Anytime Fitness lets you sign up online in two minutes. Cancelling? That requires written notice to your specific home club, and the rules change depending on which state you're in. With 600+ franchise-owned locations across Australia, there's no central cancellation button. Each club handles its own billing and its own retention pitch.
A Reddit post titled "Has anyone been able to cancel their Anytime Fitness membership without having to fake their own death?" pulled 400+ upvotes in r/melbourne. The frustration is real.
How to cancel (general steps)
Every club is an independent franchise, but cancellation follows the same basic structure:
- Check your contract status. Find your membership agreement and confirm your initial term end date. If you're still within a 12 or 18-month contract, early termination fees apply.
- Submit written notice to your home club. This must go to the club you signed up at, not another branch. Email is best because it creates a paper trail.
- Use the online form. Anytime Fitness has a cancellation request form at anytimefitness.com/en-au/submit-cancellation-request. This counts as written notice.
- Serve your notice period. You'll pay for one more billing cycle. See the state-by-state table below.
- Return your key fob. Unreturned fobs attract a fee of around $50.
- Get written confirmation. It's not done until you have an email confirming your cancellation date and final payment.
Many clubs ask you to come in during staffed hours to "discuss" your cancellation, even though the official policy only requires written notice. Staffed hours are often limited to a few hours per day. If the club insists on an in-person visit, send your written notice by email first to start the clock. You are not legally required to sit through a retention conversation.
Notice periods by state
Anytime Fitness publishes separate membership terms for three state groups. The notice period depends on where your home club is located.
| State/Territory | Notice Period | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| SA | 14 days | Written notice to home club. Ends at the start of the next billing period, provided you gave at least 14 days notice. |
| ACT | 14 days | Written notice to home club. Membership ends 14 days after notice. |
| NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, NT, TAS | 30 days | Written notice to home club. Membership ends 30 days after notice. |
Anytime Fitness calls your direct debit frequency (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly) the "Supply Period." Outside SA, your membership ends 30 days after the club receives your written notice, and any debits that fall due in that window are still payable. In SA, it ends at the start of the next billing period once you have given at least 14 days notice.
The national terms on anytimefitness.com set 30 days for most states and 14 days only in SA and the ACT. Check your own membership agreement, since some older contracts specify different periods.
Contract types and what happens when yours ends
Most memberships are 12 or 18-month contracts. Pricing varies by location, but typical costs are $15-25 per week ($60-100 per month).
During your initial term: You cannot cancel without an early termination fee, typically 50% of the remaining dues. On a $20/week contract with 6 months left, that's roughly $260. Medical and relocation exemptions can waive this (see below).
After your initial term: Your membership rolls over to a periodic arrangement (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly). No new lock-in. Cancel any time with written notice.
The trap: The rollover is silent. No email saying "your 12-month term has ended, would you like to continue?" It just keeps billing. Many people don't realise they're already out of contract and can cancel freely.
The 7-day cooling-off period
If you signed up within the last 7 days, you can cancel with a full refund of membership fees (minus the key fob cost). Written notice must be given before 11:59pm on the 7th day, in person, by post, or by email.
The guide to cancelling any gym membership in Australia covers the cooling-off rules in each state and what to do under Australian Consumer Law if a gym won't let you go.
Dealing with the retention pitch
Expect pushback. Staff at franchise gyms are often incentivised to retain members. Common tactics: offering a freeze (pauses payments but doesn't end the contract), suggesting a downgrade, or asking you to "think about it for a week."
"I'd like to cancel my Anytime Fitness membership effective today. I've already made my decision. Please confirm the cancellation in writing and let me know the final payment date. I'm not interested in a freeze, downgrade, or discount."
If the person at the desk says they "can't process cancellations" or that you need to speak to a manager who isn't in, ask for their email and send your notice on the spot. The notice period starts when they receive it, not when someone reads it.
We can chase Anytime Fitness for the money.
Tell Subtracker which charges landed after you cancelled and it emails Anytime Fitness a formal demand letter under Australian Consumer Law, with you copied in, then follows up if they go quiet. Letters that quote your statement are harder to argue with, so scan yours in if you can. The fee is 10% of the amount claimed, paid upfront, with a $5 minimum and $49 cap. Your first case is included with the $29 tracker. The fee is refunded automatically if you recover nothing by day 45.
Start a refund caseGuided cancellation is free.
Subtracker walks you through the exact notice Anytime Fitness needs, keeps your dates straight, and helps you check for later charges when you scan another statement. If a charge lands after cancellation, you can start a refund case.
Start a guided cancellationGetting out of a gym contract is the hard part. Finding the rest of your forgotten subscriptions is actually easy.
Upload a bank statement to find recurring charges, review your subscriptions and track renewals. No bank login required. Your first scan is free and needs no account. The full tracker is $29 AUD once.
See what you're paying forMedical and relocation exemptions
You can exit early (even during the initial term) without the full termination fee if you have:
- A medical condition preventing you from using the gym. You'll need a doctor's certificate. The gym can charge for services used but must release you from the remaining term.
- A permanent relocation more than 15km from any Anytime Fitness club. You'll need proof of your new address (lease or utility bill).
Both exemptions are in the standard membership agreement. If your club pushes back, escalate to Debit Success (1800 917 476) or your state Fair Trading office.
If they refuse to cancel
If you've followed the correct process and the gym won't let you go:
- Email the club manager directly. Reference your cancellation date and quote the membership terms from anytimefitness.com.au.
- Contact Debit Success. They handle billing for most Anytime Fitness clubs. Call 1800 917 476 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm AEST) or email anytimecs@debitsuccess.com.
- Lodge a complaint with your state Fair Trading office. NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria, QLD Office of Fair Trading, Consumer Protection WA, Consumer and Business Services SA.
- Cancel the direct debit through your bank. If you've given proper notice and the notice period has passed, your bank can stop payments. The gym may threaten debt collectors, but if you followed the process, the debt is almost certainly unenforceable.
One r/australia user's template that worked: "Thank you for acknowledging receipt of my written cancellation notice. I will not be attending in person. Any further debits after the notice period will be met with legal action." Over 1,000 upvotes.
Worth knowing
- You might already be out of contract. Many people assume they're locked in when their initial term ended months ago. If you're on a rolling periodic membership, you can cancel with just the notice period. No fee.
- The online form exists. Use it in addition to emailing your club directly. Belt and braces.
- Keep everything. Screenshot your form submission, save the email, note the date. If the gym disputes your cancellation later, you want proof.
- Watch your bank statement. After your final payment date, check that debits actually stop. If they don't, contact your bank immediately.
What people switch to
- Jetts. 24/7 like Anytime, but no lock-in and no notice period on direct-debit plans, so leaving is as easy as joining.
- Snap Fitness. The same 24/7 franchise model with month-to-month plans; 30 days' notice to cancel.
- Revo Fitness. Flat-rate and no lock-in, strongest in WA and SA.
- Your council gym or PCYC. Often half the price with no contract, and the equipment gap has closed a lot.
If the gym itself wasn't the problem, a cheaper membership fixes the bill without breaking the habit.
Your membership stays active until the end of your notice period. After the final payment, your key fob is deactivated. Return it to avoid the replacement fee. Check your bank statement for at least two billing cycles to confirm debits have stopped. Keep all cancellation correspondence for 12 months. While you're checking those statements, a subscription management app shows every other recurring charge still hitting your account, so the gym isn't the only thing you stop paying for.
Chris Vine
Chris is the founder of Subtracker. He built this tool after experiencing the pain of discovering thousands of dollars in unused SaaS sprawl just before tax time.