> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.podplay.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.podplay.app/owners-playbook/new-to-podplay/pricing-models-and-charging-strategies.md).
# Pricing Models & Charging Strategies
## Pricing models and charging strategies
### Overview
Two settings decide what a Customer pays for a private Reservation and when the money moves. The pricing model sets how the Reservation cost is divided among the Customers who play. The charging strategy sets whether the Reservation Holder's card gets a hold that is charged after play, or a charge at booking.
Per Player is the default pricing model, and Hold if under hold threshold is the default charging strategy. Most Clubs should keep both defaults. The other options exist for Clubs that need a charge at booking, including Clubs in the EU and UK.
{% hint style="info" %}
Per Player, Spot, and Court replace the Court+ and Spot+ pricing models. Court+ and Spot+ are no longer available for new setups.
{% endhint %}
### Pricing models at a glance
| Pricing model | How the cost is divided | Hold for open spots | Who pays for open spots |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Per Player** (default) | Each Customer pays one share, priced at their own Member or Non-member rate | Yes, at the Non-member share price | The Reservation Holder |
| **Spot** | Same shares as Per Player | No | The Reservation Holder, charged at the end of the Reservation |
| **Court** | One court rate, discounted when the Reservation Holder is a Member. Bill splitting divides it among the group | Not applicable | The Reservation Holder |
### Per Player
Per Player divides the court rate into equal shares, one per Customer in the Group Size. Each Customer pays their own share at their own rate. A Member pays the Member share price, and a Non-member pays the Non-member share price.
The Reservation Holder picks the Group Size on the Order Summary page before they book. The Reservation Holder's card then gets a hold for their own share plus every open spot. The hold is placed at booking or 24 hours before the Reservation, depending on how far out the Customer books. See Hold if under hold threshold. Open spots are held at the Non-member share price, because the system does not yet know who will join.
As friends accept invites, each friend pays their own share and the Reservation Holder's portion of the hold goes down. The final charges settle at the end of the Reservation. Any spot still open at that time is charged to the Reservation Holder.
#### Per Player example
The court rate for Non-members is $40 per hour. Members get 25% off. A Member books for 1 hour with a Group Size of 4.
1. The Member's share is $7.50, and each Non-member share is $10.
2. The Member's card gets a hold of $37.50: $7.50 for their share plus $30 for 3 open spots.
3. A Member friend accepts a Paid invite and pays $7.50.
4. A Non-member friend accepts a Paid invite and pays $10.
5. The 4th spot stays open, so the Reservation Holder pays $7.50 plus $10, for a total of $17.50.
#### Why Per Player is the default
Non-members pay the Non-member rate even when a Member books the Reservation. This closes the free-rider problem, where Non-members join a Member's Reservation and get the Member's discount without paying for a Membership. Under Court+, a Day Pass Fee at Check-in closed that gap. Per Player closes it in the share price.
The hold also protects Club revenue. The Club knows the full Reservation amount is covered before play, even if invitees never accept.
#### Changing the Group Size
The Reservation Holder can change the Group Size in the App after booking, and staff can change it in the Dashboard. The price per share changes with the Group Size. A Customer cannot invite more people than the Group Size allows. For the steps, read [Adjusting Group Size](https://docs.podplay.app/reservations/adjust-group-size).
### Spot
Spot uses the same shares as Per Player with one difference. There is no hold for open spots at booking. The Reservation Holder's card covers only their own share at booking. At the end of the Reservation, the card is charged for each spot that no one filled.
Because the charge for open spots arrives after play, Customers see a notice about it in 3 places in the App:
1. The Order Summary page, before the Reservation Holder pays.
2. The "You're booked!" confirmation page.
3. The invitations card, where the Reservation Holder manages invites.
{% hint style="warning" %}
**With Spot, the Club carries the risk on open spots until the end of the Reservation.** The Reservation Holder's card is charged after play, so a declined card leaves that amount uncollected. Use Per Player if your Club wants the full amount secured at booking.
{% endhint %}
### Court
Court prices the whole court at one rate. If the Reservation Holder is a Member and their Membership includes a Reservation discount, the discount applies to the court rate.
With bill splitting on, the Reservation Holder invites friends and each Customer pays the court rate divided by the number of Customers who join. The Reservation Holder can cover all, some, or none of the invitee shares.
With bill splitting off, the Reservation Holder pays the full court rate. Invitees join the Reservation without paying.
#### Court example
The court rate is $40 per hour, and Members get 25% off. A Member books for 1 hour, so the court costs $30.
* **Bill splitting on:** 4 Customers join and each pays $7.50. This includes any Non-members in the group.
* **Bill splitting off:** The Member pays $30. The 3 invitees pay nothing.
{% hint style="info" %}
With Court, Non-members who join a Member's Reservation share the Member's discounted court rate. If your Club wants Non-members to pay Non-member prices, use Per Player.
{% endhint %}
### Charging strategies
The charging strategy decides when the Reservation Holder's card is charged.
#### Hold if under hold threshold
This is the default. The system places a hold on the Customer's card to confirm the funds are there, and charges the card after the Reservation ends. The hold threshold is 6 days, and it decides when the hold is placed:
* **The Reservation is 6 days out or less:** Stripe places the hold at booking.
* **The Reservation is more than 6 days out:** Stripe places the hold 24 hours before the Reservation.
