✨ Please note: Passes are available on the Standard plan or above.
Passes allow customers to purchase access to multiple events or sessions with a single ticket. They make it easy to offer packages or recurring access.
This article explains how to set up passes, manage ticket access, and configure pricing options.
What is a pass?
A pass allows customers to purchase a block of classes upfront and redeem them against future ticket bookings. When purchasing the pass, customers must select a ticket, which is then linked to their email address for later use.
They are a great way to encourage commitment, often offering better value than individual drop-in tickets.
You have full control over the pricing, the number of tickets redeemable per pass, and its validity period.
You can also set limits on which tickets or events the pass can be used for.
Setting up your pass offers
To set up a pass offer:
Select Packages & Discounts from the left-hand menu, then Passes.
Select Create a new pass in the top right-hand corner:
Start adding the details of your pass in the Display section. For example, add a pass name and relevant details about the pass:
Add how much you would like each pass to cost in the Price field:
Select the Pass type:
Fixed number of uses: Restrict how many times a customer can use the pass to purchase tickets.
Unlimited number of uses: Allow unlimited uses. This setting also requires a timeframe.
Restrict the number of uses per event:
Single use only: The customer can only use the pass once per event, either for themselves or someone else.
Valid for additional attendees: Customers can use their pass for multiple attendees for the same event, either via multiple single tickets or group tickets.
Choose which entries and tickets are available to book using the pass by selecting Add usage restriction:
We recommend that you create a specific pass ticket, then select a "ticket" usage restriction and add the pass tickets you have created.
If you have multiple entries or tickets with the same name, you must select all that apply. The upcoming date and time are shown next to each entry to help identify the separate entries:
💡 The drop-down will only show entries with at least one upcoming date, so entries with only past dates cannot be added.
When you select a date and time, the restriction applies to all dates and times within that entry, not just the one you selected.
Add a Timeframe for Use: You can set when customers can use their pass:
No restriction: No time limit for using the pass.
Fixed period: The pass is valid for events within a set time period.
Fixed period from first use: The pass is valid for a set number of days, starting from the first ticket booked with it.
💡 This means the pass becomes valid from the date of the first event booked with it, not before. That event date marks the start of the usage period.
Set how many passes are available for purchase, and when they will be available in the Availability section:
Total passes available: This is good if you offer a limited offer (or leave it blank for no limit).
When will the pass be available for purchase?: This is when the pass appears on your public pages for your customers to purchase (or leave it blank for no restriction).
✨ Best practices for usage restrictions and tagging entries.
When finished, slide the Published toggle so it appears to the right to publish the pass and make it available for purchase:
Select Save changes when finished.
Customers can then select the Pass from your public booking page alongside a valid standard drop-in ticket.
💡 Please note: You cannot currently limit the number of passes a customer can buy. Any available passes will be accessible to all customers unless you hide or remove them.
FAQs
Common setup mistake
Don't create a regular ticket labelled or priced like a pass, such as “Pass – 5 uses” for £50. This doesn't create a pass and can confuse customers about how their pass uses work.
Set up a pass correctly
Create a pass on the Passes page, including its price and number of uses.
Create a Pass Ticket for the relevant events or sessions. Customers can select this ticket when redeeming a use from their pass.
Add the Pass Ticket to your pass.
You can also offer regular tickets for customers booking without a pass. We recommend using a Pass ticket for pass holders to keep the booking options clear.
💡 To note: The pass controls the customer's available uses, while the Pass ticket lets them redeem a use when booking.
How passes affect ticket pricing
Customers must select a ticket at checkout. We recommend using a Pass ticket for pass holders, but you can also allow passes to be redeemed against regular tickets if configured that way.
When a customer redeems a pass use, the pass covers the ticket cost, so they won't be charged for the ticket.
A pass is governed by its usage allowance, not the ticket price. Changing a ticket's price won't affect pass usage, as long as the ticket remains available for that pass.
Customers cannot redeem pass uses against free tickets.
Timeframe settings for "unlimited" passes
The Unlimited setting requires a timeframe: either Fixed period or Fixed period from first use. If you select No restriction, an error appears:
Fixed period from first use
The pass is valid for the selected number of days from the first ticket booked, including the full final day.
For example, if you set the pass to 7 days and a customer books a class on Monday at 7 pm, they can still use the pass to book the following Monday’s class at the same time.
💡 To note: If you want a pass to cover a specific Monday-to-Sunday period, this setting may allow bookings on the following Monday. Consider this when choosing the timeframe.
Adding new or duplicated events to a pass
The system treats each event entry separately, even if it’s a duplicate. If you use a restricted pass, you’ll need to manually add any new or duplicate entries to the pass for customers to use it when booking.
To do this:
Select Packages & Discounts, then Passes from the left-hand menu on your account.
Locate your pass, then select Edit next to the relevant pass to open the settings.
Select Add usage restriction within the pass settings to review/add new or duplicated entries/tickets:
💡 To note:
The drop-down shows entries by the next upcoming date, but all future dates in that entry will be covered. For example:
If you’ve duplicated an entry, make sure to also include the new version in your restrictions.
Restrictions
Free and no-cost tickets: A pass can only be redeemed against these tickets if you select Pass only as the pricing option. This ensures a use is deducted from the pass.
Group tickets: Group tickets don’t currently appear in the ticket restriction list.
Exclusive tickets: Restrictions set under Usage restrictions don’t apply to exclusive tickets.
Pass redemption rules
Ticket prices: A pass can be redeemed against any ticket that costs more than £0. The system doesn’t check whether the ticket price matches the pass value.
Redemption order: If a customer has multiple passes, the system always uses the oldest pass first, rather than the pass that expires soonest.
Pass order in customer records: Passes appear in chronological order, with the newest at the top.
Bookings that use multiple passes: If the first pass doesn’t have enough uses remaining to cover a booking, the system automatically uses another available pass to cover the rest.
Overlapping passes: A booking may appear to have partially used an older pass, even when the customer has a newer pass. This happens because the system allocates uses across passes to complete the booking.
New passes with unused uses: If a booking uses an older pass instead of a new one, the new pass will still show all its uses as available. Don’t reduce the total number of uses on the new pass unless necessary.
Cancelled bookings: When a customer cancels a booking made with a pass, the uses are automatically returned to their account if your Booking Preferences allow this.
Booking requirements
Customers must book at least one ticket when using a pass.
Passes and memberships
If a customer has both a pass and an active membership, the pass is always used first.
For example, if there’s only one ticket option available, the system will redeem it from the pass before using the membership.
FAQ: What’s the difference between passes and course tickets?
Passes: Let customers buy a set number of sessions and redeem them flexibly. They don’t automatically book customers onto specific dates.
Course tickets: Let customers book all dates in an event series with one ticket. Customers are added to the attendee list for every course date, helping you track attendance and avoid overbooking.
FAQ: Can I limit passes to one per customer?
No. Customers can buy multiple passes, and you can’t limit each customer to one purchase. If you want to limit purchases per customer, you can use a discount code with usage restrictions instead.
💡 Avoid single-use passes. These work similarly to tickets but add an extra step for customers when booking. If customers only need to book one event, set the ticket price on the event instead. You can then remove or unpublish any single-use passes.
📹 Check out our video walkthrough
Tags: classpass, class, classpasses, pass, passes