Accepting or declining a request

What happens when you receive a request

When someone sends you a session request on SkillSwap, it appears in two places:

• Inside your chat with that person, as a session request card
• On the Calendar → Requests tab

At this point, the session is in a Requested state and you control what happens next.

Your options: Accept, Decline or Discuss

You always have three options when you receive a request:

• Accept — confirm the session and lock in the time
• Decline — politely say no to that specific request
• Reply in chat — ask questions or suggest changes before deciding

Accepting a request

Click Accept on the request card if the time, skill and duration work for you. When you accept:

• The session moves from Requests to Upcoming
• The learner’s reserved Skill Points (SP) are deducted
• Both of you can see the session details in your Calendar
• A confirmation message is shown in the chat

Once confirmed, neither side can change the time directly — you'll need to cancel and create a new request if something changes.

Declining a request

If the time doesn't work or the topic isn't a good fit, click Decline. When you decline:

• The session is marked as Declined
• The learner's reserved SP are released back to their balance
• The request disappears from your Upcoming list

Declining a request doesn't block the person or end your match — you can still chat, stay matched, and schedule a different session later.

Discussing changes in chat

Not sure yet? Use chat to clarify expectations before accepting. Common situations include:

• You prefer a different time or date
• You want to adjust the duration
• You want more context about what the learner needs

In these cases, you can reply in chat, agree on new details, and ask the learner to send an updated request.

When should you decline?

It's perfectly okay to decline if:

• The topic is outside your comfort zone
• The timing clashes with other commitments
• Communication didn't feel clear or respectful

You're never required to accept a session — SkillSwap is built to respect your time and boundaries.

What the learner sees

• If you accept, they see a confirmation in chat and on their Calendar
• If you decline, they see that the request was declined and their SP are released

Related articles

• Requesting a session
• Cancelling & rescheduling
• Session status explained