Yes, multiple class action lawsuits have been filed claiming that Planet Fitness made it intentionally difficult for members to cancel their memberships, despite how easily they could sign up. Members have reported continuing to be charged months after submitting cancellation requests, being forced to cancel multiple times, and facing unnecessary roadblocks when trying to end their memberships. One documented case involved a member who canceled in early January but continued receiving charges and had to submit cancellation requests repeatedly before the billing finally stopped.
The lawsuits allege that Planet Fitness deliberately created friction in the cancellation process as a business tactic to keep members paying, contradicting the simplicity of enrollment. At the same time, the Federal Trade Commission has moved to enforce stricter standards through its “Click-to-Cancel” rule, designed to make cancellation as easy as signup. As of June 2026, multiple active cases are pending, though no major settlements have been finalized yet.
Table of Contents
- What Specific Barriers Did Members Face When Canceling?
- The FTC “Click-to-Cancel” Rule and Its Current Status
- Active Class Action Lawsuits and Claims
- Continued Billing After Cancellation Requests
- The Cancellation Process Requirements and Membership Agreement Terms
- Comparison to Other Gym Chain Settlements and Industry Patterns
- Documentation and Evidence in the Public Record
What Specific Barriers Did Members Face When Canceling?
Members across multiple complaints describe a cancellation process that was unnecessarily complicated and intentionally cumbersome. While signing up for Planet Fitness can be done online or in person in minutes, canceling a membership typically required calling the gym during specific hours, visiting in person, or navigating a process that gym staff allegedly made difficult. The lawsuits claim this disparity between easy enrollment and difficult cancellation was by design.
One significant barrier identified in the October 2025 New Jersey lawsuit involved liability disclaimers embedded in membership agreements that allegedly prevented members from taking Planet Fitness to court over billing disputes. According to the complaint filed by Joseph and Krystal Kauffman, these contractual provisions were intended to shield the company from accountability when cancellations failed or were improperly processed. The gap between a streamlined signup process and a deliberately obstructed cancellation process directly contradicts the intent of consumer protection regulations.
The FTC “Click-to-Cancel” Rule and Its Current Status
In October 2024, the federal Trade Commission finalized the “Click-to-Cancel” rule, which mandates that any business offering a product or service through a negative option mechanism (recurring billing) must make cancellation just as easy as enrollment. For gym memberships like Planet Fitness, this rule means online signup should correspond with online cancellation—no required phone calls, no mandatory in-person visits, no hidden steps. However, this rule faced legal challenges.
In March 2026, the Eighth Circuit Court vacated key 2024 FTC amendments, prompting the FTC to reconsider uniform implementation of the rule. This legal uncertainty created a window during which gyms could continue problematic practices while appeals proceeded, leaving members vulnerable to continued billing issues. The pendency of these regulatory challenges does not excuse past violations, and existing class actions continue to cite the rule’s intent as evidence that Planet Fitness’s practices violated consumer protection standards.
Active Class Action Lawsuits and Claims
Two significant class actions are currently active. In October 2025, the Kauffman v. Planet Fitness case was filed in New Jersey, focusing specifically on unlawful liability waivers that prevent members from suing the company over billing disputes. That same month, an Ohio collective action was filed by Coffman Employment Lawyers alleging separate wage and overtime violations for Planet Fitness managers.
While these represent different injury theories, both challenge the company’s compliance with applicable laws. As of June 2026, neither case has resulted in a finalized settlement. However, historical data from comparable gym and fitness center class actions provides context: past settlements have ranged from $1 million to over $30 million depending on the class size, the nature of the violation, and the strength of the claims. A larger settlement typically reflects a broader class (more members affected) and more egregious conduct, such as systematic billing after cancellation or deliberate concealment of the cancellation process.
Continued Billing After Cancellation Requests
One of the most common and documented problems is members being charged after they believe they have successfully canceled. The Better Business Bureau maintains multiple complaints from Planet Fitness members reporting exactly this scenario: submission of a cancellation request, followed by continued monthly charges weeks or months later. In some documented cases, members were charged even after notifying the gym multiple times, forcing them to pursue chargebacks with their credit card companies or banks. Planet Fitness’s standard fees add complexity to the billing picture.
The gym charges a $39 annual fee and a $59 cancellation fee (with exceptions for death, disability, or relocation). However, members claim they were charged these fees even after cancellation requests were allegedly processed. The BBB complaints specifically note instances where “the business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it,” indicating that even after confrontation, the gym did not always provide full refunds or stop the inappropriate charges. This pattern suggests systemic issues rather than isolated billing errors.
The Cancellation Process Requirements and Membership Agreement Terms
Planet Fitness’s standard membership agreement requires members to provide written cancellation notice, but the methods for submitting that notice have been contested in the lawsuits. Some members report being told they must cancel in person at their home gym during specific business hours, while others describe a process that was not clearly explained at signup. This contrasts sharply with the ability to purchase a membership online, via phone, or in minutes at any gym location.
The October 2025 New Jersey lawsuit highlights another critical issue: the liability disclaimers in membership agreements. These clauses allegedly stated that members waived their right to pursue legal action against Planet Fitness over billing disputes, effectively blocking members from seeking refunds or damages through the courts. If such disclaimers were enforceable, they would have prevented members from holding the company accountable even after discovering they were improperly charged—a serious limitation on consumer remedies.
Comparison to Other Gym Chain Settlements and Industry Patterns
This is not the first time a major fitness chain has faced legal action over cancellation barriers. The gym and fitness industry has a history of settlements involving easy-enrollment-but-hard-cancellation practices. Past cases against other gym chains have resulted in significant settlements, with the outcomes depending on how many members were affected and how systematic the problem was.
Settlements in the $5-15 million range are common when a gym chain’s cancellation process is found to have affected thousands of members over multiple years. Planet Fitness’s size and the number of memberships nationwide mean that if the claims are substantiated, the potential class could be substantial—larger classes generally lead to higher settlement amounts. Additionally, the company’s explicit annual and cancellation fees make the financial impact on members quantifiable, which strengthens the case for damages in settlement negotiations.
Documentation and Evidence in the Public Record
The Better Business Bureau records provide publicly available documentation of the complaints, showing that multiple members independently reported similar issues: cancellation requests submitted, followed by continued charges, disputes with the gym, and complaints that the gym did not adequately resolve the matter. These records establish a pattern rather than isolated incidents. Additionally, the timing of the FTC’s Click-to-Cancel rule and the subsequent lawsuits suggests that regulatory attention to these practices gave members confidence to pursue legal claims they might not have pursued otherwise.
The membership agreements themselves serve as evidence in the litigation. The October 2025 Kauffman complaint specifically quotes the liability disclaimers from the agreement, placing the company’s own contractual language in the public record. This level of documentation in active court filings demonstrates that these are not speculative claims but rather allegations backed by specific contractual terms and billing records that members and their lawyers have reviewed.
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