How do I add bookings to my website?
Create a service, assign staff, and set availability. Then add the Core Bookings block to a page or share the standalone service link. No custom code is needed for the native booking form.
Can I use it on client sites?
Yes. Both the lifetime and yearly licenses allow unlimited site activations. Each installation manages its own bookings, staff schedules, and license activation.
Can I offer both appointments and group sessions?
Yes. Use one-to-one services for individual appointments or group sessions with a seat limit. Each service can have its own duration, staff, and payment rules.
How do availability and timezones work?
Set weekly working hours, split shifts, date-specific overrides, time off, buffers, minimum notice, and the booking window. Customers can choose their timezone; you review appointments in your WordPress timezone.
Can customers reschedule or cancel?
Yes. Customers use private management links to change or cancel an appointment within your cutoff. They can also sign in by email to a dashboard with booking history, payment status, pack credits, and book-again links.
Will the booking form match my theme?
It inherits your theme's font family. The block editor lets you adjust text, colors, spacing, corners, and layout, as well as the fields you display.
Does it send confirmation emails and reminders?
Yes. Customize the plain-text confirmation and reminder templates using booking placeholders. Core Bookings queues delivery and lets you review email issues. Reliable delivery depends on your WordPress mail configuration and scheduled jobs.
Can I import existing appointments?
Yes. Use a Core Bookings JSON export or a CSV file with the Calendly, Acuity, or custom mapping option. Review duplicates, conflicts, and mappings before importing. Imports do not send booking notifications.
Will my lifetime license change after beta?
No. A lifetime license bought during beta keeps its lifetime validity and unlimited site allowance. There is no recurring license fee, and lifetime updates are included.
Can I pay in my local currency?
The offer is shown in USD. Supported local currencies are available at checkout, where you can review the final amount before paying.
How do I get updates and support?
Activate your license in WordPress to receive available plugin updates. Your account provides the plugin download and license key; use the Product Support page when you need help.
Does cancelling an appointment issue a refund?
No. Cancellation and refunding are separate actions. Managers can request Stripe booking refunds from Core Bookings and track their processing status. Session-pack refunds are initiated in Stripe; partial pack refunds require staff review.
Can I sell recurring sessions or prepaid packs?
Yes. A recurring booking can reserve up to twelve one-to-one sessions, one to four weeks apart. Session packs let customers buy service-specific credits through Stripe and redeem them for appointments. Packs are prepaid credits, not automatically renewing subscriptions.
What happens when a session is full?
Enable a waitlist for the service. Customers verify their email, then receive a private offer when an eligible space opens. The offer reserves capacity for up to 15 minutes. Joining the waitlist does not create a confirmed appointment or take payment.
Can I approve requests before taking payment?
Yes. Enable approval for a service to review requests before confirmation. Online payment starts only after approval. You can also offer automatic staff assignment from the available staff members assigned to the service.
Which calendars and video tools can I connect?
Staff can connect one Google account each, select multiple calendars for conflict checks, and choose a destination calendar for bookings. Services can create Google Meet or Zoom meeting links. Zoom requires your own Server-to-Server OAuth app. Customers also get calendar downloads and Google/Outlook add-event links; Outlook synchronization is not included.
Do I need Core Forms?
No. Core Bookings includes its own booking form. If you use Core Forms, you can add a selected intake form to the private booking page and attach selected answers to the appointment. Customers do not have to copy a booking code. File attachments are not copied into Core Bookings.
Can customers pay a deposit and settle the balance later?
Yes. Configure a deposit with Stripe Checkout. After the deposit is verified, the customer can choose Pay remaining balance on their private booking page. Core Bookings does not charge the remaining balance automatically.
What should I set up before accepting bookings?
Configure your services, staff, availability, mail delivery, and scheduled jobs. Add your Stripe, Google, or Zoom credentials for the integrations you use, then test those flows on staging with your own accounts before accepting customer bookings.
What does my WordPress site need?
Core Bookings requires WordPress 6.9 or newer, PHP 8.3 with Sodium, and MySQL or MariaDB with InnoDB. Scheduled reminders depend on your site's cron setup.