A hold cannot stay pending for more than 7 days, because court time is classified as sports entertainment. The 24-hour delay keeps the hold inside that limit.
**Hold if under hold threshold works with Per Player, Spot, and Court.**
Holds are the default because they avoid refunds. Stripe charges a [Stripe Fee](https://podplay.gitbook.io/docs/owners-playbook/accounting-and-stripe/what-is-stripe#stripe-fees) on every transaction. If the system charges a Customer at booking and the Customer cancels, the Club loses that fee on the refund. With a hold, a cancelled Reservation is never charged.
A hold also allows [transaction bundling](https://podplay.gitbook.io/docs/owners-playbook/accounting-and-stripe/what-is-stripe#transaction-bundling). The charge happens after the visit, so purchases from the Club's Shop, paddle rentals, or damage to Club property combine into one charge.
#### Always charge
Always charge takes payment at booking, no matter how far out the Reservation is. There is no hold. The Club collects revenue up front. The trade-off is refunds: each cancellation triggers a refund, and the Club loses the Stripe Fee on every refund. Clubs whose Customers cancel often lose more revenue on this strategy.
**Always charge works only with these pricing models**:
* **Court with bill splitting off.** The Reservation Holder pays the full court rate at booking.
* **Spot.** The Reservation Holder pays their own share at booking. The Group Size cannot change after booking, and refunds go back as [Credits](https://docs.podplay.app/payments/virtual-credits).
Per Player does not support Always charge. Per Player shares change as Customers join and as the Group Size changes, and a hold absorbs those changes without refunds. When a Club turns on Always charge, the pricing model moves off Per Player to Court with bill splitting off, or to Spot.
{% hint style="danger" %}
**Clubs in the EU and UK must use Always charge.** Cards in these regions use 3D Secure (3DS), a fraud-prevention check the Customer completes when they pay. A charge at booking prompts the Customer to complete 3DS while they are in the App. A later charge from a hold can fail 3DS because the Customer is not there to complete it. EU and UK Clubs run Court with bill splitting off, or Spot, until Hold if under hold threshold supports these regions.
{% endhint %}
#### Changing your charging strategy
To change your Club's charging strategy, contact the Customer Success team at `support@podplay.app`.
### Which combinations are allowed
| Pricing model | Hold if under hold threshold | Always charge |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Per Player | Yes (default) | No |
| Spot | Yes | Yes, with a fixed Group Size and refunds in Credits |
| Court, bill splitting on | Yes | No |
| Court, bill splitting off | Yes | Yes |
### Choosing a model for your Club
Keep Per Player with Hold if under hold threshold unless your Club has a reason to change. It charges Non-members the Non-member rate, it secures the full Reservation amount at booking, and it lets the Reservation Holder change the Group Size.
Choose Spot if your Customers object to a hold for their friends' spots at booking. Your Club takes on the risk of collecting for open spots after play.
Choose Court if your Club prices by the court and is comfortable with Non-members sharing a Member's discount. Turn off bill splitting if one Customer always pays for the court.
If your Club is in the EU or UK, choose Court with bill splitting off or Spot, and use Always charge.
### Related articles
* [Booking Private Reservations](https://docs.podplay.app/reservations/customer-books-reservation)
* [Adjusting Group Size](https://docs.podplay.app/reservations/adjust-group-size)
* [Admin Creates a Reservation](https://docs.podplay.app/reservations/admin-creates-a-reservation)
* [Play Pass Overview](https://docs.podplay.app/play-passes/play-pass-overview#reservation-passes)
* [Hold-on-Card Process](https://docs.podplay.app/payments/customer-payments/hold-on-card-process)
* [How timing changes what happens with charge errors](https://podplay.gitbook.io/docs/payments/charge-errors#how-timing-changes-what-happens)
### FAQs
How do Memberships change the price of a Reservation?
A Membership can include a perk that discounts Reservations, for example 50% off Monday to Friday, 6am to 2pm. With Per Player and Spot, the discount applies to the Member's own share. With Court, the discount applies to the court rate when the Reservation Holder is a Member.
If the Member has a Play Pass for Reservations, the discount applies first and the Play Pass covers the rest of the Member's share. Read the [Play Pass Overview](https://docs.podplay.app/play-passes/play-pass-overview#reservation-passes) to learn more.
How do Promo Codes change the price of a Reservation?
Any Customer can use a Promo Code in the booking flow, Member or Non-member. A Promo Code can be a percentage or a dollar amount, and it applies after the Membership discount. A Member with 50% off Reservations who uses a 50% off Promo Code pays 25% of the original price.
How do Events affect pricing?
The pricing model and charging strategy apply only to private Reservations. Each programmed Event has its own price, set by the Admin who creates it. If the Admin does not set a price, the Event is $0.
Why can't Per Player use Always charge?
Per Player shares can change after booking. A friend who is a Member pays less than the Non-member price held for their spot, and the Reservation Holder can change the Group Size. A hold-on-card adjusts with these changes. An immediate charge would need a refund each time, and each refund loses the Stripe Fee. For this reason, the two settings do not work together.
What happens to the Reservation Holder when invitees don't join?
The Reservation Holder pays for every open spot in all three pricing models. With Per Player, the hold already covers open spots. With Spot, the charge for open spots arrives at the end of the Reservation. With Court and bill splitting on, the Reservation Holder pays the part of the court rate that invitees did not cover.
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