A survey conducted by Finder.com showed that consumers spent $397 million annually on unused gym memberships. Gym memberships surged after the pandemic as more consumers became health-conscious.
However, foot traffic in commercial gyms experienced a decline in the first quarter of 2024. There appears to be a shift from commercial gyms to home-based workouts via online coaching and virtual exercise classes.
At only $15 monthly, Planet Fitness is an affordable gym. With 2,410 locations worldwide, PF is highly-accessible.
Unfortunately, getting your steps at the park might be easier than getting them on a Planet Fitness treadmill.
A Planet Fitness gym has an average of 6,500 members.
Many of them will be working out at the same hours as you are:
- 6:00 am to 8:00 am
- 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
- 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
We can describe these hours as:
- Before work
- During lunch break
- After work
In short: Peak hours!
If you’re stressing out instead of working out, cancel your Planet Fitness membership and save money.
In this article, we’ll discuss the best alternative to Planet Fitness. The answer is right under your nose!
How to Cancel Your Planet Fitness Membership
You can cancel your Planet Fitness membership in-person or by mail.
To cancel in-person, prepare a cancelation letter and hand-carry it to the Planet Fitness location where you got your membership or your PF home gym. You might be asked to fill out a cancellation form at the front desk.
If you prefer to cancel by mail, send your cancelation letter to the address of your PF home gym.
💡Pro Tip: Cancel your membership before the current subscription period ends to avoid getting charged another month’s fees.
How To Cancel Your Planet Fitness Membership In-Person
You can only cancel your Planet Fitness membership at the PF home gym. Contact your PF home gym and schedule a meeting with the manager.
Follow the steps below to cancel your membership in-person.
1. Prepare a cancelation letter with the subject line “Cancelation.” The address of the PF home gym should be indicated in the letter.
2. Inform Planet Fitness that you want to cancel your membership and explain why.
3. Include the following information to help customer service verify your membership:
- Full name
- Planet Fitness membership number
- Birth date
- Driver’s license
- Mobile number
- Home address
4. Prepare two copies of the letter. The original copy is for the PF home gym; the second is the received copy. The received copy is proof you filed a cancelation request at the PF home gym.
5. Submit the letters to the front desk. Ask the person who received the letters to sign on the second copy.
6. The manager might ask you to reconsider canceling your membership. They might offer special discounts on treatments, PF merchandise, or renewal.
7. Decline their offers and reiterate your decision to cancel your membership.
8. The manager will walk you through the cancelation process, which might include filling out a cancelation form and surrendering your membership card and other PF items that came with your membership.
9. The manager will verify if you have outstanding balances that need to be settled before canceling your membership.
10. If your cancelation request is approved, request a written confirmation that your membership has been canceled.
How to Cancel Your Planet Fitness Membership By Mail
Follow the steps below to cancel your Planet Fitness membership by mail.
1. Prepare a cancelation letter to the PF home gym with the subject line “Cancelation.”
2. Include the following information to help customer service verify your membership:
- Full name
- Planet Fitness membership number
- Birth date
- Driver’s license
- Mobile number
- Home address
3. Inform Planet Fitness that you want to cancel your membership and explain why.
4. Advise PF that you’ll settle any outstanding fees.
5. Request a timeline for canceling your membership.
6. Ask PF to email confirmation that your membership was canceled.
If you haven’t received a response from Planet Fitness within one week of sending your letter, you should visit your PF home gym and ask the manager for an update on your cancellation request.
💡Pro Tip: Send your letter via certified mail at least one week before the current subscription period ends.
Certified mail can be tracked. You’ll know if the PF home gym received your cancelation letter.
What Is Planet Fitness’s Cancelation Policy?
Your Planet Fitness membership renews monthly. You can cancel your membership anytime, but if you don’t cancel before the current subscription period ends, you’ll be automatically renewed for another month.
The same rule applies to a Planet Fitness free trial. If you don’t cancel your membership before the trial period ends, you’ll be automatically enrolled as a member.
You can’t cancel your membership using the app.
