How to Cancel an Anytime Fitness Membership

Joining Anytime Fitness can be an excellent step towards achieving personal health and fitness goals thanks to their 24/7 availability and widespread locations. However, there might come a time when you need to cancel your membership, whether due to relocation, financial changes, or simply a shift in your fitness routine. This article will guide you through the proper steps to ensure you can cancel your Anytime Fitness membership effectively and avoid any potential complications or misunderstandings.

Introduction to Anytime Fitness

Anytime Fitness is a popular 24-hour gym franchise with over 4,000 locations worldwide. They appeal to busy people due to their extensive gym hours and range of convenient locations. When you join an Anytime Fitness gym, you sign a legally binding membership agreement. This agreement outlines the terms and conditions, including the cancellation policy. Therefore, it’s important to follow the correct cancellation procedure when you decide to end your membership.

Reasons to Cancel an Anytime Fitness Membership

There are several common reasons that people decide to leave Anytime Fitness and cancel their membership, including:

• Relocation: You are moving and there are no nearby Anytime Fitness gyms at your new address.
• Financial Changes: Canceling for financial reasons if you can no longer afford the fees.
• Lifestyle Changes: Your schedule or fitness routines have changed, limiting your ability to use the gym.
• Quality/Service Issues: You are dissatisfied with the cleanliness, equipment, staff or policies at your particular Anytime Fitness location.
• Switching Gyms: You found a new gym (e.g. more affordable, better equipment) that better fits your needs.

No matter what the reason, following the proper cancellation process is very important when leaving Anytime Fitness.

How to Cancel an Anytime Fitness Membership

Anytime Fitness makes it clear that the only way to cancel your gym membership is to submit written notice by mail or in person at your home gym location. So whether you joined directly via Anytime Fitness or through a third party (e.g. gympass), you must inform your home gym location to successfully cancel.

Here is a step-by-step guide to canceling your Anytime Fitness membership:

Step 1: Review your membership agreement

The first step is to review your original membership agreement and take note of the relevant cancellation terms and conditions, as well as the notice period required. This ensures you understand the cancellation process and avoid any cancellation penalties or additional fees.

Step 2: Know your deadlines

You need to provide written cancellation notice by a specific deadline each month for cancellation to take effect the following month. The deadline is generally around 10 days prior to your next billing date. So you’ll need to plan ahead and prepare your written notice for submission.

Step 3: Write a cancellation letter

The written notice must clearly state your intent to permanently cancel your membership. The letter should include:

• Your full name
• Current address
• Member numbers
• reason for cancellation
• Final requested billing date

Keep the letter concise, while ensuring all relevant info is included. Print the cancellation letter to provide written notice to your gym location.

Step 4: Deliver written cancellation notice

The next step is to deliver your written cancellation notice to your home Anytime Fitness gym location. This must be done either:

1. In person to the gym staff
2. Sent via postal mail

Email or verbal notice is NOT sufficient. Your letter must arrive via mail or be handed directly to gym staff. Get a receipt as proof if giving your letter in person.

Step 5: Confirm receipt of notice

Politely request (in person or via a phone call) that the staff confirm they’ve received your written cancellation notice and have processed the cancellation. Get the name of the staff member you spoke with and keep for your records.

Step 6: Enjoy final month of access

Per Anytime Fitness policy, you will have full gym access until the cancellation takes effect at the end of your next billing cycle. So you can continue using the facilities until your final month of membership is complete.

Step 7: Ensure account cancellation

Check your final month’s bill to ensure you have not been charged any cancellation fees and that your membership has been cancelled as expected without issue. If charged an additional month, contact Anytime Fitness immediately to get this corrected and receive a refund.

Helpful Tips for Canceling an Anytime Fitness Membership

Follow these useful tips to ensure a smooth and successful cancellation process:

• Don’t cancel verbally. All notices must be written and submitted properly.
• Plan ahead and know the monthly cancellation deadlines.
• Be polite to staff when submitting/confirming cancellation.
• Keep copies of all cancellation documentation.
• Check final billing cycle for inaccuracies.
• Contact corporate customer service if issues arise with a cancellation.

What If My Home Gym Refuses to Cancel My Membership?

While most Anytime Fitness locations will cancel your membership without issue after receiving proper written notice, problems occasionally arise. If your home gym refuses cancellation, disputes the notice or claims to have not received your letter, take the following recommended steps:

1. Politely but firmly reiterate your cancellation notice to the manager in writing. Get signed receipt.
2. Present copies of your original cancellation letter and any documentation supporting your cancellation efforts.
3. Contact Anytime Fitness corporate customer service to notify them of the issue preventing your cancellation. Corporate can assist with properly processing the cancellation.
4. As a last resort, consult with an attorney and send a legal notice demanding cancellation.

With persistence and the help of corporate customer service, you can get the cancellation dispute resolved without needing to take legal action.

Alternative Option – Transferring Memberships

Rather than fully canceling, Anytime Fitness also provides the option to transfer your membership to a different participating franchise location in their network. Reasons you may want to utilize the transfer option rather than outright canceling include:

• Moving Locations: Transfer to a new gym near your new home rather than canceling after a relocation.
• Location Dissatisfaction: Try a different Anytime Fitness location rather than leaving their gyms fully if you have issues with just one particular location.

When transferring, you will need to choose your new location in advance and complete transfer paperwork with your new gym prior to leaving your current location. Transfers also require providing notice by the monthly deadline.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• 24/7 Access: The biggest pro of Anytime Fitness is access to the gym 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This convenience suits people with busy, irregular schedules who want to exercise outside standard hours.
• National Network: With over 4,000 Anytime Fitness locations across numerous countries, members can access any participating gym in their network when traveling.
• Reciprocal Use: In addition to Anytime Fitness gyms, members also have access rights to affiliated gyms like Fitness 19 and Republic Fitness as part of the reciprocal use program. This further expands gym access when away from home.
• Hygienic Facilities: Locations tend to be cleaner and better maintained than a typical big box gym, with commercial grade cleaning systems and protocols in place.
• Consistent Branding: Most locations adhere to consistent branding standards for a familiar member experience regardless of which Anytime Fitness you are visiting or using as a home gym.

Cons

• Higher Price Point: Compared to big gym chains, Anytime Fitness membership dues tend to cost more per month, especially for single club access that just includes one location.
• Amenity Variances: While branding and layout tend to be uniform, specific amenities, classes and equipment do vary significantly between franchise locations.
• Upselling Culture: Aggressive sales demands are placed on Anytime Fitness staff, which often leads to persistent upselling attempts to existing members.
• Billing Issues: Recurring complaints involve unauthorized charges and difficulty cancelling memberships under various shady pretenses from certain franchise owners.
• Limited Support Hours: Though facilities may operate 24/7, Anytime Fitness staffing and customer support availability tend to be minimal outside standard business hours.

FAQs

Conclusion

Canceling or transferring an Anytime Fitness membership is a very straightforward process if you follow policy guidelines. By informing your home gym location in writing prior to deadlines and confirming cancellation receipt, you can terminate your contract smooth and effectively. If disputes arise, utilize corporate customer service resources to assist with full cancellation. With the proper protocol, you can move forward from Anytime Fitness smoothly and efficiently.