Gyms & memberships
Planet Fitness deals
Planet Fitness Classic vs PF Black Card pricing, the $49 annual fee, current join-fee promos and the real cancellation deadlines. Checked on planetfitness.com.
We earn commissions for purchases made through links on this page. That is how this site pays for testing. It does not change the price you pay, and a merchant cannot buy a recommendation or a code listing. Details.
Current offers (3)
PF Black Card for a $1 startup fee ($24.99/mo, no commitment)
Seen on the Portsmouth, NH join page. $49 annual fee billed on or shortly after 11/01, monthly dues drafted from a checking account, tanning frequency restricted by state law. The Puerto Rico (Cayey) club showed a $10 startup fee for the same tier, so open your own club's page.
Expires 10/04/2026.
Classic membership at $15/mo with a $29 startup fee
$49 annual fee applies. Portsmouth, NH showed no commitment; Cayey, PR showed a 12-month commitment on the same $15 price, and a $58 buyout fee applies if you end a committed membership early. Home club only.
Expires 10/04/2026.
Refer a friend, earn a free month (up to 3 months per year)
Referred friends join for $1 down with no commitment. Referrals are made from the PF App, not from a code. Terms and conditions apply.
No published end date.
What Planet Fitness actually charges (checked 09/28/2026)
Planet Fitness sells two tiers and one fee structure. The homepage fine print says Classic starts at $15 a month and PF Black Card at $24.99, both “subject to an annual fee of $49” and both possibly carrying a 12-month commitment depending on location. The join flow for a specific club is where the real numbers live, so we opened two of them on 09/28/2026: Portsmouth, NH and Cayey, PR.
| Line item | Black Card (Portsmouth, NH) | Black Card (Cayey, PR) | Classic (Portsmouth, NH) | Classic (Cayey, PR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly dues | $24.99 | $24.99 | $15 | $15 |
| Startup fee | $1 | $10 | $29 | $29 |
| Annual fee | $49 | $49 | $49 | $49 |
| Commitment | None | None | None | 12 months |
| First-year total before tax | $349.88 | $358.88 | $258 | $258 |
| Promo expires | 10/04/2026 | 10/04/2026 | 10/04/2026 | 10/04/2026 |
Two things the table shows that the headline price hides. First, the startup fee is the only number the promotion touches, and it is a franchise-level decision: same chain, same week, $1 in New Hampshire and $10 in Puerto Rico. Second, the annual fee is billed “on or shortly after November 1st” per both join pages. Join in late September and the $49 lands about five weeks after your startup fee, before you have decided whether you like the place.
Black Card buys use of any club worldwide, a free guest on every visit, the Black Card Spa amenities (massage chairs, HydroMassage, tanning, Total Body Enhancement, and at some clubs a Recovery Lounge and Wellness Pod), PF+ app workouts, premium partner perks and 50% off select drinks. Classic is your home club only, plus the free in-club fitness training and the free app workouts that both tiers get. Items marked with a footnote on the memberships page are “available at participating locations only,” so confirm the spa list at the club you will actually use.
The cheapest honest path
- Open your own club’s offers page, not the homepage. Go to planetfitness.com/gyms, search your city, and click Review Plans. The startup fee and the commitment flag differ by club, and the homepage never shows either.
- Pick Classic with no commitment if your club offers it. At $258 for year one it is the lowest total, and no commitment means no $58 buyout fee if you stop going. Where Classic carries a 12-month commitment (Cayey did), the no-commitment Black Card ($358.88 for year one at Cayey, $349.88 at Portsmouth) is the safer buy if there is any chance you leave before month 12.
- Get referred instead of walking in. An existing member referring you from the PF App gets you in for $1 down with no commitment, and they earn a free month. The homepage shows no expiry date for it.
- Bring a checking account number. Many clubs draft dues by EFT from a checking account only. The join flow says so up front; do not expect to put dues on a rewards card.
Fees, exclusions and the cancellation clock
Planet Fitness’s own FAQ is unusually specific about how to leave, and the deadlines are the part people miss:
- Three ways to end a membership: written notice by mail to your home club, in person at the club, or online through the member portal. Every no-commitment offer we saw said “Cancel Online, Anytime!” (the Cayey 12-month Classic did not); policies “may vary by location based on state and local guidelines.”
- To stop the monthly draft on the 17th, the club must receive your request by the 10th of that month.
- To stop the $49 annual fee, your request must be received by the 25th of the month before the annual-fee date. With a November 1 fee date, that means the club has your notice by October 25.
- A membership with a minimum term ended early costs a $58 buyout fee.
- Downgrading (Black Card to Classic) is in-club only; upgrading can be done online.
- Online transfers to another club require at least 90 days of membership, no transfer in the past 90 days, no outstanding balance and monthly billing; otherwise your home club handles it.
