A package controls which classes and appointments an athlete can attend, how often they can attend, how long their access lasts, and what membership status they have while it's active. You can build packages around a single event type, like personal training, or group several events together, like a membership that covers CrossFit, Boot Camp, and Open Gym. This article covers time-based packages: the ones that renew after a set period of time, whether or not the athlete used all of their sessions. Create your Events (Classes and Appointments) before you start, since a package is built around the Events it grants access to.
What you can do with packages
Give athletes access to one event type or several at once
Offer unlimited access or a set number of sessions per period
Repeat an allowance on a cycle or grant it once for the life of the package
Delay one Event type so access opens partway through the package
Turn Auto Renew on for recurring memberships or off for one-time offers
Roll a finished package into a different one automatically
Prorate the first payment (monthly memberships only)
Carry unused credits forward, cap how many you sell, or fix the start date
Change an athlete's status when the package starts, when it ends, or both
Attach a contract and let athletes cancel from the Kilo app
Time-based vs. credit-based: which should you use?
Both types are offered on the same screen when you create a package. The difference is what causes the package to renew, and that difference changes which settings are available to you.
Question | Time-based Package | Credit-based Package |
|---|---|---|
What triggers renewal | A set period of time passes | Every credit has been checked in |
Unused sessions at renewal | The package renews anyway | The package stays open until the credits are used |
Has a validity period | Yes | No |
Settings available | Proration, Include Follow-up Package, Total Package Length, Validity, Delay Start, and everything under Advanced Settings | None of these |
Best for | Recurring memberships and offers with a fixed length | Packs athletes work through at their own pace |
Choose Time-based Package when the calendar should control the package. Choose Credit-based Package when usage should control it.
Build a time-based package
Go to Products → Packages.
Click + Package.
Select Time-based Package, then click Continue.
Enter a Name. This is what athletes see, so name it the way you would describe it at the front desk.
Add a Description if you want more detail to appear alongside the name.
Select a Package Category. This is required, so set up at least one category before you build your first package.
Set Proration if this is a monthly membership that should bill on the first of the month. Turning it on locks the package to a monthly cycle.
Set Auto Renew to On for a recurring membership, or leave it Off for a one-time offer.
With Auto Renew off, you can check Include Follow-up Package to have this package roll into a different one when it finishes.
Set Allow Athlete Click-to-Cancel in the Athlete App to control whether athletes can cancel this package themselves.
Attach a Contract if this package requires one, and turn on Generate new contract upon package renew if a fresh contract should be issued at each renewal.
Set Athlete Status for Upon Start and Upon End. Both default to No status change and are set independently.
Include Follow-up Package and Auto Renew are alternatives to each other. A package can renew into itself, or it can roll into a different package, and the follow-up option is only available when Auto Renew is off. Proration is not supported on follow-up packages.
Advanced settings
Expand Advanced Settings for three optional controls. All three default to Off, and none of them appear on a credit-based package.
Enable Rollover Credits carries an athlete's unused credits forward instead of clearing them when the package renews.
Limited Quantity caps how many of this package can be sold. Auto Renew is not available on a limited-quantity package, since the feature is built for single-use offers.
Set Specific Start Date fixes the date the package begins and controls when its billing plan starts. This is different from Delay Start, which staggers when a single Event type opens inside the package.
Set your attendance rules
The attendance rules set how many sessions an athlete can use, and over what period. Set it to unlimited for open-access memberships, or enter a session count and period to cap attendance.
The period you choose controls how strictly the package holds athletes to a schedule. For example, a 2-week package with 4 personal training sessions can be set up two ways:
4 sessions per 2 weeks: the athlete can use one session the first week and three the next, or any other split.
2 sessions per 1 week: the athlete must use two sessions each week.
Both give the athlete four sessions in two weeks. The difference is how much flexibility they have in when they use them.
For each rule:
Choose the Event Type.
Set Attendance to a number of Sessions, or click the infinity button for unlimited.
Choose per for a repeating allowance, or pack for a one-off grant.
If you chose per, set the cycle the allowance repeats on, such as 1 week.
Set the Validity for this rule.
Check Delay Start and enter a number if this Event type should not become available until later in the package.
Per-week restriction vs. session pack: which should you use?
Situation | Use a per-week restriction | Use a session pack |
|---|---|---|
Example setup | 3 sessions per 1 week, 4-week package | 12 sessions per 4 weeks |
Scheduling | Holds the athlete to a set number each week | Lets the athlete use sessions any time in the period |
Best for | Coaching programs that depend on consistent attendance | Athletes with irregular schedules, travel, or vacations |
Missed sessions | Can be made up with manual credit dispensation | Unused sessions stay available until the period ends |
When your rules are set, click Next. Set the Tax Rate and add your billing plans in the Billing panel on the right.
Sample time-based packages
These three examples show the range a single time-based package can cover.
On Ramp
A staged, front-end offer that hands athletes off to your group program.
Total Package Length is 6 weeks.
The first rule gives 4 sessions of 60-minute Personal Training, valid for 2 weeks.
