To cancel a Planet Fitness membership, you generally have to either visit your home club in person or send a signed cancellation letter by certified mail; phone cancellation isn’t offered, and online cancellation only works at some locations. Get your request in by the 10th of the month to avoid being billed again on the 17th, and know that if you’re still inside a 12-month commitment, you’ll owe a buyout fee of roughly $58 on top of your final dues.
The Three Ways to Cancel
In Person at Your Home Club
Walking into the location where you signed up is the most common route. The front desk pulls up your account, has you fill out a cancellation form, and processes it on the spot. Ask for a printed or emailed confirmation receipt before you leave. That receipt is your proof if a charge shows up later. The visit usually takes about ten minutes outside peak hours.
The catch is the “home club” requirement. You have to cancel at the specific gym where you enrolled, not any Planet Fitness. If you’ve moved away, this option is off the table.
By Certified Mail
Mailing a cancellation letter to your home club by certified mail with return receipt requested is the right move if you’ve relocated or just don’t want the in-person conversation. The letter should include your full name, membership ID, date of birth, the address on your account, and a clear statement that you’re canceling. Sign it by hand.
Certified mail with return receipt runs about $9 to $11 and gives you a paper trail. Keep the tracking number and the signed receipt. If the club later says they never got the letter, those documents are your evidence. Planet Fitness typically processes mailed requests within a few business days of receipt.
Online, If Your Club Allows It
Some locations now support online cancellation. Log into your account at planetfitness.com, go to Membership Details, click Manage, and look for a Cancel Membership button. If the button isn’t there, your club doesn’t offer it and you’ll need to use one of the other two methods. When it is available, screenshot or save the confirmation page.
Phone cancellation isn’t a thing. If you call the front desk, they’ll point you to the methods above.
Timing It to Avoid One More Charge
Planet Fitness bills monthly dues on the 17th.1Planet Fitness. Join Planet Fitness For your cancellation to take effect before the next pull, the request needs to reach the club by the 10th. Billing changes can take up to seven business days to process, so submitting on the 11th or later usually means one more charge on the 17th, and that payment isn’t refundable.
The $49 annual enhancement fee is a separate timing trap. It hits once a year on a date tied to when you signed up (often October or November, but it varies). If that date falls before your cancellation is fully processed, you’ll owe it. Pull up your agreement or account details to see the exact schedule, and plan around it.
For certified mail, build in postal time. A letter dropped on the 8th may not arrive by the 10th. Give yourself at least a week of buffer, more if you’re mailing across the country.
If You’re Still in a 12-Month Commitment
Memberships come in two commitment structures. A no-commitment plan rolls month to month and can be canceled any time with just the standard notice. A 12-month commitment plan locks you into a minimum run of monthly payments, and leaving early triggers a buyout fee of approximately $58 on top of your remaining dues for that billing period. The fee is disclosed in the original membership agreement and has to be paid before the account fully closes.
After the 12-month mark, the plan automatically converts to month to month and no buyout applies.1Planet Fitness. Join Planet Fitness If your anniversary date is only a month or two out, waiting it out can be cheaper than paying the buyout plus the final dues.
When the Buyout Fee Can Be Waived
Medical Condition
If a medical issue keeps you from using the gym, Planet Fitness may cancel without penalty. You’ll need a doctor’s note on official letterhead stating the diagnosis, explaining why exercise is inadvisable, and recommending cancellation. It should carry the doctor’s signature and contact information. Submit it at your home club or include it with a certified-mail cancellation letter. Many states’ health club laws independently require gyms to honor medical cancellations backed by a physician’s statement.
Military Orders
Active-duty servicemembers who receive orders for a permanent change of station, or a relocation of 90 days or more to an area the gym contract doesn’t cover, can cancel without an early termination fee under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The contract must have been signed before the orders came through. Deliver a written notice with a copy of the orders to the club. The gym can’t charge a buyout, and any prepaid amount covering time after the termination date has to be refunded within 60 days.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3956 – Termination of Certain Consumer Contracts
Relocation
Many states have health club laws that allow penalty-free cancellation if you move a set distance from your gym, often 25 miles or more. The exact distance, the proof required (a utility bill or lease, typically), and any capped cancellation fee vary by state. Send your cancellation by certified mail along with proof of your new address. Your state attorney general’s website lists the specific rules.
Death of a Member
A family member or estate representative can close a deceased member’s account by submitting a certified copy of the death certificate along with proof of relationship or legal authority, such as being an executor or next of kin. No buyout fee applies. Documentation can go to the home club in person, by mail, or by fax, and processing usually takes three to seven business days.
Freezing Instead of Canceling
If the reason you want out is temporary, travel, injury, a tight month, a freeze may serve you better. Most locations allow freezes of one to three months, and some will approve up to six months. Monthly dues pause during the freeze, though some franchises charge a maintenance fee in the $5 to $10 range.
The $49 annual enhancement fee can still hit during a freeze. If the annual date falls while you’re paused, you’ll owe it. Freezes are handled at the club level, so visit or call your home club to set one up; there’s no certified-mail route for a freeze.
If You Keep Getting Billed After You Cancel
Most frustration with Planet Fitness cancellation comes from charges that keep appearing after you thought you were done. Start by contacting the home club with your cancellation receipt or certified mail return receipt in hand. It’s often a processing delay rather than anything deliberate.
If the club won’t fix it, you have options. For credit card payments, file a billing dispute under the Fair Credit Billing Act. You generally have 60 days from the statement date to dispute an unauthorized charge with your card issuer. For bank account debits, contact your bank, revoke authorization for future payments to Planet Fitness, and consider a formal stop payment order (banks usually charge a fee for one). If a payment goes through after you’ve revoked authorization, federal law lets you recover those funds as long as you notify your bank promptly.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Stop Automatic Payments From My Bank Account
One warning: blocking payments at your bank doesn’t cancel the contract. If you shut off payments without formally canceling, the unpaid balance can be sent to collections and damage your credit. Cancel the membership first, confirm it’s processed, then block payments as a backstop.
If direct contact and chargebacks don’t resolve it, file a complaint with your state attorney general’s consumer protection division. Most states have health club laws with specific cancellation protections, and a formal complaint tends to move faster than another call to the front desk.