On the click-to-cancel angle: the FTC announced its final rule on 10/16/2024, the Eighth Circuit vacated the whole rule on 07/08/2025 in Custom Communications v. FTC (No. 24-3137), and on 03/11/2026 the FTC announced an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (published in the Federal Register on 03/13/2026) asking for comment on whether and how to amend its Negative Option Rule. So the FTC’s click-to-cancel rule is not in force on 09/28/2026, and Planet Fitness itself says its cancellation procedures “may vary by location based on state and local guidelines.” That is exactly why the 10th-of-the-month and 25th-of-the-prior-month deadlines above matter.
The teen summer pass
High School Summer Pass is a real free membership, not a trial with a card on file. The 2026 edition let teens 14-19 train free at their sign-up club from 06/01 through 08/31, sign-ups opened 05/18, participants under 18 needed a parent-signed waiver, and Puerto Rico clubs were excluded. It came with a Gymshark 20% code emailed after registration, valid through 09/11/2026. As of 09/28/2026 the page has switched to a post-season pitch, so this is a May story. We will re-check it then.
What changed since 2012
When this site launched in 2011 and 2012, gym deals were typed coupon codes handed out through Commission Junction links. Planet Fitness today has a promo-code box in the join flow but publishes no codes; the deal is baked into the club’s offers page, dated, and expires (10/04/2026 for the current round). The other structural change is the annual fee: it is now a fixed $49 on every tier at both clubs we checked, disclosed on the join page rather than discovered on a statement.
Affiliate program status
We looked for a Planet Fitness publisher or affiliate program on 09/28/2026 and found none. The homepage footer lists Franchising, Investor Relations, PF Purpose and PF Media Network under Partners; the PF Media Network page (https://www.planetfitness.com/pf-media-network) sells advertising to brands, including “Affiliate Campaigns” through the Planet Fitness Perks program, which is the reverse direction of what a deals site needs. The only consumer-facing referral mechanism is the in-app Refer a Friend. Network is set to none and this page carries no affiliate links.
Sources checked on 09/28/2026
- Planet Fitness homepage (pricing fine print, referral program): https://www.planetfitness.com/
- Portsmouth, NH offers page: https://www.planetfitness.com/gyms/portsmouth-nh/offers
- Cayey, PR offers page: https://www.planetfitness.com/gyms/cayey-pr/offers
- Memberships comparison page: https://www.planetfitness.com/gym-memberships/
- Customer service FAQ (cancellation deadlines, $58 buyout, transfers): https://www.planetfitness.com/about-planet-fitness/customer-service
- High School Summer Pass: https://www.planetfitness.com/summerpass
- PF Media Network: https://www.planetfitness.com/pf-media-network
- FTC, final Click-to-Cancel rule announcement, 10/16/2024: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/10/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-click-cancel-rule-making-it-easier-consumers-end-recurring
- Eighth Circuit, Custom Communications v. FTC, No. 24-3137, filed 07/08/2025 (vacating the rule): https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/25/07/243137P.pdf
- FTC, Negative Option Rule ANPRM press release, 03/11/2026: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/03/ftc-seeks-public-comment-response-advance-notice-proposed-rulemaking-regarding-negative-option
- FTC, Negative Option Rule page (rulemaking history): https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/negative-option-rule
This merchant runs no affiliate program. Links here earn nothing.
Questions people ask
Does Planet Fitness have a promo code?
The join flow has a "Have a promo code?" box, but on 09/28/2026 no code was printed anywhere on planetfitness.com. The current deals ($1 or $10 Black Card startup fee, $29 Classic startup fee, both expiring 10/04/2026) are applied automatically when you pick a club and a tier. Treat any "Planet Fitness promo code" on a coupon site as unverified.
How much does Planet Fitness really cost in the first year?
Using the Portsmouth, NH join page on 09/28/2026, Black Card is $1 startup + 12 x $24.99 + the $49 annual fee = $349.88 before taxes. Classic is $29 + 12 x $15 + $49 = $258 before taxes. The annual fee is billed on or shortly after 11/01, so a late-September join pays it within about five weeks.
Can I cancel Planet Fitness online?
Yes at clubs that support it. Planet Fitness's own FAQ lists three ways to end a membership, by written mail to your home club, in person, or online through the member portal, and every no-commitment offer we saw (both Portsmouth tiers and the Cayey Black Card) carried a "Cancel Online, Anytime!" line; the Cayey 12-month Classic did not. The club must receive your request by the 10th of the month to stop the 17th billing, and by the 25th of the month before the annual-fee date to stop the $49 charge.
What does the FTC click-to-cancel rule mean for gym members?
Not much right now. The FTC finalized a click-to-cancel rule on 10/16/2024, but the Eighth Circuit vacated it on 07/08/2025 in Custom Communications v. FTC, and on 03/11/2026 the FTC announced an advance notice seeking comment on whether to amend its Negative Option Rule. The rules that apply to you depend on your state and on the club's own policy, so read the cancellation terms before you join.
Is the Planet Fitness High School Summer Pass still available?
Not in September. The 2026 program ran 06/01 through 08/31 for teens 14-19 at participating clubs in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Puerto Rico, with sign-ups from 05/18. The page now points teens and parents at a paid join. Check planetfitness.com/summerpass again in May 2027.