Skip to content

How Auto-Waitlist Enrollment Works

When a class fills up, Zipper can automatically move the next person on the waitlist into the class — no staff action needed.

What Auto-Waitlist Enrollment Does

When a registered member cancels their spot, Zipper:

  1. Looks at the waitlist in order (first in, first out)
  2. Promotes the first eligible waitlisted member to a confirmed registration
  3. Sends that member a notification that they’ve been registered
  4. Charges them (or uses their credit) automatically

This happens without any staff action.

Prerequisites

  • The class must have a waitlist enabled — configured per class in Schedule > Classes → Edit.

The Edit Class page where capacity and waitlist behavior are configured per class

  • Ensure the waitlisted member has a valid payment method or eligible credits on file
  • Confirm the cancellation must happen before registration closes (if a close window is set)

What Happens to the Promoted Member

When auto-enrollment fires:

  • If using a booking credits or subscription credit: The credit is applied, and registration is confirmed
  • If paying drop-in: The charge processes automatically on their saved card
  • If payment fails: The member is removed from the waitlist and the next person is promoted

The promoted member receives:

  • A notification that they’ve been registered (email, SMS, or push depending on notification settings)
  • A booking confirmation with class details

Canceling From the Waitlist

Customers can remove themselves at any time and receive their Booking Credit back immediately.

Admin View of the Waitlist

  • Navigate to: Schedule > Calendar → click the class → Manage registrations
  • The waitlist tab shows members in order; use Promote from waitlist to manually promote someone

Tips

  • Waitlist order: First-come, first-served.
  • Skip the waitlist: Use Add registration without payment (admin calendar booking) to add someone regardless of order.

Troubleshooting

Spot opened but no one was promoted? Check: (1) auto-enrollment is enabled on the class, (2) the waitlisted member had a valid payment method, (3) the registration window was still open.

Member was charged but didn’t want the class? This is expected — waitlist enrollment charges automatically. Refund from the customer’s billing profile if needed.

Need a hand?

Email our team at support@joinzipper.com and we'll usually reply within a few hours.

Was this article helpful?