This article is for personal trainers and coaches using the Gymkee web platform to manage their coaching business.

Audience: Coaches and personal trainers | This article is about the Gymkee web platform for managing your coaching business.

What You'll Learn

• How to create a subscription for a client
• How to configure billing cycles, trials, and discounts
• How to manage payment methods and collection settings
• How to handle cancellations, plan changes, and failed payments

When to Use Subscriptions

Subscriptions are the best way to bill clients who pay on a recurring basis. Use them for:

• Monthly or yearly coaching packages
• Ongoing training programs
• Membership-style access to your content

Every subscription is tied to a product that you create in Gymkee Pay. The product defines what you're selling, and the subscription handles the recurring billing.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

1. A connected and verified Stripe account (see Setting Up Gymkee Pay)
2. At least one subscription product created in Gymkee Pay > Products with an active price

If you don't have a product yet, create one first:

1. Go to Gymkee Pay > Products
2. Click Create product
3. Set the pricing type to Subscription and add monthly or yearly prices

Creating a Subscription

Step 1: Open the Subscription Form

From the Transactions page:

1. Go to Gymkee Pay > Transactions
2. Click Create payment (top right)
3. Select Subscription from the dropdown

From a client's profile: You can also create a subscription directly from a client's detail page.

Step 2: Choose the Client

You have two options:

Select an existing client

• Type in the search field to find a client by name or email
• Click on the client to select them

Add a new client

• Click Add a new client at the top of the dropdown

• Enter their first name, last name, and email

• Optionally toggle Invite client on Gymkee to also add them as a Gymkee client

  • Choose when to send the invitation: After payment (recommended) or Immediately
  • Select the client's language (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)

• Click Save to confirm

Step 3: Choose the Product and Price

The Pricing section shows all your active subscription products.

• Select a product from the dropdown
• Choose a price (monthly, yearly, or any intervals you've set up)
• Set the quantity (usually 1)

You can add multiple products to a single subscription if needed. Click the "+" button to add another product line.

Step 4: Configure the Duration

Choose how long the subscription runs:

• Forever : Runs until manually canceled
• Cancel at period end : Runs for one billing period, then stops
• Cancel at specific date : Set an exact end date

Step 5: Add a Discount (Optional)

In the Discount section, you can apply a coupon code to the subscription. This uses the discount codes you've created in Gymkee Pay > Discounts.

Step 6: Configure Tax Settings (Optional)

Toggle Automatic tax if you want Stripe to calculate and apply taxes automatically based on the client's location.

Step 7: Set a Trial Period (Optional)

In the Trial section, you can set a free trial:

• Choose an end date for the trial
• During the trial, the client has full access without being charged
• Billing starts automatically when the trial ends

Step 8: Choose the Payment Method

Auto-charge (default)

• Stripe automatically charges the client's card on file
• If the client has saved payment methods, you can select which card to use
• This is the best option for seamless recurring billing

Send invoice

• Stripe sends an invoice email each billing period
• The client pays manually through the invoice link
• Set the number of days until the invoice is due (default: 30)

If the client doesn't have a saved payment method, the form automatically switches to "Send invoice."

For new clients, the subscription creates a checkout link that you share with the client. They enter their card details on the Stripe checkout page.

Step 9: Review the Preview

On the right side of the form, a preview panel shows:

• What the client will be charged
• The billing interval
• Any discounts applied
• Tax amounts (if enabled)
• The next billing date

Step 10: Create the Subscription

Click Create subscription to finalize.

If the client has a card on file:

• The subscription starts immediately
• You're redirected to the subscription detail page

If the client needs to enter payment details:

• A checkout link is generated
• You can copy the link and share it with the client
• Click Copy link and close to save the link to your clipboard

Managing Subscriptions

Viewing All Subscriptions

Go to Gymkee Pay > Subscriptions to see all your subscriptions. You can filter and search by client name, product, or status.

Subscription Statuses

| | | | | | | Status | What It Means | | Active | Subscription is running and payments are on track | | Trialing | Client is in their free trial period | | Past due | Latest payment failed, retries in progress | | Canceled | Subscription has been canceled | | Incomplete | Waiting for initial payment | | Unpaid | Payment failed and retries are exhausted |

Updating a Subscription

You can modify an active subscription:

• Change the product or price (upgrade/downgrade)
• Add or remove discount codes
• Update the payment method
• Change the billing date

Changes can apply immediately or at the next billing cycle, depending on your settings in Gymkee Pay > Settings > Subscriptions & invoices.

