Recurring Bookings

Set up recurring bookings in TidyCal so clients can book repeating sessions on specific days of the week. Available on all plans including the Free plan.

Overview

Recurring bookings let you offer repeating sessions that automatically generate multiple bookings on a set schedule. For example, a weekly coaching session every Monday for 8 weeks. Clients select which day(s) of the week they want to book and a time for each day, then all sessions are created at once.

TidyCal offers two modes under the Packages tab in the booking type editor:

• Recurring bookings — Repeating sessions on selected days (e.g., every Monday and Wednesday for 8 sessions).
• Bundle — A package of multiple individual bookings that the client schedules separately.

This article covers the Recurring bookings mode.

Prerequisites

• A TidyCal account (any plan)
• At least one booking type created
• A connected Stripe account if you want to charge per session (go to Payments)

Setting Up Recurring Bookings

Recurring bookings are configured in the booking type editor by the host. Clients then select their preferred days and times on the booking page.

How to Enable Recurring Bookings

1. Go to Booking Types in the sidebar.
2. Edit the booking type you want to make recurring (or create a new one).
3. Open the Packages tab.
4. Toggle on Enable recurring bookings and bundle.
5. Select Recurring bookings from the two mode buttons.

Configure Recurring Settings

After enabling recurring bookings, configure the schedule:

1. This event repeats — Set how many times per period the event occurs (e.g., 2 times every 1 week).
2. End series after — Set the total number of bookings in the series (default: 8 bookings).
3. Save the booking type.

The description below the settings shows a summary of the configuration, for example: "2 times every 1 week, ends after 8 sessions".

Clients will select which day(s) of the week they want to book, and the bookings will repeat automatically.

Payment Timing Options

If you charge for this booking type, you can choose when clients pay under Payment timing:

• Pay upfront for all bookings — The client pays for all sessions in one payment at the time of booking.
• Pay before each booking (Stripe subscription) — The client's card is saved and charged before each individual session. This option requires Stripe as the payment method.

If you select per-session payments without Stripe connected, you will see: Required: Select Stripe as the payment method in the Pricing & Subscriptions section. and Required: Connect your Stripe account.

Booking a Recurring Appointment

When a client visits a recurring booking type, they see a dedicated booking page instead of the standard calendar view.

Client Booking Workflow

1. The client sees the recurring booking page with day-of-week selectors (Monday through Sunday).
2. The client selects the required number of days. For example, if the host configured "2 times per week," the client must select exactly 2 days.
3. For each selected day, a time dropdown appears. The client selects a time from the available slots.
4. The client clicks to preview the generated dates. This shows all sessions in the series with their dates and times.
5. If the booking type is paid, the client enters payment details.
6. The client confirms the recurring booking. All sessions are created at once.

What the Client Sees

On the booking page, clients see labels including:

• Book every / and every — Day selection prompts
• Select a day... — Day dropdown placeholder
• Select time — Time dropdown placeholder
• Recurring schedule — Preview section heading
• Confirm recurring booking — Final confirmation button (for free bookings)
• Continue to payment — Payment button (for paid bookings)

For paid bookings, the client also sees Price per booking and Total amounts. If paying per session, the note reads: Your card will be charged before each booking.

Managing Recurring Bookings

Cancelling an Individual Session

You can cancel a single session within a recurring series without affecting the other sessions. Each session in the series can be cancelled or rescheduled independently, just like a standard booking.

Cancelling an Entire Series

To cancel all future sessions in a recurring series at once, use the cancel series option. This cancels all sessions that have not yet occurred. Past sessions are not affected.

Both the host and the booker can cancel a series. The cancellation link is available via signed URL in booking confirmation emails.

Rescheduling

Individual sessions within a recurring series can be rescheduled using the standard reschedule flow. However, you cannot reschedule an entire series at once — each session must be rescheduled individually, or you can cancel the series and have the client rebook.

Calendar Sync

Each session in a recurring series is synced to your connected calendar (Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or Apple Calendar) as a separate calendar event. TidyCal does not create a single recurring calendar event — each session appears as its own event so that individual cancellations and reschedules are handled cleanly.

Troubleshooting

Recurring Toggle Not Saving

• Make sure you click Save after toggling recurring bookings on or off.
• If the toggle reverts after saving, try refreshing the page and toggling again. A recent fix (February 2026) resolved an issue where the recurring toggle did not persist when turned off.

Client Sees "Please Select Exactly N Days"

• The client must select exactly the number of days configured by the host. For example, if the host set "2 times per week," the client must pick exactly 2 days.
• Duplicate day selections are not allowed.

No Available Times for Selected Day

• The time dropdown only shows slots that are available for all sessions in the series. If a future date has a conflict, the time slot will not appear.
• Check the booking type's availability schedule to ensure the selected days have open time slots.
• TidyCal accounts for padding time between bookings when calculating available times.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) Warnings

• If a recurring series spans a DST change, TidyCal warns about affected sessions during the preview step.
• Sessions that fall on invalid times due to DST transitions may be skipped automatically.
• Review the preview dates carefully before confirming.

Per-Session Payment Not Working

• Per-session payments require Stripe as the payment method. PayPal does not support per-session billing.
• Make sure Stripe is selected in the Pricing section of the booking type editor.
• Verify your Stripe account is connected at Payments.

If you need help, contact support@tidycal.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Free plan users create recurring bookings?

Yes. Recurring bookings are available on all TidyCal plans, including the Free plan.

Can I cancel just one session in a recurring series?

Yes. Each session can be cancelled independently without affecting the rest of the series.

Can I reschedule an entire recurring series?

No. Individual sessions can be rescheduled one at a time, but there is no option to reschedule the entire series at once. To change the schedule for all remaining sessions, cancel the series and have the client rebook.

What is the difference between Recurring and Bundle?

Recurring bookings create a repeating series on specific days of the week (e.g., every Monday at 10 AM for 8 weeks). Bundle lets the client book a package of sessions that they schedule individually at different dates and times of their choosing.

Do intake form questions work with recurring bookings?

Yes. If your booking type has intake form questions (custom questions the client fills out when booking), the answers are saved for the parent booking and all child sessions in the series. Clients fill out the form once during the initial booking, and the responses are attached to every session.