Subscriptions vs. memberships
Both bill customers on a schedule and can include booking passes. A membership also gives a rule set and can cover a whole family. Use this comparison to pick the right one.
Subscriptions and memberships both charge customers on a schedule, and both can give booking passes. The main difference: a membership also gives a rule set, which controls what the customer pays and what they can book. A subscription gives only its booking passes.
Side by side
| Subscription | Membership | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you create it | Subscriptions → Catalog | Memberships → Catalog |
| Main purpose | A recurring package of booking passes, such as lessons or program sessions | Status at your club, such as member prices and booking access |
| Rule set (member prices, booking rules) | None. The customer keeps their usual prices for everything else | Required. Every membership links to a rule set |
| Booking passes | Yes | Yes |
| Covers a family | No. A subscription has no family members. Each pass goes to one person, unless the pass has Can be redeemed by family members turned on, which shares it with the whole family | Yes, with a family membership. Each family member type can have its own rule set and passes |
| Buying for a child | The buyer chooses who receives each pass. A parent buys one subscription for each child | The buyer holds the membership. Children join as family members of one family membership |
| How many per customer | Several. A customer can hold different subscriptions, and the same one once for each pass recipient | One membership at a time. A customer cannot hold two memberships, even two different ones |
| Pricing plans | Renewable or fixed-term | Renewable or fixed-term |
| Price depends on membership | Yes. Add a member plan and a regular plan, and use Rule set visibility so each customer sees the right one | Not applicable. The membership itself sets the rule set |
When to use a subscription
- The customer buys a package, not a status. For example, four private lessons a month, or every session of a junior academy.
- Each child needs their own price. A parent with two children buys the subscription twice and pays twice.
- You do not want the purchase to change what the customer pays for courts or other events.
For a step-by-step example, see Run a monthly academy or youth program.
When to use a membership
- The customer joins your club and gets member prices or booking access. These come from the rule set.
- The customer does not already have a different membership. A customer holds only one membership at a time.
- One price covers a household. A family membership adds family members, up to the limit you set. To charge more for a bigger family, add a pricing plan for each family size.
- Family members need different benefits. For example, adults and children can each have their own rule set and booking passes.
For the family setup, see Set up a family membership.
Can a customer hold more than one membership?
No. A customer holds one membership at a time. Their rule set comes from that membership, so OpenCourt cannot combine two. To give someone more, change their membership to a different one, or add a subscription for the extra benefit.
Can a customer have a membership and subscriptions?
Yes. A member can also buy subscriptions. For example, a club member can buy an academy subscription for their child. The membership gives the member prices, and the subscription gives the program pass.
Can a subscription cost less for members?
Yes. Give the subscription two pricing plans, for example Members at a lower price and Monthly at the regular price. On each plan, open Rule set visibility:
- On the member plan, show it only to your member rule sets.
- On the regular plan, show it only to Non-members.
Each customer then sees only the plan meant for them, and the setting also applies to someone who opens a direct link. Visibility follows the membership of the person who pays, so a parent who is a member sees the member price for their child.