I have been working out through OneFit for just over a year. I do consider the €65 I pay every month to be a luxury since they are not my only gym membership. But until now i was always able to work out enough times to feel the money I spent was worth it.
The main attraction of OneFit for me has been the ability to attend as many classes as i wanted all over the city without any extra costs. If I missed a check-in or wanted to visit one place more than 4 times per month there would be a charge but so far I have not incurred that. The one time i considered biting an extra workout the cost was €10. This month however OneFit announced a change from March 2020 where they introduce a cap of 16 check-ins per month. My first reaction – along with many other members – was that I could no longer justify OneFit as worth the cost.
When I heard about the change I was 11 days into my OneFit month and had checked in 10 times. Unless I get sick or injured, I expect to attend around 20 classes this month (€3.25 per check-in).. But as from March 2020 I could be paying €105 for 20 visits (€65 plus 4 extra visits or €5.25 per check-in). That’s almost double the price and not an amount I can afford.
Why Are OneFit changing the rules?
There have been several posts from the senior OneFit managers and founders about the decision. As it was made available in the public domain on LinkedIn, I attach one such explanation below.
From a business view this of course makes complete sense.
I was told by a studio last year that OneFit pays around €7 to gyms each time a member checks into that location. If this information is correct then they lose money on any member who regularly works out more than 9 times per month. But they make money when someone incurs the cancellation charge of €10 which supposedly does not get passed onto the gym. If the gym only gets €7, they would also make money if the charge is €10 for extra classes. OneFit also makes money if people go on holiday or get sick without cancelling their membership.
The Power Users
What the OneFit statement does not acknowledge is that anyone who has time to work out every day and sometimes even twice a day is likely to be unemployed, a student or retired. In other words ‘power users’ will include people least likely to be able to afford the cost of extra classes. For anyone with time on their hands then being able to work out every day can helps keep routine and structure. A 9.30am workout gives the incentive not to stay in bed, whilst a relaxing class in the evening assists with sleep if the day has not otherwise been overly active.
If I look closely at my membership I checked in 170 times before the start of the current month. For this I paid €627.50 so €3.69 per check in. I’ve also never missed a class and not paid for any extras. That’s a great deal for me though I can see why OneFit might consider me a power user and not be quite so happy. Although under the new rules of 16 workouts for €65 this will be €4.06 per check in.
Am I really losing out?
If I only looking at how much I expect to use OneFit in February does not tell the whole picture. Yes I expect to check in 20 times this membership cycle, but there have been other months when for instance it was sunny or I was unwell or away and used OneFit much less. My visits are exceptionally high this month because I have spare time but also are a result of the cold weather and having had Christmas then a holiday. 170 visits spread across the 11 months actually works out as an average of 15.45 visits per month so within the new limit.
Is ClassPass now cheaper?
Several friends already made the switch to ClassPass before this announcement and now could be the right opportunity to try their membership out.
Aside from my being happy with OneFit, one main hesitation to switch until now has been that their credit system seems complicated. You buy a batch of credits and then use them to book classes, but the number needed will vary per class. Up to 10 credits can be carried over per month. The system reminds me of paying with tokens at a festival and always having change which can’t then be refunded or exchanged.
At present ClassPass offers the first 2 weeks free, after which you are enrolled with 45 credits for booking up to 13 classes at a cost of €59. They also have an option for 21 classes at €79 or 28 for €99. Since this is not my only gym membership I do not ever expect to need the 28 classes but 13 or 21 sound likely.
13 classes for €59 comes to €4.53 per class with 21 classes at €3.76. In other words the difference to OneFit is minimal. Paying ClassPass €79 for 21 classes its a much better than paying €65 + a potential €50 through OneFit.
If I do switch to ClassPass then there are certain studios and classes I will miss. Relax Lounge, Studio 191 West and the Cosmos are all only available direct or through OneFit.
So which membership should I pick?
At this stage I am still undecided regarding my membership.
If OneFit were to have set the limit at 21 check-ins (matching ClassPass’s €79 deal) then I would have grumbled but likely not been considering this change. Their new policy seems unpopular with many members so perhaps at some stage they will adjust the limit.
Realistically my final decision will be based on personal circumstances. If I predict attending less than 16 classes or decide for sure that 16 is too few then I will make the switch. There is also the option to just join a local yoga studio at a lower cost and attend unlimited classes there. I currently have my membership paused and a lot can change in 2 weeks.
The studio still gets paid if you cancel or dont show up, would be pretty strange otherwise. I dont agree that someone who uses Onefit everyday is likely to be unemployed, I use 45 minutes in the morning for a cycling session and a class in the evening, and I work full time.
A lot of people are writing they will switch to classpass, the thing you get get “up to X classes” per month, Classpass has a dynamic system, if you want to go 28 for 99 euros, you will only get open training for this at a gym, and then you might as well buy a gym membership.
Onefit/Classpass is still a great deal. I have been averaging about 50 check-ins per month, which means Onefit has probably been loosing over 2000 euros on me per year! People need to be more realistic, I just think it’s a pitty Onefit tried hiding the new changes instead of being honest.
For me, I will keep using Onefit but I will also get a cheap gym membership.
Thank you for taking the time to comment ?
I don’t know if it’s true about the locations not being paid when someone doesn’t show up. But I was told this last year by one of the gyms. I hope it is clear that this is what I have been informed but that it may be incorrect.
I’m not currently employed and can definitely say there are other people looking for work attending weekday daytime classes. In my case I had OneFit already when my job ended so I’ve kept it and of course my usage increased along with my free time. I’ve received feedback since posting from others who also use a time-scheduled OneFit class for maintaining structure in their day and ensuring they get out of bed. This is something I would not have thought about when I was employed.
Whether I stick with OneFit or switch to ClassPass or a yoga studio, I’ve been very happy with my membership until now. If I switch then my personal finances will play a part in that decision. It’s a shame for both OneFit and the studios that high users causes them to lose money but I can’t think of another solution either. And so far this month I now have 16 check-ins over 19 days which will be my limit as of March.
I also wish that they’d informed people better. I received the information in Dutch so deleted the mail unread as it looked like just another ‘new gyms’ notification. (My account settings show everything set to English). I only heard about the change by reading complaints online from other members. It definitely felt, like you mention, that they were not being upfront. Although since that has been rectified by all the statements in LinkedIn and elsewhere.