Worth the weights? Why your New Year’s gym membership may be harder to quit than you know (and what to do about it)

Was one of your New Year’s Resolutions to get in shape? Join the club.

According to a ForbesHealth/OnePoll survey, 48% of people set fitness goals for the year ahead (1).

If you’ve joined the health club already, you may notice it’s packed in January, then quiets down in February. By summer, many members have stopped hitting the gym, but the fees are still hitting their bank account.

Unfortunately, cancelling your gym membership isn’t that easy. Generally, gyms impose inconvenient cancellation policies.

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rolled out a ‘click-to-cancel’ rule to make it easier to cancel all sorts of memberships — including streaming services and gym memberships — online.

But it was struck down by federal court in July 2025 (3). Without that ‘click-to-cancel’ rule, gyms are free to make their cancellation policies inconvenient.

That’s why it’s important to read the fine print before signing a gym membership contract. If you don’t, you could end up sinking hundreds of dollars on a service you don’t use.

In fact, Americans spend a collective $397 million on unused gym memberships each year, according to a recent survey from Finder (4).

Every January, more Americans sign up with a gym. In fact, gyms sign up 12% of their new members during the ‘New Year, new me’ push, offering specials to get new gym-goers in the door (5).

While 43% of those with an active gym membership spend less than $30 per month, around 30% spend $91 or more (6).

Read More: Young millionaires are rethinking stocks in 2026 and banking on these assets instead — here’s why older Americans should take note

But within six months of joining, nearly 50% of new members try to quit their gym.

That’s when the going gets tough. Cancelling a gym membership is often easier said than done. Most gyms make it extremely difficult to get out of your contract.

Some may require you to cancel in person, via the mail, during specific windows, or pay hefty fees to get out of the contract.

If you simply stop paying, the gym might choose to take you to small claims court (7).

Of course, many consumer groups are pushing for the Trump administration to launch another ‘click-to-cancel’ rule (8). So far, there has been no forward progress.

But the Federal Trade Commission did recently launch a lawsuit against LA Fitness for making it too difficult for consumers to cancel its gym memberships (9).

If the FTC wins the lawsuit, it could set a precedent for how gyms handle cancellations.

Before you start pedalling on the exercise bike, do a little legwork to find a gym that suits your needs without hurting your wallet.

Once you’ve found one, read all of the fine print before signing the gym membership contract.

That includes reading about the gym’s cancellation policy. Ideally, you’d want the gym to work with you for an easy cancellation if you move away, can’t train due to an injury, or simply don’t want to hit the gym anymore.

If you notice that the contract makes it difficult to cancel, like requiring an in-person cancellation visit during certain hours, think twice about joining.

For those with flexible schedules, this might not be too big a deal. But if you have set work hours that coincide with the cancellation window, you might not want to take off just to deal with this membership.

When the rules don’t work for you, ask to negotiate the contract. For example, you might have an easier cancellation policy written into the document before you sign it. If the gym won’t agree to a negotiation, walk away and shop around for something better.

Another way to stomach the cost is to see if your health insurance plan will pay for your gym membership or home gym equipment, which could lower your fitness expenses (10).

Millions of Americans have workout equipment at home, with the most popular items being free weights and cardio machines. Although this might require more of an upfront investment, it could eliminate ongoing gym membership costs.

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

Forbes (1); CNN (2); The Guardian (3); Finder (4); Smart Health Clubs (5); Fitness on Demand (6); Men’s Journal (7); Consumer Federation of America (8); Federal Trade Commission (9); Good Rx (10)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.