Frequently asked questions about partnering with ClassPass

ClassPass often pays a lower per-spot rate than a direct booking. The key difference is that ClassPass is designed to sell only excess inventory, so each paid ClassPass visit is intended to represent incremental revenue—revenue you would not have earned if the spot or appointment went unbooked.

In fitness and wellness, inventory is inherently perishable: once a class time or appointment passes, any unfilled spot is revenue that is lost forever. ClassPass is built to help studios and service providers capture and monetize that potential by filling spots that would have gone unfilled, without disrupting a partner’s core business or publicly exposing their pricing.

We work with partners to set a confidential rate floor based on a percentage of direct pricing, and tools like SmartRate help optimize earnings on qualifying reservations.

To date, ClassPass has delivered $3.1 billion to partners across the industry, and we’re not stopping there.

ClassPass is purpose-built to protect and preserve partners’ direct business while generating incremental revenue. Our model tends to attract a different audience—generally younger, more price-sensitive, and variety-seeking—so we can expand a partner’s reach without meaningfully taking away from a partner's loyal customer base.

Globally, 94% of ClassPass users are new to the fitness venues they visit (based on Global ClassPass & Mindbody joint customer data, 2020–Jan 2025). Additionally, ClassPass is designed to prioritize direct members through:

• Classes and appointments are listed in credits, not dollars, behind a subscription paywall, making it difficult to draw comparisons with direct rates.

• A booking experience where direct members typically have more access, certainty, and flexibility.

• SmartTools that help list only true excess capacity.

ClassPass users face more limited inventory, and fewer perks—they can’t select their exact spot or access studio-specific benefits. Based on ClassPass-integrated partner data from January–June 2025, 94% of fitness classes do not sell out, so direct clients still enjoy the convenience of walking in and getting the class they want.

While there is a chance some direct clients might switch to ClassPass, our data shows that ClassPass consistently strengthens overall business performance. One study showed fitness partners saw an average of 4.5% of direct clients switching to a ClassPass membership but a 36% increase in clients coming through the door and a 3.8% increase in direct memberships. Wellness partners saw only 0.7% of direct members switching to ClassPass, with a 20% increase in clients (and an average 1.9% ClassPass users switching to direct memberships).* The increase in incremental revenue and new client growth far outweighs any loss in clients, making ClassPass a powerful complement to a partners’ existing business.

*Based on ClassPass and Mindbody/Booker joint customers that launched on ClassPass from Jan 2023 to March 2025 with at least 50 ClassPass reservations in their first 6 months.

With SmartSpot, one of our SmartTools, ClassPass is able to predict how many spots we should make available for each class based on an integrated partner’s past attendance data and current availability. This ensures we only list bookings that are not likely to be filled without ClassPass. In real time, it optimizes how many spots to list on ClassPass, adding more spots during low demand periods and holding back during high demand periods.

ClassPass doesn't "own" these spots. All spots listed on ClassPass are still fully bookable by your direct clients. No spots open to ClassPass users are ever blocked for your direct members.

Think of it like this:

Let’s say a studio has a popular 6:00am class that its direct members love. As this class fills up fast with direct members, SmartSpot will say “No need to open spots to ClassPass users” and the class will not be bookable on ClassPass.  If, however, the studio often sees that one or two spots remain unsold, SmartSpot will list them on ClassPass in order to ensure you squeeze every bit of incremental revenue out of the class. Now, let's say the studio has a less popular class at 11:00am with space for 10 and it tends to only see 3 direct members book. Rather than leaving the rest empty, SmartSpot steps in and says, “I can open up unfilled spots on ClassPass for users to book without the risk of blocking direct members.”

In 2024, U.S. fitness partners using SmartRate averaged ~20% higher ClassPass payouts, over 2x more new visitors, and ~14% higher class fill rates compared to partners not using SmartRate.*

*Based on a comparison of average outcomes for SmartRate and non-SmartRate U.S. fitness partners in 2024. Results vary.

ClassPass offers new and returning users a trial, often for free, giving them the opportunity to discover studios and gyms they might not have tried otherwise. This proven approach consistently converts first-time visitors into loyal users who return to businesses again and again through ClassPass.

