Anytime Fitness operates 5,000-plus clubs across 30-plus countries. Its loyalty model is not points-based -- it is portability-based. Every member can access any Anytime Fitness globally on their membership. The 24/7 access combined with cross-location portability removes the main churn trigger for gym members: "I travel too much to use a gym membership."
This article breaks down why utility-based loyalty outperforms rewards-based loyalty for gym businesses, and what a multi-location gym or fitness studio can copy from the Anytime Fitness model this week.
What Anytime Fitness is actually doing
There is no points program to analyze at Anytime Fitness. No earn rate, no tier thresholds, no redemption catalog. The loyalty mechanic is embedded in the product itself.
The membership grants 24/7 access to the local club plus cross-location access to every Anytime Fitness globally. That is not a loyalty feature bolted on top of the gym membership -- it is the membership. The loyalty is the utility.
This is a deliberate product design choice, not a loyalty program gap. Anytime Fitness's target member is the person who has tried and cancelled gym memberships before -- typically because travel, work schedule, or moving neighborhoods made the single-location gym impractical. The standard objection to a gym membership is "I won't go often enough to justify it." Cross-location access removes one of the most common reasons for that objection. A member who travels frequently for work can use an Anytime Fitness in the city they visit. A member who relocates does not need to find a new gym.
The 24/7 access adds a second layer. The standard gym is open 6am-10pm, which excludes members who work non-standard hours. Anytime Fitness is open at midnight. The 5am workout is possible. The after-shift visit is possible. The gym fits around the member's schedule rather than the member fitting around the gym's hours.
Both features -- cross-location access and 24/7 hours -- are retention mechanics that target specific churn triggers rather than loyalty incentives that attempt to make members more committed than they naturally are. The difference matters.
Why utility beats rewards for gym loyalty
Points and stamp programs for gyms face a structural challenge that utility programs do not.
A coffee shop loyalty program works because the purchase frequency is high (daily or several times per week) and the habit is already formed. The loyalty program rewards a behavior that is going to happen anyway. A gym loyalty program runs on much lower frequency -- most gym members visit two to four times per week on average, and inactive members visit zero times. A points program that rewards gym visits gives active members more points (they did not need incentivizing) and gives inactive members no reason to return (they are not coming in to earn points).
The churn in gym membership is not primarily caused by a failure to reward active members. It is caused by members who stop coming -- for reasons that include travel disruption, schedule change, relocation, or simply drifting away from the gym habit. A points program does not address any of these. A utility program does.
Cross-location access addresses travel disruption and relocation directly. 24/7 access addresses schedule change. These are the actual churn triggers, and Anytime Fitness's model tackles them structurally rather than through incentives.
For an SMB gym owner, the lesson is to audit churn reasons before designing a loyalty program. If members are leaving because they travel too much, cross-location access (if you have multiple locations) is the fix. If members are leaving because they stop showing up, a re-engagement push program is the fix -- and that requires wallet-pass infrastructure, not a paper card.
The infrastructure that enables utility loyalty
A paper punch card cannot verify cross-location access. It cannot log which location a member visited. It cannot send a re-engagement push when a member has not checked in for three weeks. For utility-based loyalty, the infrastructure must be digital.
Branded apps can handle all of this, but the 83% uninstall rate within 30 days is a particular problem for gyms. A member who joins the gym, downloads the branded app, uses it for two weeks, and then stops using it will uninstall the app before the end of the first month -- even if they are still using the gym. The app is gone before it can do any retention work.
A wallet pass on Apple Wallet and Google Wallet solves this. The pass is not an app -- it lives in the native wallet alongside payment cards. It is not deleted the way apps are deleted; it persists on the device. The gym uses the pass for check-in (member scans the QR code at the door), and the system logs every visit by date and location. The re-engagement push goes out when the member has not scanned in for 14 days: "We haven't seen you this week -- your membership is active and the doors are open 24/7." Push notification open rates on wallet passes run approximately 90%.
The cross-location functionality works through the same QR code. The pass shows the member's active status regardless of which location they visit. The staff at any location scans the code and sees the same member profile. No key fob swap, no check-in desk negotiation, no "your membership is registered at the other location" friction.
What a gym or fitness business can copy on Monday
1. Cross-location access for any multi-location operation
If you operate two or more gym or fitness studio locations, cross-location access is a free loyalty perk with zero operational cost. A member with a wallet pass scans at any of your locations; the system accepts the scan. Their membership is confirmed.
The marketing message this enables: "Your membership works at both our downtown and midtown locations." That one sentence removes a churn trigger for any member who moves neighborhoods, changes commute routes, or visits the city from a suburb. The perk costs nothing to offer; it generates real value to members who might otherwise cancel.
2. 24/7 access as a competitive positioning tool
Not every fitness business can operate 24/7, but for those that can (particularly smaller gyms with keypad entry systems), the hours are a retention argument, not just a convenience feature. Members who work early shifts, late shifts, or non-standard schedules will build a gym habit around an operation that is open when they are free. That habit -- the 5:30am workout -- is the stickiest gym behavior there is. Early-morning gym users have significantly lower cancellation rates than evening users who have social alternatives competing for their time.
3. Re-engagement pushes triggered by check-in gaps
Anytime Fitness's primary retention problem is passive churn -- members who pay monthly but stop visiting. A wallet-pass program logs every check-in. The system can identify members who have not visited in 14, 21, or 30 days and push a targeted re-engagement message. The message should be simple and specific: "You haven't checked in for two weeks -- your membership is active and the weights are waiting." No discount needed. Just a reminder at the moment the member is most likely to make a decision.
Anytime Fitness vs. comparable gym loyalty models
| Gym model | Loyalty mechanic | Cross-location | 24/7 access | Re-engagement capability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime Fitness | Portability (utility) | Yes (5,000+ globally) | Yes (24/7) | Via app |
| F45 Training | Community + progress tracking | Partial (class structure) | No (class schedule) | Via app |
| Orangetheory Fitness | Performance data + community | Yes (across locations) | No (class schedule) | Via app |
| EOS Fitness | Tiered membership + amenities | No (single-location members) | Varies by location | Via app |
| Independent gym on LoyaltyPass | Configurable | Yes (if multi-location) | Infrastructure-dependent | Native wallet pass push |
The comparison shows why portability and 24/7 access are more durable retention tools than points for gym businesses. F45 and Orangetheory retain members through community and performance data -- the workout experience itself creates the habit. Anytime Fitness retains members through utility -- the gym is always accessible, everywhere, at any time.
For a small gym that cannot replicate Orangetheory's proprietary heart rate technology or F45's group fitness community, the Anytime Fitness model is the most copyable. Utility loyalty requires no proprietary technology -- just a wallet pass for cross-location check-in and a re-engagement push sequence for members who go quiet.
The setup for a 2-location gym: one wallet pass program, cross-location QR code check-in at both doors, 14-day re-engagement push for inactive members. The infrastructure costs less per month than one personal training session.
