Can I create a free booking link and a paid booking link at the same time?

Yes. On Coachful, each session type has its own independent payment settings. You can have a free discovery call session type and one or more paid session types running simultaneously, each with their own unique booking link.

When do I receive payment from a paid booking?

Payments are processed by Stripe at the time of booking and deposited to your connected bank account on Stripe's standard payout schedule — typically 2 business days after the transaction. You can check payout timelines in your Stripe dashboard under Payouts.

Can clients book a paid session without creating a Coachful account?

Yes. Clients can complete a paid booking as a guest — they only need to provide their name, email, and payment details. If they later want to access session notes, recordings, or program materials, they'll be prompted to create an account.

Can I offer discount coupons on a paid booking link?

Yes. When configuring a session type's payment settings, you can attach coupon codes that clients enter at checkout for a percentage or fixed-amount discount. You create and manage coupons under Coach → Settings → Billing & Payments → Coupons.

What happens if a client's payment fails during booking?

If the payment is declined, the time slot is released immediately and the booking is not confirmed. The client will see an error message and can retry with a different payment method. No calendar event is created until payment succeeds.

Can I use my own custom domain for my booking link?

Yes. If you've connected a custom domain to your Coachful workspace, your booking links will automatically use that domain (e.g., book.yoursite.com/book/session-name) instead of the default yourname.coachful.co subdomain.

Does Coachful take a percentage of my session payments?

Coachful does not take a cut of your coaching revenue. You keep 100% of your earnings minus Stripe's standard processing fee (typically 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction for US cards). All payments go directly to your Stripe account.

How to create a paid 1:1 booking link

By Coachful10 min readUpdated Apr 20, 2026

Learn how to create a paid 1:1 booking link on Coachful — connect Stripe, set your price, and let clients book and pay in one seamless flow.

What's covered

What a paid 1:1 booking link does — and why you need one
TL;DR — Quick answer
Before you start: prerequisites
Step-by-step: creating a paid 1:1 booking link
How the client experience works
Setting up a paid booking link for package sessions

What a paid 1:1 booking link does — and why you need one

If you're still sending invoices manually after every discovery call, or chasing clients for payment before a session, you're losing time and leaving money on the table. A paid 1:1 booking link combines your scheduling availability with upfront payment collection into a single URL. Your client clicks it, picks a time, pays, and lands in your calendar — all without you lifting a finger.

On Coachful, paid booking links are built into the Bookings & Scheduling module. You can charge a one-time session fee, set up a recurring package, or offer a discounted intro call — and Stripe handles the money movement directly to your bank account. This guide walks you through every step.

TL;DR — Quick answer

Go to Coach → Bookings → Session Types and create or edit a session type.
Toggle on Require payment, set your price, and connect Stripe if you haven't already.
Copy the generated booking link and share it anywhere — website, email, Instagram bio.
Clients pay at the time of booking; funds land directly in your Stripe account.

Before you start: prerequisites

A paid booking link requires two things to be in place before you configure it. Skipping either one will block payment collection.

1. A connected Stripe account

Coachful uses Stripe Connect to route payments directly to coaches — Coachful never holds your funds. If you haven't connected Stripe yet, go to Coach → Settings → Billing & Payments → Connect Stripe. You'll be redirected to Stripe's onboarding flow, which takes about five minutes. You'll need your business name, bank details, and a government-issued ID for identity verification. Once your Stripe account status shows Active, you're ready.

Need help with Stripe onboarding? Stripe's own Connect onboarding documentation covers every country-specific requirement in detail.

2. Your availability configured

Paid bookings pull from the same availability windows you define in Coach → Bookings → Availability. Make sure you've set your weekly schedule and connected your calendar (Google Calendar or Outlook) so there are no double-bookings. If you skip this, clients will see an empty calendar and won't be able to complete a booking. See How to set up your coaching availability for a full walkthrough.

