PERSONAL TRAINER NO-SHOW POLICY TEMPLATE
A good personal trainer no-show policy answers three questions: how much notice a client must give, what it costs if they give less, and how you collect. Copy one of three versions below.
How to use these templates
The simplest version is a 24-hour window, the full session fee, and a card saved at booking. This page gives you that policy and two others to copy: a 12-hour, 50% version, and one for prepaid packages. All three are in plain Australian English. Each has a short version that fits an Instagram bio.
Paste one onto your booking page, change the square-bracket bits, and make sure clients see it before they book. A policy a client first reads after missing a session is hard to enforce, and it sours the relationship. Set the same fee in your booking tool. Below the templates: what makes a policy hold up, and a script for telling existing clients. This is general information, not legal advice.
Three policies to copy
1. 24-hour window, full fee
CANCELLATION AND NO-SHOW POLICY I hold your session time for you and can't fill it at short notice. - More than 24 hours' notice: no charge. - Less than 24 hours' notice: full session fee ([$90]), charged to the card you saved at booking. - No-show: full session fee ([$90]), charged to your saved card. Your card is only charged if the last two points apply. Genuine emergency or illness? Message me and I may waive the fee. If I cancel, you won't be charged. By booking, you agree to this policy. It doesn't limit your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
Cancel 24h+ ahead: free. Under 24h or no-show: full session fee, charged to your saved card. Policy in link.
2. 12-hour window, 50% fee
CANCELLATION AND NO-SHOW POLICY - More than 12 hours' notice: no charge. - Less than 12 hours' notice, or no-show: 50% of the session fee ([$45] on a [$90] session), charged to the card you saved at booking. Genuine emergency? Message me and I'll consider waiving the fee. If I cancel, you won't be charged. By booking, you agree to this policy. It doesn't limit your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
Free to cancel 12h+ ahead. Under 12h or no-show: 50% of the session fee, charged to your saved card.
3. Packages and prepaid sessions
SESSION PACKAGE POLICY Your package is paid upfront. Each session you attend comes off your balance. - More than [24] hours' notice: the session stays in your package. - Less than [24] hours' notice, or no-show: the session is used, with no credit or refund. - If I cancel, the session stays in your package. - Expiry: [12 weeks from purchase / none]. - Unused sessions if you stop: [your refund terms]. By buying a package, you agree to this policy. It doesn't limit your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
Packages: cancel 24h+ ahead and the session goes back in your pack. Inside 24h or no-show, it's used. Full policy in link.
Spell out expiry and refunds plainly. If unsure, have a lawyer check them.
What makes a no-show policy enforceable
Four things decide whether it holds up.
1. Card on file. A fee you have to chase is a fee you won't collect. Save the card at booking so there's nothing to chase. In PT Pro that's Stripe, and you tap Charge on a no-show. Here's how card-on-file no-show fees work.
2. Written acceptance at booking. The client agrees before the session, not after they miss it. Show the policy where they book, repeat it in the confirmation, and keep the confirmation. Online booking for personal trainers makes that routine.
3. A reasonable fee. Tie it to what you lose: a slot you can't resell. The Australian Consumer Law's unfair contract terms rules likely cover a policy you write once and give every client. A term is unfair if it creates a significant imbalance, isn't reasonably necessary to protect your legitimate interests, and would cause the client detriment. Plain language and visibility count too. Only a court decides, and since 9 November 2023 using an unfair term can attract penalties. The "upfront price" exclusion is narrow, so don't assume a fee that only applies if something happens is exempt. Sources: ACCC contracts page, ACCC guide, ACL Part 2-3.
4. Consistent application. Decide when you waive and do it the same way for everyone. Charging one client and dropping it for a mate is hard to explain.
How to introduce it to existing clients
They booked under your old terms. Give two weeks' notice, send this, count only a reply as a yes, and apply the policy from the start date.
Hey [Name], quick heads up. From [date] I'm adding a cancellation policy so the time I hold for you isn't wasted. - 24+ hours' notice: nothing changes, no charge. - Under 24 hours, or if you don't make it: the full session fee of [$90]. You'll save a card the next time you book. It's only charged if the policy applies, and if something real comes up, message me and we'll sort it. Can you reply "ok" so I know you've seen it?
Once the policy is live, fees you charge may need a tax invoice. Here are GST tax invoices for sessions and fees.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice should a personal trainer require?
Should I charge the full session fee or 50%?
Is a no-show policy legal in Australia?
Can I charge a client who never agreed to the policy?
What if a client has a genuine emergency?
In PT Pro, who triggers the fee?
Make it stick without the awkward text
The policy is the easy bit. Collecting is where it falls over. PT Pro saves the card at booking, so you tap Charge instead of chasing. One recovered $90 fee covers three months of Pro ($29 AUD/mo).
Pre-launch: 10 founding-member spots get Pro free for life.