The commitment
$10 says you are actually going.
When you join a plan, you commit a small hold on your card. Show up and it is released. Here is every rule, in plain words, with a calculator.
In plain words
A hold, not a charge.
When you commit, your bank sets the amount aside. No money leaves your account. It shows as pending, the same way a hotel or a gas pump holds an amount before the real total.
When you show up and check in, the hold is released. Showing up to a free plan costs you nothing. Ever.
If you do not show up, the hold is kept. That is the whole idea: it costs nothing to keep your word, and a little to break it.
At a glance
What happens to your $10
- You show up
- Released
- Cancel 24+ hours before
- Released in full
- Cancel inside 24 hours
- 50% kept, unless the waitlist fills your spot
- You do not show up
- Kept
- Host, weather or minimum
- Everything back, automatically
The rules
Every case, one table.
| What happens | Your hold | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You show up and check in | Released in full | You kept the plan. |
| You cancel 24+ hours before | Released in full | There is time to fill your spot. |
| You cancel inside 24 hours | 50% kept ($5 of $10), the rest released | A spot is hard to fill that late. |
| You cancel late, and someone from the waitlist takes your spot | Released in full | Nobody lost out. |
| You do not show up | 100% kept | Your spot was held for you, and someone else missed out. |
| The host cancels | Released in full, automatically | Not your call, not your cost. |
| Weather cancels the plan | Released in full, automatically | Nobody controls the sky. |
| The plan does not reach its minimum | Released in full, automatically | Half a game is not the plan you joined. |
These numbers come from the live settings. Paid plans also have a price, which covers the thing itself; see below.
Try it.
Pick an activity and what happens. See exactly where your money goes.
Your hold
$12
- Comes back to you
- $12
- Kept
- $0
You showed up, so the hold is released. You are never charged for showing up.
Rules from the live settings. The full policy.
Where kept deposits go
Kept holds pay for the empty spot.
When a hold is kept, it does not disappear into a fee. 50% goes to the host, because they booked a court or a table for someone who did not come. 50% goes to Kept.
Nobody earns anything when you show up, and that is exactly how it should be.
A kept $10 hold
$10 kept
- $5 To the host
- $5 To Kept
On your statement
A pending line that drops off.
After you commit, you will see a pending line from Kept for the hold amount. Pending means reserved, not paid.
After you check in, the hold is released and the line drops off. Most banks clear it within a few days. A few take longer, and some keep showing it for a while after it is gone.
If you ever see a completed charge for a hold on a plan you kept, tell us from the plan and we will put it right.
Paid plans
When a plan has a price.
Some plans cost money: a court, a dinner seat, lanes, a class. The price is separate from the hold.
The price covers the thing
You see it before you commit, and you pay it when the plan happens.
A no-show still pays the price
The spot was held for you, and the host already paid for the court or the table.
Host cancels, you pay nothing
If the plan does not happen, you are not charged, and your hold is released.
Reliability
Show up, and your hold gets smaller.
Your Kept rate is the share of plans you kept. Trusted people commit half the usual hold: $5 instead of $10.
People with a pattern of no-shows commit double: $20. Keep a few plans and it comes back down.
- 1NewStandard hold. Everyone starts here.
- 2BuildingStandard hold. Your record starts to show.
- 3ReliableStandard hold. Some plans ask for Reliable.
- 4TrustedYou commit half the usual hold.
Why a deposit? We are testing it, honestly.
The deposit is our bet that a small commitment turns maybes into people who show up. We are measuring it against free signups, and we will publish what we find when there is enough data.
Questions, answered
Is the $10 a charge?
No. It is a hold, sometimes called a pending authorization. Your bank sets the amount aside, but no money moves. When you show up and check in, the hold is released.
What will I see on my card statement?
A pending line from Kept for the hold amount. After the plan it drops off. How long that takes depends on your bank; some banks keep showing a released hold for a few days.
How much is the hold?
Most plans ask for $10. Each activity has a suggested amount, smaller for a coffee and larger for a camping trip, and every plan shows its hold before you commit.
Can I use a debit card?
Yes. With a debit card, the hold can lower your available balance until it is released. If that is a problem, use a credit card.
Where do kept deposits go?
When a hold is kept, 50% goes to the host, because their court or table was booked for you, and 50% goes to Kept. Nobody earns anything when you show up, and that is how it should be.
Do you give refunds?
Holds are released, not refunded, because the money never moved. If you paid for a plan and the host cancels, that payment is refunded to your card. The deposit and refund policy has every case.
If I miss a paid plan, do I still pay?
Yes. The price covers the thing itself, like a court or a dinner seat, and it was held for you. If the host cancels, you pay nothing.
What happens if I do not show up?
The hold is kept. Your spot was saved for you and someone else missed out on it. It also counts in your Kept rate. One miss does not define you, and your rate recovers as you keep plans.