Significant Price Differences

How to Save Money When Working Out at the Gym

People tend to work out more in the winter.(Bild: Amir Kaljikovic)

The colder the season, the more people are drawn to working out at the gym. AK Upper Austria surveyed prices at 45 gyms in Linz, Linz-Land, Wels, and Steyr and compiled valuable tips for signing a gym membership contract.

The comparison focused on one-year memberships with monthly payments and unlimited access to the gym. The monthly fee for these ranges from 24.90 to 123 euros. Depending on the gym, additional fees of up to 97 euros may apply. On average, monthly payments for the gym amount to 56 euros. All in all, the first year of working out at a gym costs between 328.80 and 1,476 euros. Prices rose by 1.56 percent compared to the previous year. This significant price difference is accompanied by a wide range of services: from basic training to guided workouts and class offerings, all the way to luxurious wellness areas. Before signing a contract, you should therefore compare prices and consider whether you actually need all the included services.
Cancellation Is Often Difficult
It’s not uncommon for the initial enthusiasm for working out to fade quickly, but the contract continues. Thirty gyms offer plans that can be canceled monthly. This allows the contract to be terminated quickly and without any problems. In any case, multi-year contracts should be avoided. Even though these are often illegal, some providers stubbornly insist on them, and enforcing the law—even with the support of the AK—takes a lot of time and is very stressful.

Darauf sollten Sie achten

Tipps der Arbeiterkammer OÖ

• Vereinbaren Sie mindestens ein Probetraining, damit Sie sich das Studio und das Training zu einer von Ihnen gewählten Zeit anschauen können.
• Erkundigen Sie sich nach allen für Sie wesentlichen Punkten bevor Sie den Vertrag unterschreiben.
• Halten Sie mündliche Zusagen schriftlich fest und lassen Sie sich eine Vertragskopie aushändigen.
• Beachten Sie die Hausordnung, in der manche Studios z.B. die Mitnahme von Getränken oder Nahrungsmitteln einschränken.

Payment Issues
If you’ve paid several months in advance, it’s very difficult to get your money back if the gym closes or changes ownership—even if you’re entitled to a refund. In the event of bankruptcy, your only option is to file a claim in the insolvency proceedings, and prepaid fees are usually lost.

You can find the complete price comparison as well as all additional information on common problems with gym contracts—such as terminating a membership or automatic contract renewals —here.