Coach grant vs direct paid vs admin grant

The three sources

Premium tier comes from one of three independent sources, recorded in UserProfile.premium_source:

• direct_payment: the athlete paid the $49 / yr fee themselves.
• coach_grant: a coach is comping the athlete.
• admin_grant: a Yousuli admin granted it (beta period, sponsorship).
• yousuli_co_sync: legacy import from the marketing site.

The role flip to premium_athlete is the same regardless of source. What differs is who controls it, how long it lasts, and what happens when other things change.

Direct payment

• Set by: the athlete via /settings/billing/.
• premium_until: today + 365 days at purchase, then renews annually.
• premium_granted_by: NULL (no granter).
• Survives all of these:
• Switching coaches.
• The previous coach ending their relationship.
• A coach grant being revoked.
• Admin grant ending.
• Ends when: the athlete cancels OR the subscription fails to renew.

Coach grant

• Set by: the coach via the Coach grant premium toggle on the athlete profile.
• premium_until: typically set to the coach's billing_until (i.e. while the coach has paid access). Can be shorter if the coach revokes early.
• premium_granted_by: the coach's user record.
• Survives all of these:
• The athlete's coach relationship continuing.
• Other coaches starting or ending their own grants.
• Ends when:
• The coach toggles the grant off.
• The athlete switches to a different coach (the previous coach's grant revokes automatically; the new coach can grant fresh if they choose).
• The coach's own paid access expires.
• Counts toward: the coach's premium-athlete count for the rebate calculation. See Billing and subscription.

Admin grant

• Set by: a Yousuli admin via the admin interface.
• premium_until: whatever date the admin sets, typically tied to a beta period or sponsorship contract.
• premium_granted_by: the admin's user record.
• Survives coach changes and grants from coaches.
• Ends when: the admin revokes or premium_until passes.

When sources overlap

If multiple sources would apply (e.g. coach grant plus direct payment), only one is recorded in premium_source at a time. The system uses the most recently set source.

When deciding what to do on an event (coach revokes, relationship ends, etc.), the system checks the recorded source:

• If premium_source = 'coach_grant' and that coach revokes or the relationship ends, premium ends.
• If premium_source = 'direct_payment' and the coach revokes their grant, nothing changes, because the recorded source is the direct payment, not the coach grant.

This is why an athlete who pays directly is insulated from any coach change.

Practical implications

For athletes

• If you want to be sure your premium does not depend on any one coach, pay directly.
• If your coach offers a grant and you trust the relationship, the coach grant is free and equivalent in features.
• Both are equivalent for daily use; only the durability differs.

For coaches

• Grant premium to athletes who would not otherwise pay and whom you want on the full feature set.
• Skip grants for athletes who already pay directly (the grant adds no value; the rebate threshold tracks active grants, not premium athletes total).
• If you take over an athlete from another coach who was granting, you can grant fresh or you can let the athlete pay if they prefer.

For admins

• Grants are typically short-window (beta, sponsorship). Keep premium_until consistent with the grant intent.

See also: Free vs Premium athlete, Granting premium access, Switching coaches explained, Billing and subscription.