Limited Use Subscriptions
Usage limit settings with subscriptions
A usage based subscription gives a set number of credits per billing cycle. (Ex. 5 class credits a month).
To set one up, click Memberships > Subscriptions and Packs > Add new > Name it > Choose the duration setting (typically this is absolute interval, paired with the auto-renew setting you'll a few sections below).
Scroll to 'Usage Limit settings' > toggle on 'this subscription has a usage limit' > choose how many credits the customer will get per billing cycle.
Edit a customer's usage limits from their subscription
Click Customers > Customer List > search for a customer and select them > from their profile, to the right of their subscription, click the dropdown menu and click Edit usage limits > make changes and Submit.
Combine your usage credits
A usage limit subscription can give credits for both classes and appointments.
Ex. 10 classes AND 5 appointments a month
But what if you wanted to give 15 credits that can be used on either a class or an appointment? Combining your usage credits allows you to do this.
You can make this happen from Memberships > Subscriptions/packs > Create a new subscription or edit an existing one > Under Duration Settings, toggle on Absolute Interval > scroll to Usage Limit Settings.
Toggle on 'This subscription has a usage limit' > toggle on 'Combine Usage Limit between classes and appointments' > Set the number of credits the customer will receive & Save.
Important: if this is a subscription that needs to renew every month, make sure to set the duration settings (ie. Absolute Interval: 1 month) and toggle on 'This subscription Auto-renews'.
When are credits deducted? Limited use subscriptions vs packs
Limited Use Subscriptions and Packages both give credits (for either appointments or classes). Both allow customers to book classes in advance, but they differ in when these credits are deducted.
How they differ
With Packages, if a customer books a class that begins a month from now, the credit is deducted immediately. This means that a customer who books a class starting next month will lose that credit today.
With Limited Use Subscriptions, it works a little differently. These subscriptions give credits each renewal period (ie. 5 credits a month). A customer who books a class that begins during the next renewal period will lose a credit from next month's renewal period, not the current one.
If the customer books a class that starts within the current renewal period, their remaining credits from the current period will be deducted.
Here's an example
A customer has a monthly membership starting on August 1st that will renew on September 1st. In August, the customer books classes for September 15th. The usage will be deducted from the September 1 to October 1 period, not the current one.
Overbooking
Allow over-booking with limited use subscriptions, give discounts on each over-booking
Sometimes customers can run out of credits before their subscription re-ups at the end of its renewal period.
If you've created a limited use auto-renewing subscription (ex. 5 classes a month), you may want to allow over-booking. This gives that customer that's run out of credits the option to keep booking extra classes and "put it on their tab".
For example, a customer on a limited-use subscription that gave them 5 classes a month, and allowed for over-booking,
could use up all their credits before the end of the month
and could then book, say, two more classes using the 'overbooking' option
This would result in the customer paying the normal subscription monthly charge plus the cost of the drop-in fees for both of those additional classes, all billed at once at month end.
If this is something you'd like to offer your customers, edit a subscription and make sure it has:
the usage limit toggle on
the usage limit for classes and/or appointments set
the 'auto-renewal' setting on
Then scroll down to toggle on 'Allow over booking' > save changes.
Overbooking FAQ's
How do I discount the cost of overbooking
You can discount the cost of these over bookings for customers on this subscription. (Ex. $5 off the drop-in price of every extra class they buy) by:
tagging the membership
creating a price rule that gives a discount to customers with that tag
Here's a full breakdown of what to do:
Under Customers > Tags > Create tag > name it > make sure its applicable to memberships > give it a label name and badge color.
Then navigate to a membership > click Edit > scroll to the bottom > assign the tag.
Next, create a price rule by heading to Settings > Offerings > Price Rules > name it > select the tag > choose the discount > choose what its usable on.
Lastly, test it out in POS by first adding an individual to the membership > then opening point of sale and selling them an item covered by the price rule.
When the extra discounted charges are added to the month end sub charge, are they shown anywhere in a breakdown for the customer or host?
Yes, from a front desk role or higher role's perspective, on the customer's profile, it’s shown in the subscription payment breakdown, if they click into the payment badge. For the customer it shows in the receipt they receive.
Are customers warned before over-booking?
Yes. Before booking a class that brings them over the limit of their limited use subscription, they'll see a message at checkout that reads 'You have already reached your membership booking limit. But you can overbook which means you will be charged for the booking [insert price] when your membership renews.'
If they click book, they'll then see a pop up repeats the same message. This is to make sure the customer is fully aware of what they are doing. They'll see a button to click book now.
Can customers see how many classes they've overbooked?
They can do this from their customer account by clicking Memberships > My Memberships. Their subscription will show a red icon on the top right that says, for example: 5/3. This means the customer has booked 2 more classes than they're subscription allowed for. All 5 classes are listed below this in case the customer wants to review them.