In the Playtomic app, you can book a court, or play an open match:
These are the main differences between a private booking and a open match
Private Booking / Reservation
You are the "owner" of the booking
Use it only if you already have other players to play with
You are responsible for your reservation
You can pay the full part of the court or use the split payment mode
The reservation is PRIVATE
- The reservation follows the club’s cancellation policy. It won’t be cancelled automatically if you haven’t added all players.
- The duration varies depending on how each club has configured their availability. Most clubs offer sessions of 60, 90, or 120 minutes — the minimum and maximum duration available is set by the club individually.
Open Match
Reserve and pay only your spot in the match
Use it to challenge new players from the Playtomic community
You are not responsible for the reservation
Online payment is required
The match is OPEN
- If all four players are not enrolled, the system automatically cancels and refunds the players. Refunds may take between 2 and 10 days depending on your bank.
- Open matches usually last 90 minutes. In some cases where the club only has 60-minute slots available, that will be offered instead.
How many players can join?
Both private bookings and open matches support either 2 or 4 players — this depends on the court size. Single courts are designed for 2 players, while double courts are for 4.
It is not possible to enroll more than 4 players in a match through the app. If you need to arrange a larger group, contact the club directly to check their policies.
For private bookings, if you book a double court you can still play with just 2 players, but the full court price applies regardless. In that case, we recommend using the single payment option rather than split payment, as splitting between 2 players on a 4-player court may cause errors or confusion.
⚠️Note: You can’t convert an Open Match into a Private Booking. You can convert a Private Booking into a Open Match, but specific rules apply. Learn more here: How to convert a Private Booking to a Public Match
Comments
If I made a reservation for a court for four people, would it be okay to bring five people I steady.
Hi Carol! 👋
The best bet is to contact the club directly to see if they allow a fifth person on the court. You can find their details in your booking confirmation email or right on their club profile in the app.
Just a heads-up from the Playtomic side: the app only allows a maximum of 4 players per reservation. If a fifth person joins, they’ll be "off the books," so you’ll need to take turns playing, and the final match results won't quite match the real-life experience.
Have a great match! 🎾
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