Most gym clubs or even other sport clubs ask for a 2 or 3 month pay when you enroll. Most of them also offer you better conditions (discounts) if you pay for the whole year. My question is, do you think it's worth it to pay for the whole year or better pay month by month? Life changes fast and we never know if we will drop out or simply stop to have time to attend. What would you do?
I don't like to pay for months in advance for anything. You are right, one never knows what will happen tomorrow. Perhaps you break a leg after just having paid for a 3 or 6 months gym membership. I think if you decide to buy into those pay in advance deals, you should inform yourself whether you can transfer the membership to somebody else and if you can get a refund if you change your mind. Not surprising, a lot of these places will not give you back your money, but at least a family member or friend can make use of it if you can't.
When I was younger, my dad and I walked into LA Fitness to try it out. We left with a year membership both to the gym and for three times a week personal training. This cost over a thousand dollars. We ended up wasting between 20-40 person training sessions, which are each rather expensive, because we didn't want to do it anymore. We did go consistently, but it definitely wasn't worth it. My parents have the money, so it isn't so bad, but that gym was $40 a month for each of us! A cheaper gym would be worth it, because there isn't much difference. For me, as long as they have group fitness classes, I'm okay with it. Paying a few months ahead isn't so bad, but I would never pay a year in advance for it. You never know what will happen, or if you'll find a better deal, or have a bad experience and be unable to opt out. They make it IMPOSSIBLE to cancel once you've pre-paid.
The gyms around here have you sign a contract. They used to be longer, but now there are restrictions to a maximum of two years. As it is nearly impossible to get out of a contract, paying in advance usually saves a little cash overall. If you are not locked into a contract, I would suggest that you try it out on a month to month for a while to be sure it is for you. You can then consider a longer contract. Many gyms will want to retain their members and offer an extension in the event that you are physically unable to attend but you need to check this out beforehand.
I know that the idea is to save money by paying in advance but a year is a long time and some things may change and you can end up loosing money since you didn't get the chance or time to use the membership you payed for. Thus, I think it's safer to pay month by month or in three month packages max. For a beginner a cheaper gym works well since you don't need all those fancy machines an expensive gym has when you first start. If you feel that life won't change and you're committed to going weekly at the gym then by all means, pay a year in advance.
Wow, are you serious? You need to make a contract with a gym to go there? And for how long is that contract? I find really strange that if you just need to go there for a couple of months you need to do a longer contract, are you sure about this?
Yes, Gelsemium, I am sure about this. We have public gyms that only require a monthly fee but the majority of the gyms are private and you get a membership. The membership contracts vary in length, but are now capped at two years because some gyms were billing people for upwards of five years. There were legal challenges because the personal trainers would change, the equipment would change, and quite often ownership and management would change but the member was stuck with the contract.
Come on, that is really bad, I don't think I would ever make a contract with a gym for two years, so much can happen in that period. Why do people make those contracts, are there no alternatives?
Some of the organizations do go through this kind of policies and i guess they are quite sensible with making a mark i mean because we feel like growing in a a way but according to the era these are the needs that help us with doing better overall which is fine.
I am now starting to have tennis classes in a club that has a great promotion, it's a gold membership that gives you free access to tennis courts all over the year. Doing the maths, if you play twice per week it's well worth it, so it's just a matter for us to find what we need, what suits us and always work with the calculator, sometimes paying in advance is a good investment.
i have never done it as I have my own home gym in my shed, but I have friends who go to the gym and I think it is a good idea as you have already paid for it and it will motivate a lot of people to get their butt to the gym on those days when they can't be bothered, they just think to themselves "I've paid for this session!"
I'd rather pay as I go. For the kind of job I did back in time, being stationed at one place for a long time was not guaranteed so if you were to pay for yearly gym membership and after 6 months you have to move on, you'd waste quite a bit of money. For those people who are not sure they'll make it the gym regularly I'd recommend pay as you go rather than paying for 2 or 3 month membership.
Prefer to just pay for session and fortunately, some of our local gyms do offer such agreements. I prefer this method because as you've said, it's kind of hard to commit to something long term when you could just as easily lose interest or feel a need to change venues in between. I'd much rather not be tied down to going to only one place and have the freedom to test out as many places as I please, but if I find one that is good enough then I'd more likely be inclined to commit.
Yep, paying long term usually it's not a good deal, experience has shown me. For example, I am starting with lessons now and I am highly motivated, but who tells me that if in a couple of months I don't lose the motivation and want to quit? What would happen to my money? I would lose it...
It's better to pay for the whole year if you are really going to be able to use your membership, if you are going to be able to make the most of it, that is if you are really going to be dedicated and not just be hard working on the first months. Paying in advance will really save you a lot if you are going to be serious working out at the gym. But if you are not, then don't avail their promo. It's just going to be a waste of money.
That's true 003, but the reality is that we don't know if we will be able to do it all year long. The companies that offer those benefits know exactly what they are doing, they know those who continue, those who don't, they have those stats and they are not losing money by offering those deals, on the contrary, they are making you go there the whole year long.
