over the phone
You let admins book PT for callers who haven’t signed up yet.- Scope the policy to your Personal Training class type or instructor type.
- Allow anonymous bookings - on
- Enforce payment - your call (At check-in if you collect when the client arrives, At booking if you charge a card-on-file). Admins can always create the booking even with At booking selected; the balance is then collected before check-in.
Tips & best practices
- Start broad, narrow as needed - One org-wide policy is easier to reason about than five overlapping ones. Add scoped policies only when a specific area or class needs different rules.
- Mirror your front desk - The settings should match what your staff actually do. If reception always collects payment at the door, set Enforce payment to At check-in.
- Test with a real booking - After saving a policy, create a test booking and walk through it end-to-end before going live.
- Don’t combine Auto check-in with Check-in required without thought - Auto check-in defeats the no-show detection of Check-in required.
Troubleshooting
Issue: Member can’t book - system says payment required. Solution: The matching policy has Enforce payment set to At booking. Either pay through the booking flow, or switch the policy to At check-in (or None) if upfront payment isn’t your intent. Note that admins booking from the admin dashboard are not blocked by At booking - they can record the booking and collect the balance before check-in. Issue: Front desk can’t check the member in - payment blocked. Solution: The policy has Enforce payment set to At check-in (or At booking with an outstanding balance). Have reception collect payment, confirm the member’s active membership, or apply an external program before completing the check-in. See Check-in Models for entrance methods. Issue: I want to require payment at booking and block check-in on overdue balances. Solution: Set Enforce payment to At booking. The check-in is still blocked automatically when a booking has unpaid transactions, so the at-check-in safeguard is already covered. Issue: Two policies seem to apply to the same booking Solution: The more specific scope wins. Class-type-scoped beats club-scoped beats org-wide. Open both policies and check their Scope sections to confirm precedence. Issue: Cancellations are giving full refunds when I expected partial Solution: Check the Cancellation rules section. If empty, the system gives full refunds. Add tiered rules to enforce partial refunds.Related
- Check-in Models - Pick the right model before configuring policies.
- Access Control - Per-club check-in mode and identification methods.
- External Programs - Third-party entrance methods that satisfy payment-at-check-in.
- Bookings - Day-to-day booking management.
- Payments - How and when payments are recorded.