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Booking & Payments

This guide explains how students book lessons, purchase packages, and manage payments on voila.fun.

Booking a Lesson​

  1. Open a tutor's profile from the marketplace or from your chat with the tutor.
  2. Click Book a Lesson.
  3. Select an available time slot from the tutor's calendar.
  4. Choose a session duration.
  5. Confirm and submit the booking request.

If the tutor uses Stripe, your payment method is authorized (held, not charged) at booking time. The tutor then confirms or declines the request:

  • Confirmed — the payment is captured, and the lesson is scheduled. You receive a confirmation notification.
  • Declined — the hold is released and you are not charged.
  • Expired — if the tutor does not respond, the hold is released automatically.

Payment Methods​

How you pay depends on the tutor's configured payment mode:

ModeHow it works
StripeYou pay through Stripe at booking. Standard processing.
ExternalPayment happens outside Voila (bank transfer, cash, etc.) as arranged with the tutor.
No paymentNo payment is collected. Applies to friends, family, or trial arrangements.

Your tutor chooses the payment mode. Most tutors use Stripe for online payments.

Session Packages​

Some tutors offer session packages — multi-session bundles at a fixed price (e.g. 10 conversation lessons).

  1. View available packages on the tutor's profile or in your chat.
  2. Purchase a package — the full price is charged at purchase.
  3. The tutor uses sessions from your package when scheduling or completing lessons.
  4. Track your remaining sessions on the Dashboard (Session Packages widget) and in your chat with the tutor.

Packages are available once your relationship with the tutor is Active (not in Exploring state).

Recurring Lessons​

Set up a recurring lesson schedule with your tutor for automatic weekly bookings:

  1. Agree on a recurring schedule with your tutor (e.g. every Tuesday at 14:00).
  2. Approve the recurring payment arrangement when prompted.
  3. Each session is billed automatically.
  4. Either you or the tutor can pause or cancel the recurring arrangement.

If a recurring payment fails, both you and the tutor are notified.

Cancellations and Refunds​

ScenarioWhat happens
You cancel within the tutor's cancellation policyAutomatic refund.
You cancel outside the cancellation policyNo automatic refund (tutor keeps the payment).
Tutor cancels the lessonAutomatic refund.
Tutor declines your bookingPayment hold released, no charge.
Booking expiresPayment hold released, no charge.

Check the tutor's cancellation notice policy on their profile before booking.

Exploring vs Active Relationships​

StateWhat you can do
ExploringMessage the tutor, book trial or single sessions, view profile.
ActiveEverything above plus: buy packages, set up recurring lessons, access advanced features.

You can upgrade to Active when you are ready to commit to ongoing lessons with a tutor. Either you or the tutor can initiate this.