Free trials are a widely successful model across industries—used by subscription services like Netflix, Apple Music, and Nuuly, as well as fitness brands such as CorePower, CycleBar, and Crunch Fitness. By allowing people to experience something new at no cost, free trials create genuine excitement, spark habit-building, and ultimately drive paid conversions.

Trials are at the heart of how ClassPass introduces fitness partners to new audiences. Roughly half (49%) of survey respondents indicated that, prior to joining ClassPass, studio fitness was not a regular part of their fitness routine (based on responses to in-app survey, Dec 2024–July 2025). For this audience, allowing them to try a free class is the single best way to help them overcome hesitation and get them into the category, which can feel intimidating for outsiders. ClassPass enforces strict eligibility requirements, and trials are available to new users and certain returning users. For returning users on reactivation trials, First Class Free only applies if at least 1 year has passed since the user’s last reservation attended at the partner venue.

Important context:

• Only excess inventory likely to go unsold is offered to trial users, with real-time protection for integrated partners using SmartSpot.
• ClassPass requires a consistent trial experience, which means uniform policies across all partners.
• All fitness partners are required to participate in First Class Free, offering a single free class to users during their trial period.

Globally, 94% of ClassPass users are new to the fitness venues they visit.* Acquiring this audience through traditional marketing channels like Google or Instagram ads would typically cost a studio $100–$120 per new customer, adding up to over $1,000 per month just to reach ten new clients. In contrast, ClassPass provides the same exposure and high-quality traffic at no operational or marketing cost, making it one of the most efficient and impactful ways to grow a partner’s bottom line.

*Based on Mindbody-ClassPass joint customer data from 2020-2025

At ClassPass, we only win when partners do, which is why we’re continuously enhancing our fraud prevention efforts. We’re actively tackling trial fraud head-on.

Our trial program has strict eligibility requirements. It’s only available to:

• New users on their first-ever ClassPass trial.
• Returning users who’ve been away from the platform for a minimum amount of time. For reactivation, First Class Free only applies if at least 1 year has passed since the user’s last attended reservation at that business.

To further safeguard against repeat trial redemption, we've invested heavily in machine learning and real-time monitoring. As of May 2025, we upgraded our fraud detection system to run up to 48x faster than our prior system (performance may vary due to system availability and occasional processing interruptions).

Additionally, businesses can report suspected fraud directly through the partner dashboard for immediate escalation.

SmartTools are ClassPass's data-driven, automated inventory management tools that help partners make the most of every available spot on their schedules, maximizing revenue from ClassPass. The two SmartTools are SmartSpot and SmartRate.

SmartSpot uses machine learning to protect partners’ direct business by only listing spots on ClassPass that we predict will not be filled by direct clients. It does this by using past attendance data alongside current availability and fill patterns. The ultimate purpose and goal of SmartSpot is to never put a spot on ClassPass that would have been sold directly. In practice, this means partners can expect SmartSpot to add more spots to ClassPass during low demand periods. This gives partners the confidence that ClassPass is only listing excess capacity and will never take a spot that could have been filled directly. Most importantly, any spot listed on ClassPass can still be booked by a direct client.

SmartRate is ClassPass’s revenue optimization tool designed to help partners maximize the value of every spot that ClassPass lists. Instead of setting a fixed credit amount per spot, SmartRate optimizes credit amounts in real time—with the purpose and goal to generate as much revenue as possible. We work with partners to set a confidential rate floor based on direct membership pricing, and then SmartRate adjusts credit amounts to determine which levels deliver the strongest performance and conversion. Partners can trust SmartRate to work on their behalf to maximize the revenue they collect on every spot listed on ClassPass.

SmartRate and SmartSpot work together, SmartSpot determines which spots to list on ClassPass, while SmartRate optimizes credits to maximize partner revenue. Together, these tools ensure that partners are making as much as possible on excess capacity while never touching the spots that would be filled directly.

In a majority of cases, partners get paid for reservations even when users cancel late or don't show up. ClassPass matches a partner's late cancel policy up to 12 hours. For example, if a partner has a 4-hour late cancellation policy, a partner will receive payment (instead of user cancellation fee) if any cancellations occur within that 4-hour window.

