Avoid paying for an automation plan built on the wrong assumptions.
- Vendors saying they integrate with Playtomic without explaining what that means.
- Time lost planning workflows the public API cannot complete.
- Booking data sitting in exports instead of driving action.
- Technical risk hidden behind broad claims about AI and automation.
- A clear boundary between read-only data access and booking actions.
- Faster technical due diligence with the right questions upfront.
- Reliable reporting, segmentation and communication workflows built on real data.
- Less wasted budget and a safer route from idea to live operation.
What this does for your club
The Playtomic Club API is currently a read-only booking-data interface. Playtomic documents access to the previous 90 days of bookings plus scheduled future bookings, OAuth 2.0 authentication, UTC timestamps and a typical rate limit of one request per minute. It can support reporting, CRM synchronisation, lifecycle segmentation and external communication workflows. It cannot create, update or delete a booking through the documented public API. Any product claiming to change bookings must therefore explain the separate authorised workflow it uses, how permissions are controlled and how failures are recorded.
The short answer
Playtomic's own guide describes the Club API as read-only. An integration can retrieve and analyse booking data, but the documented public API cannot create, update or delete a booking. That makes it a strong data source, not a complete remote control for the manager product.
The guide was updated on 17 August 2026. Playtomic says individual clubs can generate External API credentials in Manager under Settings and Developer Tools. Access is available to single-location clubs on Champion or Master plans and to multi-location operators where each tenant is on one of those plans.
All clubs
Apex Padel · last 30 days
£94,180 from 2,284 bookings · revenue up 8.2% vs previous period
What the API exposes
The documented booking feed includes booking IDs and timestamps, court information, player details, communication preferences and payment information. Playtomic presents CRM synchronisation, analytics, member communications, loyalty and facility integrations as common uses.
- OAuth 2.0 authentication with a client ID and client secret.
- Historical bookings from the previous 90 days and scheduled future bookings.
- A maximum request range of 365 days.
- UTC timestamps that the integration must convert to the club's local timezone.
- A typical rate limit of one call per minute, subject to the current documentation.
What read-only means for club automation
Read-only access is enough to identify lapsed players, measure court utilisation, sync a CRM or trigger an outbound message. It is not enough on its own to confirm a new reservation or alter an existing one through the public endpoint.
Any vendor promising actions inside Playtomic should explain its method, safeguards and failure handling clearly. Ask which actions use the public Club API, which use a different authorised workflow, how permissions are scoped and where every change is logged. Pulse combines Playtomic data with controlled action workflows agreed with the club; it does not describe the read-only API as writable.
A practical due-diligence checklist
- Confirm every location has the required Playtomic subscription tier.
- Keep the client secret on the server and rotate it if exposed.
- Design around the rate limit rather than treating the feed like a live event stream.
- Document timezone conversion before calculating occupancy or revenue by hour.
- Separate data-reading claims from booking-changing claims in vendor evaluations.
Which architecture fits each job?
| Job | Public Club API fit | Important constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Occupancy reporting | Strong | Convert UTC and define sellable capacity before calculating utilisation |
| CRM or lifecycle sync | Strong | Respect communication preferences and the 90-day historical window |
| Campaign audience creation | Strong | The API can identify behaviour; messaging permission is a separate decision |
| Live availability assistant | Limited | A rate-limited booking feed is not the same as a live availability or reservation endpoint |
| Create or change a booking | Not supported publicly | Requires a separately explained and authorised workflow |
A safer implementation sequence
- Confirm plan eligibility and create credentials in Playtomic Manager under Settings and Developer Tools.
- Store the client secret only on the server and document who can rotate it.
- Pull a narrow booking range first, preserve the raw UTC timestamp and add a separate local-time field.
- Create idempotent imports so retrying a request cannot duplicate records or campaign eligibility.
- Monitor token expiry, rate-limit responses, data freshness and gaps before using the feed for decisions.
- Add action workflows only after the read model is reliable and each non-API action has explicit permission and logging.
Important: Playtomic states that there is no separate test environment. Keep initial queries narrow and avoid using an unverified feed to trigger customer messages.
How this guide was prepared
This page was checked line by line against Playtomic's own Club API guide dated 17 August 2026. Claims about access, authentication, data range, timezones, rate limits and write capability come from that primary source. Interpretations about architecture and vendor due diligence are Pulse's analysis and are labelled as such.
Sources and verification
Product capabilities, policies and prices can change. These sources were checked on 29 August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Playtomic API read-only?
Yes. Playtomic's current Club API guide says the API can retrieve and analyse booking data but cannot create, update or delete bookings.
How much Playtomic history is available?
The current guide says the previous 90 days of booking data plus future bookings are available, with a maximum request range of 365 days.
Which Playtomic plans include API access?
Playtomic documents access for Champion or Master plans. For multi-location access, each tenant needs an eligible plan.
Can the public API change a booking?
No. The documented public Club API does not create, update or delete bookings. Ask any automation vendor to explain separately how it performs actions.