“I’m planning to have surgery.”
“I’m going on a long vacation.”
“My elderly parents need more of my time.”
If you’ve been running a gym for even a short period of time, you’ve probably heard these reasons – and many more – from members who say they want to freeze their gym membership.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s probably not any gym owner in the world who hasn’t been asked about freezing memberships and wondered, How long should gym members stay on hold?
Well, gym owners have some good reasons to have a policy allowing members to pause their memberships. And it’s good for the client, of course, as long as you don’t let a “pause” become a permanent spot on the couch.
The problem for the gym owner comes up when they don’t have a solid answer for the question, how long should gym members stay on hold? When they don’t have a policy in place, shared with members when they join and with staff members, then it can become chaotic and costly, resulting in misunderstandings, resentments and lost revenue.
If too many members take advantage of the freeze option, your recurring revenue stream weakens, making it harder to manage overhead costs like rent, payroll, and equipment maintenance. To prevent frozen accounts from turning into lost revenue, it’s crucial to establish policies that balance flexibility for members with financial stability for your business.
You need to do everything you can to keep the member, and that includes thinking that a “pause” could mean a permanent “departure,” says Alloy Personal Training CEO and founder Rick Mayo.
“A freeze is a nice way of saying I’m quitting without saying I’m quitting,” Rick says. “It’s like being in a relationship with somebody and saying, ‘Let’s just take a break.’”
Rick suggests having regular communications with each of your member, so you’re aware of any frustrations or challenges they’re planning. This gives you the chance to develop a plan together that doesn’t involve loss of business.
They might be misinformed or jumping to conclusions, and you can provide helpful leadership.
How Long Should Gym Members Stay on Hold?
So, one of the first answers to “How long should gym members stay on hold” is: Not indefinitely!
Here’s more information on that, plus several other strategies to manage account freezes while keeping your revenue coming in like it should.
1. Put a Time Limit on Freezes
A member might say, “I’ll be back in a few months.” She might even mean it. But “a few months” can become “forever” really easily, leading to lost income for your business.
This is one of the biggest mistakes gym owners make – allowing members to freeze their memberships indefinitely. It’s understandable. You want to be nice and helpful. But it actually increases the odds that the member will stay away for good.
So, set some clear limits, such as:
- A maximum of three months per year – This gives flexibility for vacations, “snowbirds” and other recurring issues while keeping the member in check.
- One freeze per calendar year – This keeps members from constantly stopping, restarting and stopping again, creating headaches for you and your staff.
- A minimum freeze duration of one month – This cuts the administrative hassle of dealing with lots of mini-freezes.
Clearly outline these policies in your membership agreements and ensure staff enforces them consistently.
2. Extend the Membership Contract
When a member freezes his account, don’t just lose those months of revenue. Instead, extend the contract by the same number of months as their freeze. This ensures you eventually collect all the money you were expecting.
For example, if you have someone with a 12-month contract who wants to freeze for three months, just extend the contract by three months. That way, the member isn’t paying for the period of the pause, but you’re not missing money, either.
3. Charge a Small Monthly Freeze Fee
A well-structured freeze policy should include a nominal fee. Charging members a small monthly fee while their account is on hold encourages them to return sooner and prevents excessive freeze requests.
Think about these levels of fees:
- $5 to $15 per month – Affordable enough that it doesn’t deter members from coming back but still helps maintain some revenue and accountability on their end.
- Tiered freeze fees – Charge a lower fee for medical or military reasons and a higher fee for personal freezes.
This approach ensures that freezes still contribute to your income rather than resulting in a total revenue loss.
4. Regularly Engage with Frozen Members
The longer a member’s account remains frozen, the less likely she is to return. So, stay in touch to get them back without cancelling permanently.
Here’s how to stay in touch and put an answer to the question, How long should gym members stay on hold:
- Send monthly emails or text messages reminding them of the benefits of staying active.
- Offer a special reactivation incentive such as a free personal training session or a discount on their next month’s membership.
- Invite them to events or classes to keep them engaged with the community even while their membership is on hold.
- Check in with a personal call to see how they’re doing and discuss their return plans.
Regular communication helps maintain the relationship and increases the chances that members will return to their regular workout routine.
5. Require a Reason for Freezin’
This will cut back on excessive freezing. Common acceptable reasons include:
- Medical issues (with a doctor’s note for long-term freezes)
- Military deployment
- Temporary financial hardship
- Extended travel (over 30 days)
This will keep everything in the realm of “legitimate” reasons for a freeze and give you backup if other members accuse you of being inconsistent in applying the policy around how long should gym members stay on hold.
6. Encourage Downgrading Instead
What can you do to keep them on the books in some capacity, even if it’s less than what they’re used to?
- Switch to an off-peak membership with limited access hours at a reduced price.
- Offer a virtual membership with access to online classes and workout plans.
- Reduce their membership to a minimal tier (e.g., access to only certain areas of the gym, such as cardio equipment).
This allows members to stay engaged while still contributing some revenue to the gym.
Ideas like these are helpful with “snowbirds,” those members who spend winter months far away – and even with others who are planning a long vacation.
Remind them that they need to be exercising while they’re away. You have online options, probably, and perhaps even an app they can use.
How long should gym members stay on hold? Not as long, now that we have the technology to keep them fully engaged.
7. Give Them Incentives
When members ask for a freeze, offer then am incentive to reactive, like:
- Waive the next month’s fee if they unfreeze early
- Offer a free personal training session when they reactivate
- Give a discount for the first month back
Even if it’s not a huge monetary value, this shows that you value the customer, and it gives them a reason to hurry back. This is a powerful way to affect how long should gym members stay on hold.
8. Be Clear from Day One
When Covid-19 hit five years ago, a lot of gyms didn’t have written policies about how long should gym members stay on hold – or they weren’t sure what their policies were… or clients had no idea and made major assumptions.
That might’ve been understandable then. But now, after we know better and be clear with members, right from the beginning, about what they can and can’t do about freezing memberships.
Make sure to:
- Go over your freeze policies in the membership agreement
- Post the policy on your website and front desk
- Train staff to explain freeze rules during sign-ups and renewals
When members clearly understand the limitations and costs associated with freezing their accounts, they are less likely to abuse the system.
And if you’re in constant communications with them, they will be more likely to take another suggestion from you about how to handle their situation.
9. Keep Track
The question isn’t only how long should gym members stay on hold. It’s also WHY do they want to? And HOW MANY are asking!
So, keep track of requests for freezes, the reasons they give, what kind of communications you had before and during their freeze, and how long all the pauses last.
This will help you keep track of what you can do to slow the rate. Maybe, if many people cite financial reasons, you can consider offering lower-priced options. If motivation is a steady problem, look into how you can address that.
So, yes, discuss how long should gym members stay on hold with your team – but also make sure your employees are following up to gain valuable information and provide necessary support.
Final Thoughts on How Long Should Gym Members Stay on Hold
We can agree that freezes are necessary to keep your customers happy. But we also should agree that letting them do so without any limits or guidelines will lead to chaos and cost you serious money.
So, craft a policy based on freeze limits, extended terms, small fees, and steady communications – even before anyone talks about pausing.
Frozen accounts can drain your revenue – but they don’t have to with these policies. Instead, you can keep your customers happy and feeling appreciated, while also keeping your revenue flowing. It’s a way of boosting retention. For more, get our free “9 Secrets to Increase Retention” now.