Terms and conditions for an online course

An online course is digital content, a service and a promise of results, sold in one checkout. The terms have to capture consent to immediate access, define what the course includes and for how long, say what is promised and what is not, run instalment plans without accidentally providing credit, keep refunds fair and defensible, and govern the community around the course. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Course creators, coaches, educators and training businesses in England and Wales selling self-paced and cohort-based online courses through their own platform or a hosted course platform to consumers and, for professional courses, to businesses.

What matters in online course terms

What the course includes and for how long

The terms should define the course by its modules, recorded and live elements, materials, support and community access, the access period (lifetime of the course, a fixed period, or while a subscription continues), and that the seller may update content and retire the course with notice and a stated remedy. A course sold as 'lifetime access' means the life of the course, and the terms should say so.

Immediate access and the right to cancel

A consumer buying online has a fourteen-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013; for the recorded content the right is lost only where the consumer expressly consents to immediate access and acknowledges losing it under regulation 37, and for live elements the right runs until they start at the consumer's express request under regulation 36. The checkout must capture those, and the terms should say what is refunded if a consumer cancels within the period without having consented.

Results, effort and what is promised

The course is delivered with reasonable care and skill; the terms should say that outcomes depend on the student's effort and circumstances, that no income, grade, job or other result is guaranteed, and that testimonials are genuine examples rather than typical results. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 makes misleading claims directly enforceable and bans fake reviews under Schedule 20, so the sales page and the terms should say the same thing.

Payment plans, refunds and credit

Where the price is paid by instalments, the whole price is payable and the terms should say that access may be suspended if an instalment fails. Allowing a consumer to pay after supply can amount to providing credit, which the Consumer Credit Act 1974 regulates unless an exemption applies, the usual one being article 60F of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 for plans of no more than twelve instalments within twelve months with no interest or charges, so instalment plans need to be structured with that in mind. A refund policy should be stated plainly, fair under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and not a blanket 'no refunds', which is unlikely to be enforceable against a consumer who was let down.

Content licence, community and data

Course content is licensed to the student for personal use under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and may not be shared, recorded or resold, and the terms should say so. Community spaces need conduct rules, moderation and a right to remove a student without refund for serious misconduct. Student data, progress and any recordings of live sessions are governed by the privacy notice, and business buyers of professional courses can be invoiced with interest on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

A student completed the course and then asked for a refund. Do they get one?

Not under the cancellation right if they consented to immediate access and acknowledged losing it, and not under your refund policy if it does not provide one. If the course was not as described, the consumer's rights apply regardless.

Can we offer a payment plan over six months?

You can, but a plan that lets a consumer pay after they have received the course can be regulated credit unless an exemption applies, and the structure matters. Take advice on the plan itself before offering it.

A student is sharing the course videos in a group. What can we do?

If the licence is personal and prohibits sharing, they are in breach and infringing your rights. Suspend access under the terms and require the sharing to stop.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for an e-learning provider
• Terms and conditions for a coaching programme sold online

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.