Step-by-step: creating a paid 1:1 booking link

Open Session Types. From your coach dashboard, navigate to Coach → Bookings → Session Types. You'll see any existing session types listed here, plus a + New Session Type button in the top-right corner.
Create a new session type. Click + New Session Type. Give it a clear name your clients will recognize — for example, "60-Minute Strategy Session" or "Introductory Call (Paid)". The name appears on the booking page, so make it descriptive.
Set the session duration. Choose a duration from the dropdown (15, 30, 45, 60, 90 minutes, or custom). The duration determines how long the calendar slot is blocked.
Configure location / format. Select how the session takes place: Coachful Video (HD video powered by Stream, with an auto-generated join link), Phone call, or a Custom location (e.g., an in-person address or a Zoom link). For most coaches, Coachful Video is the easiest option because the video room opens automatically at session time.
Enable payment. Scroll to the Payment section and toggle on Require payment to book. A pricing form will expand below the toggle.
Set your price. Enter the session fee. Choose your currency — Coachful supports all major Stripe-supported currencies. You can also apply a coupon here if you want to give select clients a discount code without changing your public price.
Choose a payment type. For a single session, select One-time payment. If you want to sell a bundle of sessions (e.g., "5-session pack"), select Package and enter the number of sessions included. Clients pay once and can book individual sessions until the package is exhausted.
Add intake questions (optional but recommended). Scroll to the Intake Form section. Add 2-3 short-answer questions — for example, "What's your main goal for this session?" or "What challenge are you currently facing?" Responses are visible in your booking notification and in the client's session record. This saves you the first 10 minutes of every call.
Set buffer and notice periods. Under Advanced Settings, set a buffer time between sessions (e.g., 15 minutes) and a minimum notice period (e.g., 24 hours). This prevents last-minute bookings that catch you off guard.
Save and copy your link. Click Save Session Type. Coachful generates a unique booking URL in the format yourname.coachful.co/book/session-type-slug (or your custom domain equivalent). Click Copy link and share it wherever your clients are.

Coachful tip: Every session type gets its own shareable link, so you can have a free discovery call link and a paid strategy session link side by side — no separate tools needed. Coachful keeps all your booking types in one place so your clients always land in the right flow.

How the client experience works

Understanding what your client sees helps you set up the link correctly and avoid confusion during checkout.

When a client opens your paid booking link they will:

See your session name, duration, price, and description on a branded booking page.
Pick an available date and time from your calendar.
Fill out any intake form questions you configured.
Enter their payment details in a Stripe-hosted checkout (PCI-compliant, supports all major cards and Apple/Google Pay).
Receive an automatic confirmation email with a calendar invite and — if you chose Coachful Video — a unique video room link.

The entire flow typically takes under two minutes. No account creation is required for the client unless they're already a Coachful member. If payment fails (e.g., a declined card), the time slot is released immediately and the booking is not confirmed.

Setting up a paid booking link for package sessions

Many coaches sell in multi-session packages — for example, a 4-session "Deep Dive" package at a flat rate. Here's how packages differ from single-session bookings:

One payment, multiple sessions. The client pays once. Coachful tracks session credits in their account. Each time they book a session using that session type, one credit is deducted.
Expiry date (optional). You can set an expiry on the package (e.g., credits expire 90 days after purchase) to encourage timely use.
Separate booking links. You can create a separate session type specifically for "package holders" and share that link privately, after the package purchase. Or you can use the same public link and let Coachful handle the credit tracking automatically.

If you offer tiered packages (e.g., a 4-session and an 8-session option), create a separate session type for each tier and price them independently.

Sharing your paid booking link effectively

A booking link only earns revenue if people click it. Here are the highest-converting placements coaches use:

Your Coachful website. Add a "Book a session" button to your homepage, about page, and any service landing page. On Coachful's drag-and-drop website builder, there's a native Booking Button block that embeds directly.
Email signature. Add one line: "Book a session → [link]". Coaches report this alone generates 10-15% of their paid bookings.
Instagram / TikTok bio (link-in-bio). Coachful's built-in link-in-bio page can list multiple booking links alongside your other content. See How to set up your link-in-bio page.
Direct message follow-up. After a free discovery call, send your paid booking link in the follow-up message. Strike while the momentum is high.
Marketplace listing. Coaches on the Coachful marketplace can attach booking links directly to their profile, so prospective clients can book and pay without leaving the directory.

Pro tips for maximizing paid bookings

Write a compelling session description

The booking page shows whatever description you add to the session type. Don't leave it blank. Write 2-3 sentences explaining exactly who the session is for and what the client will walk away with. Example: "A focused 60-minute strategy session for coaches who want to map out their next 90 days of content. You'll leave with a clear content calendar and a plan to attract their first 10 clients." Specificity converts.