We  follow a "One Spot, One Payment" model to ensure fairness. If a ClassPass user late cancels and another ClassPass user books the same spot, ClassPass only pays once for the filled spot. The initial late cancel payout is replaced with "Late cancelled rebooked." Similarly, if a ClassPass user late cancels the last spot in a schedule and a partner fills the spot directly through their own channels, ClassPass doesn't pay the late cancel payout, since the full revenue for the class has already been captured. This approach ensures partners are compensated for genuinely lost spots while preventing double payment for the same inventory.

We are so confident in ClassPass’s ability to drive incremental revenue for businesses, that if a Mindbody customer joins ClassPass and doesn’t see a incremental revenue within 90 days, we will pay out 2x the lost revenue. Over 99% of businesses using both Mindbody and ClassPass from December 2024 to December 2025 achieved positive incremental revenue during that period.* See more information here.

*Incremental revenue is measured using the ClassPass Revenue Guarantee methodology, including ClassPass revenue and direct revenue from ClassPass-acquired customers, net of displaced direct revenue. Terms apply.

While ClassPass is a valuable tool for many fitness and wellness businesses, there are certain cases where it may not be the best fit:

• Struggling businesses looking for a quick turnaround: As evidenced by ClassPass data on top performers, businesses with strong direct demand tend to perform better on ClassPass.

• Fitness studios offering easily replicable at-home workouts: Studios offering experiences that are easily replicated at home can face more challenges standing out and getting ClassPass bookings compared to studios offering experiences that are harder to recreate, like reformer Pilates or hot yoga with specific room conditions. ClassPass strongly recommends studios focus on making their in-person classes as immersive and distinct as possible (e.g., heated rooms, high-quality sound systems, personalized instruction, strong community connections).  

• Businesses in areas with a low ClassPass presence: Businesses in geographic areas with very few ClassPass options and a small ClassPass subscriber base may struggle to get ClassPass users simply because there are not many of them.

• Businesses that reliably sell out 100% of their spots: While this is not common and the data from our integrated partners shows that the average studio directly fills only 37% of their total capacity, we do occasionally meet businesses who tell us that all of their spots sell out.* Since ClassPass is designed to only sell spots a business cannot fill directly, such a business would not be a good fit for ClassPass.

That being said, if a partner finds that ClassPass is not serving them for whatever reason, it is easy to leave the platform after a 90-day opt-out window. The fact that very few do is strong validation that the model we have built works as designed and is suitable for a range of businesses and setups. In 2024, the ClassPass retention rate of businesses who made > $50/month on the platform was ~96%. 

*Based on ClassPass 2024 data for active schedules

While results vary by factors such as business type, location, and popularity, partners typically find that the combination of increased exposure and reservations creates a meaningful uplift in both visibility and revenue. On average, Mindbody businesses generated incremental ClassPass revenue equal to ~28% of their direct visit revenue within six months.*

ClassPass exposes partners to a large, highly engaged user base actively looking to book new fitness and wellness experiences. Because of this, many studios see a clear uptick in first-time visitors and brand awareness boost throughout their local communities.

*Based on Mindbody-ClassPass data for joint customers using both platforms for at least 6 months from Jan 2024–Jan 2025. Incremental ClassPass revenue means ClassPass revenue and direct revenue from ClassPass-acquired customers, net of displaced direct revenue.

ClassPass is not just for large brands or luxury businesses—boutique and independent studios often see strong outcomes.

For smaller studios, ClassPass can act as a powerful discovery engine. It introduces businesses to a new audience of local customers who would not have found it otherwise, many of whom become loyal ClassPass clients. Plus, it smooths out fluctuations in demand—filling empty spots during quieter hours or days to add true incremental revenue.

ClassPass is built to help partners reach new audiences and grow their business, without taking away from existing loyal clients. ClassPass users are a different kind of customer: they are typically price sensitive, value flexibility and variety, and actively looking to try something new.

Globally, 94% of ClassPass users are new to the fitness venues they visit.* That means nearly all the demand we generate represents new faces walking through the door.

Our SmartSpot system is designed to protect a partner’s core business by only listing spots that are likely to go unfilled. And because ClassPass users see limited inventory and fewer perks, your direct members enjoy the best access and more choices.

With ClassPass, partners aren’t just filling empty spots, they’re introducing their business to new clients, building awareness, and turning unused capacity into meaningful growth.

