When the session you want is full, some businesses let you join a waitlist. You keep your place in the queue, and if someone cancels we email you a link to claim the spot.
Where to Find This
Two places:
- To join: the business's booking calendar. Pick the day, then select a session showing as Full.
- To check where you are: your account on the business's website. Choose My Account in the menu, then open Bookings. Anything you are queuing for sits in an On the waiting list group at the top of the Upcoming tab, above your bookings.
Joining the Waitlist
- 1
Find the full session
Open the booking calendar and pick the day. A session with no room left shows as Full. If the waitlist is switched on for that business, selecting the time opens a card with a Join waitlist button instead of a dead Full button.
On a computer, hover over a full session in the compact list of times. If you can queue for it, it says the session is full and that you can select it to join the waitlist.
- 2
Fill in the short form
A window headed Join the waitlist opens, showing the session's day, time and service and, where the business books for a child or pet, who it's for. Underneath it explains: "This session is full. Join the waitlist and we'll email you a link to claim a spot if one opens up."
Check your Name and Email (both filled in from your account) and set Number of spots, between 1 and 10.
- 3
Click Join waitlist
The button reads Joining… while it saves, then confirms your place: "You're on the waitlist, number 3 in the queue. We'll email you if a spot opens up." If your position isn't known yet it simply says "You're on the waitlist. We'll email you if a spot opens up." Click Done to close.
You need to be signed in, and the session has to be one you could otherwise book. It must be covered by your plan or credits, still open for booking, and suitable for the person you're booking for. The queue is for people who would take the place if there were room, so if any of that isn't true the session just reads Full.
Checking Your Place in the Queue
Everything you are waiting for appears in the On the waiting list group on the Upcoming tab of Bookings, with a count, above your upcoming bookings. It is hidden entirely when you are not waiting for anything.
Each entry shows the session's day and time, the service, and where you stand:
- "Number 4 in the queue" means you are waiting.
- "Waiting for a spot" means you are queued but a position has not been worked out yet.
- "A spot is available for you. Claim it by Fri 12 Sep, 18:00." means a place has opened and it is yours until that deadline. The entry carries a Spot offered mark and a Claim button. If the offer runs out today, only the time is shown.
Press an entry to open Waiting list, a panel that shows When the session is and Your place. When a place is offered, it also has a Claim your spot button.
If a place is yours to claim, Home also lists it under Needs you as A place is yours, with the service, the date and the deadline. Press it to go straight to the entry.
Leaving the Waiting List
To take yourself off a waiting list, press Leave on the entry, or open the entry and press Leave there. You are asked Leave the waiting list for the session, and you choose Leave or Stay on it. A message reads You have left the waiting list.
If the waiting list cannot be loaded, a red message reads Could not read your waiting list just now. in that group rather than nothing at all, so an empty page never means you have quietly lost your place. Refresh the page and try again.
The Emails You'll Get
Three emails go with a waitlist. Each subject line usually carries the name of the service you're queuing for, so they're easy to find in a full inbox, though a place you joined from a pack booking window may arrive without it:
- "You're on the waitlist for [service]" confirms you've joined the queue.
- "A spot just opened up for [service] - claim it now" is your claim link. This is the one to watch for.
- "Your waitlist offer for [service] has expired" is sent if the deadline passes before you claim. The place is offered to the next person and your entry drops off your On the waiting list group, so join again from the calendar if you still want that session.
For example, a queue for a class called Beginner Group gives you "A spot just opened up for Beginner Group - claim it now".
Claiming a Spot
When a place frees up, we email the next person in the queue a claim link. Opening it shows a page headed A spot just opened up, with the session's day, time and service, the note "You're next on the waitlist. Confirm now to claim your spot", and, where there's a deadline, "Offer expires …".
You have two choices:
- Claim my spot takes the place. The page confirms "You're booked in!" with "Your spot is confirmed. We've sent a confirmation to your email." and a View my bookings button.
- No thanks (the button goes on to say it passes the place to the next person) turns the offer down. You'll see Offer declined and "No problem, we've offered the spot to the next person on the waitlist."
If the session is one you'd pay for rather than one covered by your plan, the button reads Claim & pay and the page tells you so up front. Confirming takes you to the secure checkout, and the place is booked once payment goes through.
Claim links don't last forever. If you open one too late, or the spot has already gone, you'll see This offer isn't available with an explanation such as "This claim link has expired or already been used." Nothing is lost; you can join the waitlist again from the calendar.
When There's No Waitlist
A waitlist isn't offered everywhere:
- The business hasn't switched it on. Full sessions simply read Full.
- Places held for existing members. When a business is moving its current members into a new season, some places are counted for them rather than genuinely full, so there's no waitlist for those, because they aren't sold out. See Booking a Session Pack.
- Seasons sold as an ongoing subscription. These have no waitlist at all. In the pack booking window a full one shows the "These sessions are now full." notice with no Join the waitlist button, followed by "Please check back, places open up if a family leaves the season." See Booking a Session Pack.
Tips
- Check your email. An offer goes to the address on your account and can expire, so it's worth watching for it.
- Leave queues you no longer want so the spot goes to the next person straight away.
- Waiting isn't booked. Nothing is charged and no place is held while you're in the queue. Only claiming does that.
Related Articles
- Booking Appointments - Picking a date and time, and what a Full session looks like
- Managing Your Bookings - Where your waiting list entries and bookings live
- Booking a Session Pack - Full seasons and camps, and places held for current members