Only select types of memberships and PF locations allow canceling memberships online. To find out if you can cancel your membership online, contact your PF home gym or the Membership Services department.
💡Note: Planet Fitness doesn’t offer refunds on canceled memberships.
What Are the Difficulties In Canceling a Planet Fitness Membership?
Canceling a Planet Fitness membership is straightforward.
However, PF is a business that profits from memberships. Cancelations are income losses. It’s natural for PF to implement tactics to get a member to reconsider their decision to cancel.
Members’ issue with PF’s cancelation process is that they often employ delaying tactics that result in automatic renewals.
For this reason, it’s essential to document the cancelation process.
Always request a written confirmation that your membership was canceled. To be sure, produce a second copy of your cancelation letter and have it signed by the person who received it at the home gym.
If you have documentation, you can present it to the bank or credit card company as proof you initiated the cancelation process. Sometimes, the documentation can be enough for the bank to suspend further payments to Planet Fitness.
What Are Alternatives to Planet Fitness?
Planet Fitness’s $15 monthly Classic membership is hard to beat price-wise. Crunch Fitness’s monthly membership ranges from $14.99 to $19.99, depending on the location. YouFit’s membership tiers are listed from $15 to $35 monthly.
On average, the monthly cost of a gym membership is $58. If you sign up for a gym membership, you’ll spend $696 annually.
You don’t have to spend that much money to get fit.
For $1,500, you can build a home gym with the following equipment:
- Squat rack with a pull-up bar
- Barbell
- Barbell plates
- Kettlebells
- Exercise bike
- Rubber floor mats
You can recover the cost of the gym in a little over two years.
The best part is the gym is ALL YOURS.
- No queues
- No traffic
- No parking fees
- No fitness influencers
- You can work out anytime you want
- Listen to your music
- Watch your shows
- Workout with friends and family
If you want to do calisthenics or cardio, walk to the park or run a few laps around the village. Find out from the village association if they’re offering classes in Yoga or Pilates.
The bottom line is you don’t have to join a gym to get healthy and fit.
Remember, health is an investment. Setting up a home gym is an investment in your health.
How to Contact Planet Fitness Customer Service
If you have questions other than how to cancel your PF membership, you can talk to the customer service staff assigned to your branch.
You can also visit the Planet Fitness Membership services page and fill out a contact form.
The operating hours of the Membership Services department are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm EST.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. I’d like to know how to cancel a Planet Fitness Black Card membership and its benefits.
The process of canceling a Black Card membership is the same as that of a regular Planet Fitness membership.
You must prepare a cancelation letter, deliver it to your PF location in person, or send it via certified mail.
2. Can I transfer my Planet Fitness membership to another location?
Yes, assuming you meet the following conditions:
- You’re not a minor.
- You’ve been a member of Planet Fitness for at least 90 days.
- You haven’t transferred your membership in 90 days.
- You have no outstanding dues, financial cosigner, or third-party subsidized membership.
- You don’t have a Paid-in-Full but a membership with a monthly billing schedule.
If you meet the criteria, you can transfer your membership online.
Simply log into your Planet Fitness account to process the transfer of your membership to the new location.
3. How do I upgrade my Planet Fitness membership?
You can upgrade your PF membership online.
Log into your Planet Fitness account and provide your PF Club Pass number.
You can also upgrade your membership at your Planet Fitness location by asking for assistance from the staff at the Front Desk.
4. How do I downgrade my Planet Fitness membership?
You can downgrade your PF membership at your PF branch. A member of the PF staff at the front desk can assist you.
5. Why does Planet Fitness need my checking account when I sign up for a membership?
Planet Fitness requires your checking account because paying via an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is accepted in all locations and is the most convenient mode of payment for members.
Summary
You can cancel your Planet Fitness membership by submitting a cancelation letter to your PF home gym.
You can also cancel your membership by sending your cancelation request via certified mail to the PF home gym.
Staying healthy and fit should be everyone’s priority, but you don’t have to join Planet Fitness or any other commercial gym to get it done. By canceling Planet Fitness, you save $180 annually.
