Do you have to cancel planet fitness membership in person

Every January, gyms and fitness facilities across the United States see a jump in enrollment. Swayed by New Year’s resolutions about health and low introductory rates, optimistic gym newbies make big commitments. Sadly, most gym members who join in January will quit within five months.

Jump ahead to these sections:

• How to Cancel Your Own Planet Fitness Membership
• How to Cancel a Deceased Loved One’s Planet Fitness Membership

If you’re one of the thousands of Americans who has taken part in this cycle, you may have learned a tough lesson: canceling a gym membership is hard! While it’s super simple to sign up for a gym membership with a recurring monthly payment, gyms don’t make cancelation so easy. Here, we break down the steps you must take to cancel a Planet Fitness gym membership, for yourself or a loved one who passed away. 

How to Cancel Your Own Planet Fitness Membership

There are many reasons why you might cancel a gym membership. You could be injured. You may find that you prefer exercising outdoors. The world could be in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic. You know, normal reasons. Whatever your motivation, here are the steps to cancel a gym membership at Planet Fitness. 

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Step 1: Familiarize yourself with your contract

Many times when people sign up for gym memberships, they are swayed by the promise of low monthly rates. In some cases, that lower rate is only available if you sign up for a particular period of time. That might be six months or a year. Before starting the cancelation process, it’s important to be sure you understand just what you signed up for. 

If it turns out that you are committed for a longer period of time, make a calendar notification to remind you what date you’re eligible to cancel. When you see that reminder pop up, you can move onto the next steps. 

If there are verifiable reasons why you can no longer fulfill your gym contract, you may be able to break it without assessing additional fees. If your job transfers you to a new location and there are no Planet Fitness franchises nearby, you can opt out with proper documentation. You may also be able to get a doctor’s note if you have an injury that prevents you from being able to use the gym. Your contract should have specific details about what you need to provide. 

Step 2: Compile necessary information

Most gyms provide membership cards or key fobs so that customers can get easily scanned in and out at the door. If you have one of those, keep it handy—it likely contains your membership number. You should also have your social security number and driver’s license number available.

Step 3: Choose your cancelation method

Many gyms will not accept cancelations via phone or online means. They require you to come in person or to submit a certified letter. Planet Fitness is one of those gyms. There are pros and cons to both options.

If you decide to cancel in person, you’ll go to your Planet Fitness location and ask to cancel your membership. You should be provided with a membership cancelation form to fill out. Go ahead and fill out that form and sign it. You should also take a picture of the cancelation form with your smartphone for your personal records. Hand in the cancelation form and then ask for them to email you confirmation of your canceled membership. 

While in-person notification may be the easier of the two options, it’s not without risk. You have to put some level of trust in the process. If an employee misplaces your form or doesn’t process it in a timely manner, you may end up paying for an extra month or more of unwanted membership. 

The alternative cancelation method is to send a certified letter to your specific Planet Fitness location. The letter should include a clear and explicit request to cancel the membership, along with an effective date of cancelation. It should also include the following details:

• Your full name
• Your Planet Fitness membership number
• Your date of birth
• Your address
• Your phone number
• Your email address
• If you have a recurring payment set up, you should include the last four numbers of the credit card number associated with your membership

Sign the cancelation letter and mail it as a certified letter. Certified mail can be easily tracked by the United States Postal Service, which can give you proof of delivery in case you need it. The company should reach out to you to confirm your cancelation within a week or so.  

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Step 4: Make sure your cancelation went through

Unfortunately, there have been cases of people who have tried to cancel a gym membership only to find out later they were still being billed. Keep an eye on your credit card or bank statements to make sure that any automatic debits or charges have indeed been canceled. Also, remember that it can take up to seven business days to process the cancelation. If you’re too close to your usual automatic payment, it will cost you an extra month of membership fees.  

How to Cancel a Deceased Loved One’s Planet Fitness Membership

When people die, they don’t always have enough warning to get their affairs in order. Their next of kin or the person taking on executor duties often have to cancel accounts and memberships. 

Post-planning tip: If you are the executor for a deceased loved one, we have a post-loss checklist that will help you ensure that your loved one's family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.

If you’re worried about the deceased credit card being billed, a good first step is to cancel their credit cards. This will prevent Planet Fitness, and any other organizations with the deceased’s card on file, from future charges.

But even with credit cards canceled, you may still wish to cancel the deceased’s gym membership. Here are the steps to canceling a Planet Fitness membership on behalf of a deceased loved one.  

Step 1: Acquire proof of death

Planet Fitness will allow you to cancel an account for a deceased person. According to their FAQs, they just require written proof, though they don’t specify what that means. A copy of the death certificate would be sufficient. 

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Step 2: Send a written cancelation letter by certified mail

If you’re acting as executor, you may not be close enough to a gym to terminate the membership in person. Instead, write a letter to officially notify them that the account should be closed due to death. Mention that the death certificate will be enclosed. Other information you should include is:

• The full name of the deceased
• The Planet Fitness membership number. If you have it
• The deceased’s day of birth
• The address of the deceased
• Your contact information (phone and email) in case they have questions

Be sure to include a copy of the death certificate along with your email. Then, send it all certified so there is proof of delivery.  

Get Moving on Canceling Your Gym Membership

If you’ve ever had a gym membership, you already know you may need to jump through some hopes when it’s time to cancel. Whether you’re canceling your own membership or taking care of someone’s digital afterlife, it’s never just a simple phone call. But if you follow these steps, you should be able to make sure your bank account is a little heftier each month.