How to Set Up a Paid Fitness Session Online (in About 10 Minutes)
JustJoin ·
A practical step-by-step for solo hosts: club page, Stripe, one shareable link — no DMs, no manual payment requests.
You've been running free sessions. People show up, enjoy it, and tell you it's worth paying for. So you decide to charge.
Then the questions start. How do you collect payment? Do you need a business account? What if someone books but doesn't pay? What if they want a refund?
Most hosts spend more time figuring out the payment setup than running the session. This guide fixes that.
The problem with most setups
The default DIY flow looks like this: you post about your session, people DM you, you send a bank transfer link or a PayPal request, you manually confirm each booking, and you hope they show up.
It works. Barely. And it falls apart the moment you have more than five participants — or want to run sessions consistently.
The friction isn't just on your end. Participants feel it too. A DM-to-payment flow asks too much of them, and every extra step is a place where someone drops off.
A paid session needs a booking flow, not a payment request.
What you need before you start
Three things:
- A Stripe account (free to create; identity verification can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days depending on your country)
- A Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams link — or a physical location
- A platform that connects booking and payment in one place
That's it. No website. No registered business in most cases. No payment terminal.
Step 1: Create your club page
Sign up at justjoin.app and create your club. This becomes your permanent link — something like justjoin.app/your-club.
The page shows all your upcoming sessions. Participants land here, see what's available, and book directly — without creating an account on their end.
This is the one link you share everywhere: Instagram bio, WhatsApp group, TikTok profile. One link. All sessions.
Step 2: Connect Stripe
To charge for sessions, connect your Stripe account from your host settings. Stripe walks you through the onboarding — business or individual, bank details, identity verification.
Once connected, payments go directly to your Stripe account. JustJoin takes a 3% platform fee on each paid booking. Stripe charges its standard processing fee on top, which varies by country and card type — check stripe.com/pricing for your rate.
You don't need a registered business to connect Stripe in most countries, though Stripe's exact requirements vary by region.
Stripe Connect is required for any paid, support-based, or members-only session. Free sessions don't need it.
Step 3: Add your paid session
Create a session and set:
- Date and time (with timezone)
- Location — a Zoom link, Google Meet link, or physical address
- Capacity — how many spots are available
- Price — a fixed amount per booking, or support-based ("pay what you want" after the session)
Confirmation emails and reminders go out automatically. If it's an online session, the join link stays hidden until payment clears.
If you want to run a private session — for a specific group or a 1:1 client — share a private link instead of publishing it publicly. More on that in Private Sessions Without Chaos.
Step 4: Share one link
Post justjoin.app/your-club wherever your audience already follows you. Stories, posts, DMs, group chats.
Participants click → see the session → book and pay in one flow → get a confirmation. No DMs asking for payment. No manual confirmations. No chasing.
What participants experience
A smooth participant experience means fewer drop-offs. From their side:
- They tap your link in a bio or story
- They land on your club page and see the session, the price, and available spots
- They enter name and email, pay by card
- They get a confirmation email with session details and a calendar invite
- They get reminders before the session starts
No account creation. No app download. No confusion about whether the payment went through.
Pricing your session: a few practical notes
- The price you set is what participants pay. The 3% platform fee and Stripe's processing fee come out of what you receive — not on top.
- Free and paid sessions can run side by side on the same club page. Free sessions don't require Stripe at all.
- Support-based pricing ("pay what you want" after the session) is a good middle step if you're not ready for fixed pricing yet.
A worked example: a €20 session in the EU means JustJoin takes €0.60 (3%), and Stripe's standard EU card fee is roughly €0.55. You'd typically receive around €18.85. Always check stripe.com/pricing for your exact rate.
If you're weighing online versus in-person formats, Online vs In-Person Sessions: What Changes covers it.
Before and after
Before — the manual flow
- Post about the session
- Wait for DMs
- Send a payment link per person
- Manually confirm each booking
- Chase no-shows
- Hope people remember the Zoom link
After — one booking flow
- Post one link
- Participants book and pay directly
- Confirmations and reminders send automatically
- You show up and run the session
The time saved isn't the main point. The main point is that a clear system builds trust. Participants feel like they're in good hands before the session even starts.
If you're still sending five different links to get one person booked, Stop Sending People on a Link Safari is worth reading next.
FAQs
Do I need a registered business to charge for fitness sessions online? Not to use JustJoin. You connect a Stripe account, and Stripe's requirements vary by country. Many solo hosts run paid sessions without a formal business entity. Check Stripe's documentation for your country's specifics.
What happens if a participant books but doesn't show up? Payment is collected at booking, so you don't chase anyone. Whether you issue a refund depends on the cancellation policy you set when creating the session.
Can I run both free and paid sessions from the same link? Yes. Your club page shows all upcoming sessions. Each session has its own price — free, fixed, or support-based.
Do participants need to create an account to book a paid session? No. They enter a name and email, pay by card, and get a confirmation. No account, no app, no friction.
How quickly do I receive payment after a session? Payouts go to your connected Stripe account on Stripe's standard payout schedule, which varies by country and account type. Check your Stripe dashboard for your specific timeline.
Can I limit how many people book a paid session? Yes. You set a capacity for each session. Once it's full, the session shows as sold out, and you can enable a waitlist so interested participants can queue if a spot opens.
What if I want to run a paid session for a private group only? Create a private session and share the link only with the intended participants. It won't appear publicly on your club page.
Ten minutes is roughly what it takes to set up your first paid session once Stripe is verified. Set it up once, properly, and every session after this one runs the same way.