*Based on Mindbody-ClassPass joint customer data from 2020-2025

ClassPass isn’t designed to drive direct client conversions—it’s built to bring partners traffic into the unsold spots they weren't going to fill with their direct clients with an audience that ClassPass has built of users that are looking for variety and value.

ClassPass users constantly try new workouts and build workout routines that combine multiple studios across multiple modalities. These users are more price sensitive and are willing to live with the tradeoffs that ClassPass imposes.

To keep this working well for both partners and ClassPass users, we keep a few boundaries in place around how ClassPass user information can be used and how they can be marketed to. Studios are allowed to ask ClassPass users to sign up directly to their email lists—we only ask that studios avoid specifically targeting ClassPass users (e.g. offering ClassPass users something not offered to existing clients or making comparative references to ClassPass). Here's why: ClassPass users love trying new places. If they were pushed to convert at every visit, they’d be less likely to explore and that would reduce the number of new users we can send to partners. By keeping the experience low-pressure and discovery-focused, we’re able to drive more first-time visitors, more repeat visits, and more long-term clients to partners. We also know that ClassPass users are unlikely to convert to direct clients for the reasons described above, so it doesn't make sense to expose them to marketing that we know will not be effective.

What this means for partners:

• Most ClassPass visitors are brand-new to a partner’s business, helping partners grow their client base with zero upfront marketing spend.*
• Repeat conversion still happens naturally—users who fall in love with a business often return through ClassPass.
• Tools like SmartSpot ensure ClassPass complements a partner's direct business rather than competing with it.
  

*Mindbody-ClassPass joint customer data from 2020-2025 shows that, globally, 94% of ClassPass users are new to the fitness venues they visit.

We often hear the concern that “the more a user visits my studio, the less I get paid.” Rest assured, this isn’t how ClassPass works.

ClassPass algorithms do not use surveillance pricing strategies—they don’t set credit amounts or payouts based on an individual user’s habits or usage. Instead SmartRate automatically adjusts credit amounts to optimize partner revenue for each class based on aggregated demand curves across millions of subscribers.

SmartRate looks at a combination of historical trends (like how full a class typically gets or which classes are the most or least popular) and real-time factors (like how full a class is and how close it is to class start time), not individualized or personal information. SmartRate’s goal is to help maximize partner revenue by:

• Adjusting credit amounts to determine which levels deliver the strongest performance and conversion.
• Filling empty spots that would otherwise go unfilled
• Guaranteeing a minimum payout per booking

This approach protects partner revenue and ensures partners are compensated fairly based on demand and spot availability, not on individual user behavior.

ClassPass often pays a lower per-spot rate than direct bookings. The key difference is that ClassPass is designed to sell only excess inventory, so each paid ClassPass visit is intended to represent incremental revenue; revenue you would not have earned if the spot or appointment went unbooked.

In fitness and wellness, inventory is inherently perishable: once a class time or appointment passes, any unfilled spot is revenue that is lost forever. ClassPass is built to help businesses capture and monetize that potential by filling inventory that would otherwise go unsold, without disrupting a business's direct demand or publicly displaying their pricing.

We work with partners to set a confidential floor rate, based on a percentage of direct pricing, and tools like SmartRate help optimize earnings on qualifying reservations. To date, ClassPass has delivered $3.1 billion to partners across the industry—and we’re not stopping there.

The ClassPass trial is a proven driver of growth for the studio fitness industry by lowering the barrier for people to try studio classes for the first time. Roughly half (49%) of survey respondents indicated that prior to joining ClassPass, studio fitness was not a regular part of their routine.* That makes this a hard and often expensive audience to reach through traditional marketing, and for this group, a free first visit is the most effective way to get them to try something new.

That’s why the trial offer is part of the ClassPass experience for all fitness partners. Studios offer one free first visit during a user’s trial, and ClassPass invests millions in marketing to introduce more people to studio fitness. In practice, this means that we bring in customers that studios aren’t already reaching. In fact, 94% of ClassPass users are new to the fitness businesses they visit.**

This free visit only applies during the user's trial and is limited to one free class per business. Any visit after that first class is paid, and we see this initial class is a powerful driver of repeat visits. Once users become paying ClassPass members, 80% returned to a fitness studio they visited during their free trial (as of 2024).

