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Transcript
- Lucas: Inflation has already eaten into housing, healthcare, tuition, coffee, and even your pet's insurance. But there's one recurring bill that has quietly snuck up on millions of Americans — the gym membership. I'm talking specifically about how fitness chains are shrinking what you get while making it harder to leave. Luna: I feel like this is one of those areas where the price looks the same month to month, but somehow you're paying more. My own gym just added a 'facility enhancement fee' — fifteen bucks a quarter — and I can't point to a single new machine. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the pattern. Let me give you a concrete example. Planet Fitness — which built its brand on that ten dollar a month classic card — announced earlier this year that it's raising that base price to $15 starting in 2027. That's a 50 percent increase. But the more interesting move is on the back end: they're also changing cancellation rules, making it harder to leave. Luna: Right, so not only are you paying more, but the exit door is getting narrower. I read somewhere that they've moved to requiring in-person cancellation at the home club, no call or email accepted. That's a classic lock-in tactic. Lucas: It is. And Planet Fitness isn't alone. Across the board, major chains are using what economists call 'fee creep' — adding small surcharges that individually feel negligible, but collectively add up. A recent analysis by Consumer Reports found that the average gym member paid $47 a month in 2025, up from $41 in 2021 — that's about a 15 percent increase, well above overall CPI during that period. Luna: And the CPI data backs that up. The latest May numbers show recreation services — that's the category gyms fall under — up 4.2 percent year-over-year, compared to headline CPI at 3.1 percent. So fitness inflation is running a full point hotter. Lucas: Which means your purchasing power in this category is eroding faster than the average. And here's the thing: the base price often stays the same. That's what makes it sneaky. Instead of raising the listed monthly rate, clubs are adding annual maintenance fees, 'improvement' surcharges, or cutting perks like towel service, group classes, or sauna access. It's shrinkflation on the gym floor. Luna: So the listener should actually look at their last twelve months of bank statements for their gym. What are they paying now versus a year ago? Lucas: Absolutely. I'd encourage everyone to pull up the last year of charges. You might find two or three small increases that you didn't notice because they were sold as 'temporary' or 'one-time' but never went away. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these shows going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Luna: Yeah, it's a small gesture that makes a big difference for us. And speaking of small gestures, the same principle applies to your membership — those small fees add up fast. Lucas: Exactly. So once you've audited your charges, the next step is to negotiate. Many gyms have retention teams whose sole job is to stop you from cancelling. If you call and say you're considering leaving because of cost, they'll often offer a lower rate for the next six months or waive the annual fee. It's not advertised, but it's there. Luna: I've done that myself. I called and said I was thinking of switching to a cheaper yoga studio, and they immediately knocked ten bucks off my monthly. It took five minutes. Lucas: Five minutes for a $120 annual saving. That's a 20 percent return on your time. Another option is to look at pay per visit models or apps like ClassPass, which can be cheaper if you go less than four times a week. The average ClassPass credit costs about $2.50 per class — if you go twice a week, that's $20 a month, well below the $47 average. Luna: But there's a catch: ClassPass prices have also been creeping up. I've seen studios charge more credits for peak times. So you have to stay vigilant. Lucas: Right, no free lunch. But the core takeaway is this: gym memberships are a classic example of sticky pricing with hidden inflation. The headline number stays put, but the value erodes. If you haven't reviewed your fitness spending in the last six months, you're almost certainly leaving money on the table. Luna: And that money could be going toward your savings or investments instead. So what's the one thing you'd recommend listeners do this week? Lucas: Pull up your credit card or bank statement for the last twelve months. Highlight every gym-related charge. Add them up. Then call your gym and ask for a loyalty discount or a rate lock. You might be surprised how far a simple phone call goes. Luna: I'm doing that today. My 'facility enhancement fee' is getting a phone call. Lucas: Good. And if they say no, you have your answer — and your cancellation options. This is one area where inflation is real, but you can fight back with a little bit of homework.