The second rule gives 12 sessions of CrossFit, valid for 4 weeks, with Delay Start set so access opens after the Personal Training stage.
Athlete Status changes to Member Upon Start and stays unchanged Upon End.
Auto Renew is Off, because this is a one-time front-end offer.
Package Category is Personal Training.
Hybrid Group Training
A recurring monthly membership covering two Event types.
Two rules, each set to unlimited sessions on a repeating monthly cycle.
Athlete Status changes to Member Upon Start and Alumni Upon End.
Auto Renew is On, so the package recurs.
CrossFit and Nutrition
A recurring membership pairing a group program with a coaching add-on.
One rule gives 1 Nutrition Consult and another gives 16 CrossFit classes, both on a repeating 4-week cycle.
Athlete Status changes to Member Upon Start and stays unchanged Upon End, since athletes often come and go from nutrition coaching.
Auto Renew is On.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a time-based and a credit-based package?
A time-based package renews after a set period of time, and a credit-based package renews once every credit has been checked in. A time-based package renews on schedule even if the athlete did not use all of their sessions. A credit-based package has no validity period at all, so it stays open until the sessions are used.
What is the difference between per and pack in an attendance rule?
Per repeats the allowance on a cycle, and pack grants it once. A rule set to 3 Sessions per 1 week refreshes to 3 sessions every week. The same rule set as a pack gives 3 sessions for the life of the rule, and nothing refreshes.
What is the difference between Total Package Length and Validity?
Total Package Length is how long the whole package runs, and Validity is how long one attendance rule is available inside it. They are usually the same on a simple package. They differ on staged packages, where each Event type is available for a different stretch of the total.
Why can't I check Include Follow-up Package?
Auto Renew is on. A package either renews into itself or rolls into a different package, so the follow-up option only becomes available once Auto Renew is off. Turn Auto Renew off and the checkbox becomes available.
What is the difference between Delay Start and Set Specific Start Date?
Delay Start staggers when one Event type opens inside a package, and Set Specific Start Date controls when the whole package begins. Use Delay Start for a phased offer where Personal Training runs before group access opens. Use Set Specific Start Date for a program that starts on a fixed date no matter when someone signs up.
Can I limit how many of a package I sell?
Yes. Turn on Limited Quantity under Advanced Settings. Note that Auto Renew is not available on a limited-quantity package, since the feature is built for capped, single-use offers like challenges and founding-member pricing.
Can one package cover more than one type of Event?
Yes, and this is what the Kilo package builder is built for. Add a separate attendance rule for each Event type, each with its own session count, cycle, and validity. That is how hybrid memberships and staged On Ramp offers are put together.
Does a package have to auto-renew?
No. Turn Auto Renew on for recurring memberships that should bill and renew on a cycle. Leave it off for one-time offers like an On Ramp, a challenge, or a trial, where the package should simply end when it is finished.
Does a package have to change an athlete's status?
No, and the start and end are set independently. Both fields default to No status change. Leaving the end status unchanged is useful for add-on programs athletes step in and out of, so they keep whatever status their main membership gave them.
Should a drop-in or single-session package make the athlete a member?
Usually not. Set the starting status to Visitor for drop-ins and single sessions so those athletes don't affect your member metrics.
Why shouldn't an on-ramp package change the athlete to Alumni when it ends?
Most athletes finishing an on-ramp move straight into an ongoing membership, so they haven't canceled. Setting the ending status to No Status Change keeps them counted as members while you apply their next package.
Can I change an athlete's status differently from the package settings?
Yes. The package statuses are defaults. When you start or end a package for an individual athlete, you can override the status for that athlete.
Can I set up a package so athletes cancel it themselves?
Yes. Set Allow Athlete Click-to-Cancel in the Athlete App to On. This is set per package, so you can allow it on month-to-month memberships and leave it off on anything under contract.
Helpful tips
Create your package categories before you build your first package. The field is required and the list starts empty.
Build your Events first. Every attendance rule points back to an Event type.
Set the end status deliberately. An add-on package that flips someone to Alumni when it finishes will override the status their main membership gave them.
Use Delay Start rather than selling two separate packages when an offer has phases. It keeps a multi-week On Ramp as a single sale.
Leave Auto Renew off on anything you intend to sell once. It is also what makes a follow-up package possible.
Unlimited is a valid session count. Hybrid memberships often pair one unlimited Event type with a capped one.
Check whether per or pack is right before you save. It is the setting most often set the wrong way.
Look under Advanced Settings before you decide a package cannot do what you need. Rollover, sales caps, and fixed start dates all live there.
When time-based packages are most helpful
Selling a recurring monthly or weekly membership
Running a fixed-length On Ramp, challenge, or trial
Bundling a group program with a coaching or nutrition add-on
Offering a program where access should expire on a date, used or not
Staging access so one Event type opens after another
Capping enrollment on a limited-run program
Moving athletes between statuses automatically as they start and finish a program
If you have questions about building packages in Kilo GMS, our Support team is happy to help. Reach us at hello@usekilo.com.