A few important eligibility notes:

• ClassPass enforces strict eligibility requirements, and trials are available to new users and certain returning users.

• For returning users on reactivation trials, free visits only apply if at least one year has passed since the user’s last attended reservation at the partner venue.

*Based on responses to in-app survey, Dec 2024-July 2025
**Based on Mindbody-ClassPass joint customer data from 2020-2025

We have various protections in place to help prevent trial abuse and help protect our partners. We’re continuously enhancing our machine learning detection systems and real-time monitoring to reduce repeat trial redemption. As of May 2025, we upgraded our fraud detection system to run up to 48x faster than our prior system.* Additionally, businesses can report suspected fraud directly through the partner dashboard for further investigation.

Our trial program also has strict eligibility requirements. It’s only available to new users on their first-ever ClassPass trial and returning users who’ve been away from the platform for a minimum amount of time.

*Performance may vary due to system availability and occasional processing interruptions

In most cases, ClassPass partners are paid for reservations even when users cancel late or don’t show up. We align with a partner’s late cancellation policy, up to 12 hours. For instance, if a partner’s policy allows a 4-hour late cancellation window, the partner receives payment for any cancellations within that period. However, the partner would not be paid if someone cancels 6 hours before class.

ClassPass also follows a One Spot, One Payment principle to maintain fairness. If a user cancels late and another ClassPass user books the same spot, only one payment is made; the initial late cancel payout is replaced by the payment for the rebooked reservation.

Similarly, if the final spot in a class is canceled late but is subsequently filled directly by the partner through their own channels, ClassPass does not issue a late cancel payout, since the class revenue was fully captured. This ensures partners are compensated for truly lost reservations while avoiding double payment for the same spot.

ClassPass is purpose-built to protect and preserve partners’ direct business while generating incremental revenue. Our model tends to attract a different audience; generally younger, more price-sensitive, and variety-seeking consumers, so we can expand a partner’s reach without meaningfully taking away from their loyal customer base.

Globally, 94% of ClassPass users are new to the fitness venues they visit (based on Global ClassPass & Mindbody joint customer data, 2020–Jan 2025). Additionally, ClassPass is designed to protect and prioritize direct members through listing classes in credits, not dollars, behind a subscription paywall. This means users can’t directly compare rates and provides a booking experience where direct members typically have more access, booking certainty, and flexibility; and SmartTools that help list a business's true excess capacity.

While there is a chance some direct clients might switch to ClassPass, our data shows that ClassPass consistently strengthens overall business performance. One study showed fitness partners saw an average of 4.5% of direct clients switching to a ClassPass membership, but a 36% increase in clients coming through the door and a 3.8% increase in direct memberships. Wellness partners saw only 0.7% of direct members switching to ClassPass, with a 20% increase in clients, and an average 1.9% ClassPass users switching to direct memberships*. The increase in incremental revenue and new client growth far outweighs any loss in clients, making ClassPass a powerful tool to complement a partner's existing business.

*Based on ClassPass and Mindbody/Booker joint customers that launched on ClassPass from Jan 2023 to March 2025 with at least 50 ClassPass reservations in their first 6 months.

SmartSpot is the ClassPass SmartTool that uses a partner’s past attendance data, fill patterns and current availability to predict how many spots to list on ClassPass. The aim is simple: only list spots that are unlikely to be filled through a partner’s own direct channels.

SmartSpot adjusts availability dynamically, opening more spots during lower-demand periods and holding them back when demand is strong. The core principle is that a spot should never be offered on ClassPass if it would otherwise have been booked by a direct client.

Think of it like this:

Imagine a popular 7:15am class that consistently fills up with direct members. As bookings come in and the class nears capacity, SmartSpot recognizes that demand is already strong and keeps the class closed to ClassPass users. If, however, one or two spots typically go unfilled, SmartSpot can make just those spots available on ClassPass helping partners capture incremental revenue without displacing their loyal members.

Now consider a quieter 11:00am class with capacity for 10, where only three spots are usually booked directly. Rather than leaving the remaining spots empty, SmartSpot opens them to ClassPass users, confident that doing so won’t take away from the partner’s direct bookings.