To cancel a Planet Fitness membership, you have two options: show up in person at your home club, or mail a signed cancellation letter to that same club. Phone, email, app, and chat cancellations are not accepted at most locations. The paperwork is simple. The timing is what trips people up: your cancellation has to reach the club by the 10th of the month, or you’ll be billed again on the 17th.
Cancel in Person at Your Home Club
The fastest way out is walking into the Planet Fitness where you originally signed up. A different branch cannot process the cancellation, so if you’ve moved, you’ll need to mail your request instead.
Bring a valid photo ID. Ask the front desk for a cancellation form and fill in your name, address, membership ID number, and signature. Before you leave, ask for a printed or emailed confirmation. That receipt is your proof the cancellation was submitted, and you will want it if a charge shows up afterward.
A handful of locations, primarily in California where state law requires it, offer an online cancellation option. Treat that as the exception.
Cancel by Certified Mail
If you can’t get to your home club, send a cancellation letter directly to that club’s address. Do not mail it to Planet Fitness corporate. The letter needs to include your full name, phone number, email address, home club location, membership ID (found on your key tag or in your online account), and a clear statement that you are requesting cancellation. Date it, sign it by hand, and keep a copy.
Use USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested. Planet Fitness doesn’t require it, but the tracking number proves when you mailed the letter and the return receipt proves someone at the club signed for it. If a billing dispute shows up weeks later, that green card is often the difference between winning and losing the argument.
The Billing Deadlines That Decide Your Last Charge
Planet Fitness drafts monthly dues on the 17th of each month. For your cancellation to stop the next draft, the club must receive it by the 10th. That gives the billing system seven business days to process the change. Cancel on the 11th and you’re paying for another month.
The annual enhancement fee is a separate charge, typically $49 (sometimes $39 at certain locations), billed once a year on a date set in your membership agreement. To avoid it, your cancellation has to be processed by the 25th of the month before that fee is due. If the annual fee hits in July, the club needs your cancellation by June 25th. Miss the window and the charge is generally non-refundable.
Two dates matter. The 10th of the month for monthly dues, and the 25th of the month before your annual fee date. Put them on a calendar before you do anything else.
The $58 Buyout Fee on 12-Month Plans
Some Planet Fitness memberships, depending on the offer accepted at signup, include a 12-month commitment. Canceling one of those plans before the 12 months are up triggers a $58 buyout fee, which is charged during the cancellation process itself. You’ll need to settle it before the termination goes through.
Month-to-month memberships carry no buyout fee. You cancel, finish the current billing cycle, and you’re done.
If you’re a month or two from the end of your commitment, do the math. The remaining monthly dues may be less than $58, in which case riding out the contract and then canceling costs less than paying the buyout.
Medical Waivers of the Buyout Fee
If a medical condition prevents you from exercising, Planet Fitness may waive the buyout fee or allow cancellation outside the normal terms. Approval requires a doctor’s note on official letterhead that includes your full name and date of birth, a medical diagnosis, an explanation of how exercise could worsen your condition, a recommendation for cancellation, and the physician’s signature and license number. A vague “patient should rest” note typically will not be accepted. The letter has to tie the diagnosis to an inability to use the gym.
If the condition is temporary, a medical freeze pauses the account instead of ending it. The documentation requirements are similar. Monthly dues stop during the freeze, though the annual fee may still apply.
Active-Duty Military Cancellations
Servicemembers who receive orders to relocate or deploy for 90 days or more have a legal right to cancel gym memberships without paying early termination fees. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act lists gym memberships and fitness programs as covered contracts and bars the provider from imposing any early termination charge on a qualifying servicemember.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 50 – 3956 Termination of Certain Consumer Contracts Dependents can also terminate the contract if the servicemember is a beneficiary of it. Submit a copy of the military orders with your cancellation request.
Freezing Instead of Canceling
If you only need a break, freezing pauses your monthly dues while keeping the account active. Most locations allow freezes of one to three months, and some clubs approve up to six. You lose gym access during a freeze.
Fees vary. Corporate-owned clubs often freeze memberships for free, while franchise locations may charge $5 to $10 per month. The annual enhancement fee still applies if it falls inside your freeze period, so a freeze that runs $10 per month on top of a $49 annual fee may not save you much compared to canceling outright. Ask the club for its specifics.
After You Cancel, Watch Your Statements
Check your bank or card statements for the next two to three months. An extra monthly draft after a confirmed cancellation is one of the more common complaints against gym chains. If you see one, contact the home club first with your cancellation confirmation in hand. If the club won’t reverse it, dispute the charge through your bank or card issuer as unauthorized.
Keep every piece of documentation: the cancellation receipt, the certified mail tracking number, the signed return receipt, and any emails with the club. A bank dispute moves faster when you can show you canceled before the charge date. Without that paper trail, the gym’s records usually prevail.