Thinking about joining a gym? Compare fees for seven chains and learn about the fishhooks in their contracts.
Want a gym “to help you achieve your goals” and become your “best self” this year? We've compared the fees for seven gym chains and taken a look at the fishhooks in their contracts.
There’s a huge difference between what you’ll pay at budget gyms versus their higher-end counterparts. Among the seven chains we looked at, membership costs ranged from $410 to a steep $3430 a year.
To get the cheapest deal, you’ll normally have to sign up for a fixed term. City Fitness had the lowest price at $7 a week plus a $49 joining fee. But that price was only available if you joined for 12 months.
Gyms such as City Fitness that position themselves as the budget end of the market (under $10 a week) make a big deal about their 24/7 access: you can work out at midnight if you want. But they’re unlikely to have the same bells and whistles as pricier outfits. They usually have only a couple of staff on duty during the day and are rarely staffed overnight.
Behind the headline prices for cheapie deals, there can also be extra fees. Snap Fitness advertises its gym membership at $9.95 a week. But a direct debit fee of $1.49 is tacked on. The gym also charges a $99 joining fee and a $49 fee for an access card. All up, the cost is $742.88 for a year, or $14.29 a week.
At the other end of the scale is self-styled “fitness innovator” F45, which runs 45-minute high-intensity classes that it claims are the “most effective workout method for burning fat and building lean muscle”. F45 charges between $55 and $66 a week. The price is cheaper if you sign up for longer.
Have you been almost mown down in the street by a pack of enthusiastic, sweaty gym goers? Chances are they were taking a quick circuit out from a garage-based gym.
Often called “boxes”, these outfits are bare bones on facilities and equipment. Their exercise approach is built around structured classes and high-intensity training.
Many are affiliates of a company called CrossFit. They are owner-operated but pay fees to CrossFit and send trainers to mandated courses to use the branding.
Prices aren’t cheap, from $39 to $75 a week. However, contracts are rarely fixed-term.
While it’s easy to sign up, getting out of the deal is often the hard part.
If you’re on a fixed-term contract, you’ll have to pay to quit.
Jetts Fitness charges 95% of the remainder of your membership term. Quitting six months into a 12-month contract will leave you with a bill of $215. Les Mills requires you pay 33% of the money due for the rest of your membership term. Budget offering City Fitness charges $200 or the balance of fees for the remainder of your contract, if that’s less. Habit was the only player that wouldn’t let you terminate. It only lets you transfer your membership, for a fee of $50.
Open-term contracts give you the flexibility to quit without a fee. But the contract may require you to give several weeks’ notice. City Fitness and Snap Fitness both require a month.
Gym (number of branches) | City Fitness (28) | F45 (29) | Flex Fitness (16) | Habit (9) | Jetts (56) | Les Mills (12) | Snap FitnessA (113) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 month contract | |||||||
Price/week ($) | 6.99 | 55.00 | 16.00-20.00 | 27.00 | 8.70 | 26.50 | n/a |
Joining fee ($) | 49.99 | 0.00 | 90.00B | 95.00 | 45.00 | 29.00 | n/a |
Notice to cancel | 4 weeks | varies by location | 10 days | n/a | 1 day | 7 days | n/a |
Cancellation fee ($) | 200.00 | varies by location | 150.00 | n/a | 95% of remaining contract value | 33% of remaining contract value | n/a |
Open-term contract | |||||||
Price/week ($) | 11.99 | 66.00 | 22.00-28.00 | n/a | 10.95 | 27.50 | 9.95 |
Joining fee ($) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 115.00 | n/a | 45.00 | 29.00 | 148.00 |
Notice to cancel | 4 weeks | varies by location | 10 days | n/a | 1 day | 3 days | 30 days |
Cancellation fee ($) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | n/a | 0.00 | 0.00 | Not supplied |
GUIDE TO THE TABLE OUR DATA are from gym websites and contracts. Joining fees include card access fees where charged. ASnap Fitness is the only gym that doesn’t have its contract online. Ba one-off $25 Debitsuccess fee applies in addition to the joining fee. n/a = not applicable.
Alongside steep cancellation fees, unfair terms can also lurk in gym contracts.
Habit’s contract states “we reserve the right to change, alter or adapt timetables or facilities at any time”. But the gym doesn’t give you the option to cancel if the changes don’t suit.
Contracts can also give gyms the right to terminate your membership for minor slip-ups. Les Mills says it can terminate your membership immediately if you pay your fees a day late. In contrast, the gym requires you to give seven days’ notice to quit, even if you’ve come to the end of your membership term.
Gyms have already been put on notice to clean up their contracts. Last year, the Commerce Commission told the industry to get rid of unfair terms that risked breaching the Fair Trading Act. Despite improvements, we’ve found unfair terms continue to turn up.
Unfair terms in gym contracts have been under the gun in other countries with similar legislation to us. Court decisions and guidance by regulators have signalled the following terms are likely to be unfair:
We’ll be a making a complaint to the commission about the unfair terms we’ve found. If you think your gym is trying it on with unfair terms, tell it to shape up. Let us know too: email playfair@consumer.org.nz.
Most major gym chains will offer you a free trial or session to check out the facilities and service. It’s worth making use of these freebies to see if the gym’s right for you.
While you can get a better price and perks signing up for longer, you should factor in what you’re up for if you want to cancel early.
Lunchtime workout sessions in public spaces are becoming more popular and can be cheaper than joining a gym. Check out options in your area.
Some gyms have short cooling-off periods in their contracts. Check the time limit before signing on the dotted line.
Gyms have to provide their services with reasonable care and skill. If your gym falls short, you may have grounds to cancel your contract under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
I joined a gym and paid upfront for a 9mth membership. The gym closed Because of not renewing the lease. I opted for a refund on the 3 mths owing instead of a transfer. It's been 4 months and many e-mails later I have still not received a refund. It's not a large amount of money but feel it's unfair, Also had to pay another membership fee at another gym! Ironically the gym offers financial advice and loans!!
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