Canceling a Subscription

To cancel a subscription:

1. Go to Gymkee Pay > Subscriptions
2. Click on the subscription
3. Use the cancel option

Depending on your cancellation settings:

• At period end : The client keeps access until the current billing period ends
• Immediately : Access is revoked right away

How Failed Payments Work

When a subscription payment fails, here's what happens:

1. Stripe retries the payment based on your settings (default: 3 retries over 7 days)

2. The subscription moves to Past due status

3. If all retries fail, the action you configured takes effect:

   • Pause access : Client can't access content but subscription stays open
   • Revoke access : Client loses all access
   • Keep access : Client keeps access despite non-payment

You can configure these settings in Gymkee Pay > Settings > Subscriptions & invoices > Failed Payment Handling.

Failed payments also appear in the Actions required section of your dashboard.

Proration: What Happens on Plan Changes

When a client changes plans mid-cycle (e.g., from monthly to yearly, or from basic to premium):

• With proration enabled : The client gets credit for unused time on their current plan, and is charged the difference for the new plan
• Without proration : The new price takes effect at the next billing cycle

Configure this in Gymkee Pay > Settings > Subscriptions & invoices > Plan Changes.

Tips

• Use the "Auto-charge" collection method for your regular clients. It reduces friction and ensures payments come in on time.
• Set up trial periods strategically. A 7-day trial lets clients experience your coaching before committing.
• Review the preview panel before creating a subscription. It shows exactly what the client will be charged and when.
• For clients upgrading from a monthly to a yearly plan, enable proration so they only pay the difference.
• When creating a subscription for a new client, choose "Invite after payment" so they only get access to Gymkee once they've paid.

Common Mistakes

• Creating a subscription without a product. You need at least one active subscription product with a Stripe price. Create products in Gymkee Pay > Products first.
• Choosing "Send invoice" for clients who prefer automatic billing. Most clients prefer set-and-forget payments. Use auto-charge when possible.
• Not setting up failed payment handling. Without it, clients who fail to pay keep full access indefinitely. Configure your retry and action settings in Settings.
• Setting a trial without a clear end communication. Make sure your client knows when their trial ends and when billing starts.

Troubleshooting

Problem: Can't find any products when creating a subscription

Why it happens: You haven't created any subscription products yet, or your existing products don't have active prices with Stripe price IDs.

How to fix it: Go to Gymkee Pay > Products and create a product with pricing type "Subscription." Make sure it has at least one active price.

Problem: Subscription is stuck in "Incomplete" status

Why it happens: The client hasn't completed their initial payment through the checkout link.

How to fix it: Share the checkout link with the client again. If they can't access it, you may need to cancel this subscription and create a new one.

Problem: Client is being charged the wrong amount

Why it happens: The wrong price was selected, or a discount wasn't applied correctly.

How to fix it: You can update the subscription to change the price or add the correct discount. Check if proration settings are affecting the amount.

Problem: Client lost access after canceling, even though the period hasn't ended

Why it happens: The cancellation setting is configured to "Immediately" instead of "At period end."

How to fix it: Check your cancellation settings in Gymkee Pay > Settings > Subscriptions & invoices. Change to "At period end" if you want clients to keep access until their current billing period ends.

FAQ

Q: Can a client have multiple subscriptions? Yes. A client can have multiple active subscriptions for different products.

Q: Can I create a subscription for someone who isn't a Gymkee client? Yes. When creating a subscription, you can add a new client by entering their email. You can also choose to invite them to Gymkee at the same time.

Q: What happens when a trial ends? Billing starts automatically. The client is charged for the first full billing period. If their payment fails, the standard retry logic applies.

Q: Can I pause a subscription? Stripe supports pausing subscriptions through the Stripe Dashboard. In Gymkee, you can cancel and recreate, or use Stripe's pause feature directly.

Q: How do I offer different prices for the same service? Create one product with multiple prices (e.g., monthly at $99, yearly at $899). When creating a subscription, you choose which price to use.

Q: Can the client change their own payment method? Clients can update their card through the Stripe customer portal. You can also update it from the subscription detail page.

Related Articles

• Getting Paid with Gymkee Pay: Complete Guide
• Setting Up Gymkee Pay (Stripe Connect)
• Creating and Managing Invoices
• Payment Links and Discounts