> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.whetstone.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Book an Insured Advisory Session

> Choose a package, pick a time from your advisor's calendar, and pay. Learn what happens to your money between booking and completion.

Once you have chosen an advisor, booking is three decisions: which package, which time, and paying for it.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose a package">
    Whetstone sells fixed packages, not hourly time. Each has a written scope saying exactly what it covers. See [session packages](/billing/session-packages) for what is on offer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a time">
    Below the packages you will see the times your advisor has opened. Pick one and it is reserved for you. All times are shown in one consistent time zone, labelled on screen — the time you see is the time your advisor sees.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pay">
    Checkout shows you the advisor, the package and its scope, the date and time, the total, and the insurance statement. Payment is taken on a secure page run by Stripe.
  </Step>

  <Step title="You're confirmed">
    You and your advisor both get a confirmation email, and the booking appears on your **Bookings** page.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What "payment is held" means

This is the part people ask about most, so plainly:

**Your money does not go to the advisor when you pay.** It goes to Whetstone and is held there. The advisor is paid only after the work is done *and you have confirmed it*. If something goes wrong before then, the money is still sitting where it can be refunded.

```
You pay  ──►  HELD by Whetstone  ──►  released to advisor after you confirm
                     │
                     └──►  refunded to you if the engagement doesn't go ahead
```

## The scope is fixed at booking

The scope description is **copied onto your booking at the moment you book**. If Whetstone later changes what that package includes, your booking is unaffected. What you agreed to is what you get.

<Warning>
  Scope is fixed at booking and cannot be changed afterwards. If your needs shift, book a new package with a fresh scope rather than stretching this one.
</Warning>

## Multi-session packages

For a three-session engagement, only the **first** session is scheduled at checkout. You book the rest yourself from the same list of your advisor's published times, using the **Schedule a session** panel on the booking once it is paid for.

Neither of you can put time in the other's diary without them: the advisor decides what is on offer, you decide which of it you take.

## If you close the page or your card is declined

Nothing is lost, for a while. Your booking sits on your **Bookings** page marked **Awaiting payment**, with your time still reserved.

It does not wait forever, because that slot is time nobody else can book:

* **After 3 hours**, you get a reminder email with the deadline in it.
* **After 24 hours**, the unpaid booking is cancelled and the time goes back to your advisor.

Nothing is charged at any point along the way.

<Note>
  Checkout will refuse a session whose start time has already passed. You cannot pay full price for a session that has been and gone — pick a new time instead.
</Note>

## What it costs you

The package price, and nothing more. Whetstone's commission comes out of the advisor's side, not on top of yours. There is no booking fee, no membership, and no charge for posting a challenge or getting a shortlist.

## Related articles

* [Session packages](/billing/session-packages)
* [What to expect in your session](/owners/what-to-expect)
* [Payments and receipts](/billing/payments-and-receipts)


## Related topics

- [How Whetstone Works](/getting-started/how-whetstone-works.md)
- [What to Do After Your Advisory Session](/owners/after-your-session.md)
- [What to Expect During Your Advisory Session](/owners/what-to-expect.md)
- [How Whetstone Session Packages Work](/billing/session-packages.md)
- [Frequently asked questions about Whetstone](/support/faq.md)