Use a cover photo

Upload a professional photo or branded graphic to the session type. Booking pages with images consistently outperform bare-text pages. Use a 1200×630px image for best results.

Set a limited availability window

Scarcity drives action. In Advanced Settings, cap the number of bookings per day or per week. If clients see only 2-3 slots available this week, they book faster.

Best practice: Coaches on Coachful who add intake form questions to paid sessions report higher no-show rates drop by nearly 40% — because clients who've answered questions and paid feel more committed to showing up.

Troubleshooting common issues

Payment toggle is greyed out

This means your Stripe account isn't connected or isn't fully verified. Go to Coach → Settings → Billing & Payments and check your Stripe status. If it shows Pending verification, log into your Stripe dashboard and complete any outstanding identity checks. Stripe typically verifies within 1-2 business days.

Clients say they can't find any available times

Two common causes: (1) Your availability schedule hasn't been set up yet, or (2) your connected calendar has existing events blocking those slots. Go to Coach → Bookings → Availability and confirm your weekly hours are saved. Then open your synced calendar and check for all-day events that might be marking you as "busy".

The booking link shows the wrong currency

Currency is tied to your Stripe account's default settlement currency. If you need to change it, update the currency in your Stripe dashboard under Settings → Business settings. Note that changing your settlement currency may require Stripe support involvement if your account was already active.

Clients aren't receiving confirmation emails

Check that your session type has a confirmation email template enabled under Notifications in the session type editor. Also ask clients to check their spam folder — Stripe receipt emails and Coachful confirmations occasionally end up there on first booking. Whitelisting mail.coachful.co fixes this.

A client paid but the session doesn't appear in my calendar

Go to Coach → Bookings → Upcoming and confirm the session is listed there. If it is, the issue is a calendar sync delay — re-sync manually under Settings → Calendars → Sync now. If the session isn't in Upcoming at all, contact Coachful support with the client's email and booking timestamp so the team can trace the Stripe webhook.

I want to offer a free trial session first, then upsell to paid

Create two separate session types: one free (no payment required) and one paid. Share the free link for discovery calls. After the call, follow up with your paid booking link. You can streamline this entire funnel using Coachful's funnel builder to move clients from a free call to a paid offer automatically.

Ready to start taking paid bookings?

A paid 1:1 booking link is one of the highest-leverage things you can set up as a coach. It eliminates invoice chasing, reduces no-shows, and makes you look polished and professional from the first touchpoint. With Coachful's built-in Stripe Connect billing, your entire booking-to-payment flow lives in one place — no third-party scheduling tools, no separate payment processors, no duct tape.

If you're not yet on Coachful, you can start your free trial and have your first paid booking link live in under 15 minutes. Already a member? Sign in to your workspace and head to Coach → Bookings → Session Types to build yours right now.

Frequently asked questions

Can I create a free booking link and a paid booking link at the same time?: Yes. On Coachful, each session type has its own independent payment settings. You can have a free discovery call session type and one or more paid session types running simultaneously, each with their own unique booking link.
When do I receive payment from a paid booking?: Payments are processed by Stripe at the time of booking and deposited to your connected bank account on Stripe's standard payout schedule — typically 2 business days after the transaction. You can check payout timelines in your Stripe dashboard under Payouts.
Can clients book a paid session without creating a Coachful account?: Yes. Clients can complete a paid booking as a guest — they only need to provide their name, email, and payment details. If they later want to access session notes, recordings, or program materials, they'll be prompted to create an account.
Can I offer discount coupons on a paid booking link?: Yes. When configuring a session type's payment settings, you can attach coupon codes that clients enter at checkout for a percentage or fixed-amount discount. You create and manage coupons under Coach → Settings → Billing & Payments → Coupons.
What happens if a client's payment fails during booking?: If the payment is declined, the time slot is released immediately and the booking is not confirmed. The client will see an error message and can retry with a different payment method. No calendar event is created until payment succeeds.
Can I use my own custom domain for my booking link?: Yes. If you've connected a custom domain to your Coachful workspace, your booking links will automatically use that domain (e.g., book.yoursite.com/book/session-name) instead of the default yourname.coachful.co subdomain.
Does Coachful take a percentage of my session payments?: Coachful does not take a cut of your coaching revenue. You keep 100% of your earnings minus Stripe's standard processing fee (typically 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction for US cards). All payments go directly to your Stripe account.

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