A pass isn't a pricing question, it's a behavioural one: it pulls revenue forward, creates commitment and builds habit. It's only worth introducing if you have spare capacity and a base of returning guests. Set the per-session price 10–25% below the single price, and always attach the biggest discount to a time-restricted option.
- A pay-as-you-go guest decides again every time; a pass holder decided once.
- Build your passes around off-peak hours, not around peak hours that sell out anyway.
- Never sell a pass without an expiry date: 3–6 months of validity is the proven practice.
- Simply showing the remaining balance in the app lifts the renewal rate.
- A time-restricted pass is the single best tool for filling off-peak hours.
A pass isn't a pricing question. It's a behavioural question. Someone who has bought a pass decides differently about heading out to train on a rainy Tuesday — and in the long run that difference is worth more than the discount you gave them.
1. Why is a pass different from a discount?
A one-off discount makes a single transaction cheaper. A pass, by contrast, does three things at once:
- It pulls revenue forward. The money arrives today; you deliver the service over the coming weeks.
- It creates commitment. A session that has already been paid for would "go to waste" if it went unused — and that is a strong reason to show up.
- It builds habit. Regularity reinforces itself: once someone comes twice a week, turning up stops being a decision at all.
A pay-as-you-go guest decides again every single time. A pass holder decided once, and after that they simply turn up.
2. When is a pass worth introducing?
Not always. Ask yourself three questions:
- Do you have spare capacity? If your peak hours are full anyway, a pass there only discounts what you would have sold at full price. Build passes for off-peak hours.
- Do you have returning guests? If most of your traffic is one-off and tourist-driven, a pass simply won't land.
- Can you handle it administratively? Not with a paper punch card: it gets lost, it can be faked, and you can't measure a thing. This is exactly where most pass programmes fall apart.
3. How should you price it?
The basic rule: the per-session price of the pass should be 10–25% lower than the single price — but never so much lower that your regulars, who would come anyway, simply buy the same thing for less.
| Option | Single price | Pass price | Per-session price with pass | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 sessions | 6 000 Ft | 28 500 Ft | 5 700 Ft | 5% |
| 10 sessions | 6 000 Ft | 54 000 Ft | 5 400 Ft | 10% |
| 10 sessions, daytime only | 6 000 Ft | 42 000 Ft | 4 200 Ft | 30% |
| Monthly unlimited, daytime | — | 34 000 Ft | ~HUF 3,400 (at 10 sessions) | — |
Look at the third row: the biggest discount belongs to the option that is time-restricted. That's the key. This way the discount doesn't cut into your revenue — it fills your empty capacity.
Never sell a pass without an expiry date. An open-ended pass is a liability on your books that never lapses, and it gives the guest no reason to come in either. In most cases 3–6 months of validity is fair and works well.
4. The three most common mistakes
- Too big a discount on peak hours. You sell the Friday six o'clock court 30% cheaper on a pass when it would have gone at full price anyway. That is a pure loss.
- No visible balance. If guests don't know how many sessions they have left, they don't plan with them and they don't buy new ones. Simply showing the balance in the app lifts the renewal rate.
- No renewal reminder. You have to flag it at the last session — while the habit is still alive. Two weeks later it is much harder to win them back.
5. Pass types that work
- Session pass (5/10/20): the simplest of the lot, everybody understands it.
- Time-restricted pass: valid daytime only or weekdays only — the single best tool for filling off-peak hours.
- Monthly unlimited: a powerful habit builder, but only if you have spare capacity.
- Corporate allowance: a company buys a budget for its employees. A large, predictable line of revenue that also brings new people into your facility.
- Pair pass: works particularly well in racket sports, because it commits two people from the outset.
Whichever you choose, the point stays the same: a pass works when it is digitally manageable, visible and has an expiry date. Get those three right and the pass becomes the cheapest guest-retention tool you have.
6. How do you sell the pass?
The best moment to offer a pass isn't the first visit — it's the third. By then the guest knows they enjoy being at your place, and the maths is convincing too. Three lines that work:
- "That was your third session — with the 10-session pass every visit from here on is HUF 600 cheaper."
- "If you usually come in the morning, we have a daytime pass that works out far better for you."
- "The pass sits on your phone, you can't lose it, and you can always see how many sessions you have left."
7. What should you do with expiring passes?
Renewal is the cheapest revenue you can get — and it's exactly what most venues forget. Two automations are enough: a notification at the second-to-last session, and a second one a week before expiry. Once the system handles that, it no longer depends on whether the receptionist happens to remember.
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper should a pass be?
Per session, 10–25% below the single price. Go beyond that only for time-restricted options — a daytime-only pass, for example.
Should I sell passes without an expiry date?
Not recommended. An open-ended pass is a liability on your books that never lapses, and it gives the guest no reason to come in either. Validity of 3–6 months is fair and works.
Which type of pass works best?
That depends on your profile. The session pass (5/10/20) is the simplest, the time-restricted pass is the most effective for off-peak hours, and the corporate allowance brings a large, predictable line of revenue plus new guests.
Last updated: 9 July 2026
