Massachusetts Gym and Subscription Cancellation Letter

Cancel a gym membership or an auto-renewing subscription in Massachusetts with a letter that builds in Massachusetts law, including Health Club Services (M.G.L. c. 93, ss. 78 to 88). It runs in your browser; nothing you type is stored or sent.

Massachusetts rules checked against primary sources on October 21, 2026.

Everything you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent, saved, or added to the page address.

Only the reasons Massachusetts law addresses for this kind of contract are listed.

Massachusetts gym membership rules

The law: Health Club Services (M.G.L. c. 93, ss. 78 to 88). Read the law

Who it covers: The law covers contracts mainly for using a health club's facilities or for fitness instruction, including gyms, health spas, racquet and tennis clubs, figure salons, weight control studios and martial-arts schools; the definitions contain no nonprofit or price exemption.

  • Cooling-off period: You may cancel without penalty within three business days after receiving your copy of the contract or payment receipt, by written notice delivered in person or postmarked by certified or registered mail to the contract address, returned with your membership materials; refund within fifteen business days. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 81
  • How the club must let you cancel: The three-day cancellation notice must be in writing, delivered in person or by certified or registered US mail to the contract address, together with the contract forms and membership cards. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 81
  • Moving away: After the three-day window, you may cancel if you move your residence more than 25 miles from any club the seller operates or a similar club that will honor the contract (the required contract notice also mentions moving your place of employment); the seller may require reasonable evidence and keep a share for time used. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82
  • Disability or illness: You may cancel if a significant physical or medical disability, on a doctor's order, keeps you from using the services for more than three months; the seller may require reasonable evidence and keep a share for time used. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82
  • Death of the member: After the three-day window, the buyer's estate may cancel on the buyer's death, with a refund within fifteen days less the share for time used. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82
  • Club closes or moves: You may cancel if services or facilities are unavailable because the seller fails to open a planned club or location, permanently closes the club or location, or substantially changes its operation. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82
  • Refund timing: A three-day cancellation is refunded within fifteen business days; a death, disability, move or closure cancellation is refunded within fifteen days of the seller's receipt of notice, less the share for time used. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, ss. 81, 82

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Massachusetts Attorney General, Consumer Advocacy and Response Division (File a Consumer Complaint)

Your details
The business

Use the cancellation address in your contract if it gives one; for a franchise gym, that is often your home club.

Leave blank to cancel immediately.

Check before you send:

  • Add the member name exactly as it appears on the account.
  • Add the business name.
  • Add the business mailing address (from your contract or the business website).

Your letter

[Member name]

[Your address]

October 26, 2026

[Business name]

[Business address]

Re: Cancellation of membership

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to cancel my membership, effective immediately.

Please stop all further charges to my payment method, refund any amount paid for a period after the cancellation takes effect, and confirm the cancellation in writing, including the date it took effect.

Please keep this letter with the account records. I am keeping a copy, with proof of the date it was sent.

Sincerely,

[Member name]

Before you send (not part of the letter)

  • Massachusetts: The three-day cancellation notice must be in writing, delivered in person or by certified or registered US mail to the contract address, together with the contract forms and membership cards. (M.G.L. c. 93, s. 81)
  • Refund timing in Massachusetts: A three-day cancellation is refunded within fifteen business days; a death, disability, move or closure cancellation is refunded within fifteen days of the seller's receipt of notice, less the share for time used. (M.G.L. c. 93, ss. 81, 82)
  • Send it in a way you can prove: a method your contract or state law names, and keep a copy. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you a dated record.
  • If charges continue after the cancellation takes effect, you can dispute them with your card issuer or bank (see the timing rules on this page).
  • Complaints: Massachusetts Attorney General, Consumer Advocacy and Response Division (File a Consumer Complaint), https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint
  • This letter is a starting point you edit and send yourself. It does not cancel anything by itself, and it is not legal advice.

Massachusetts gym membership cancellation law

Massachusetts regulates these contracts through Health Club Services (M.G.L. c. 93, ss. 78 to 88) (M.G.L. c. 93, ss. 78 to 88). The rules below come from the statute text; each links to its source, and the first line says which contracts the law covers.

Massachusetts gym membership rules

The law: Health Club Services (M.G.L. c. 93, ss. 78 to 88). Read the law

Who it covers: The law covers contracts mainly for using a health club's facilities or for fitness instruction, including gyms, health spas, racquet and tennis clubs, figure salons, weight control studios and martial-arts schools; the definitions contain no nonprofit or price exemption.

  • Cooling-off period: You may cancel without penalty within three business days after receiving your copy of the contract or payment receipt, by written notice delivered in person or postmarked by certified or registered mail to the contract address, returned with your membership materials; refund within fifteen business days. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 81
  • How the club must let you cancel: The three-day cancellation notice must be in writing, delivered in person or by certified or registered US mail to the contract address, together with the contract forms and membership cards. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 81
  • Moving away: After the three-day window, you may cancel if you move your residence more than 25 miles from any club the seller operates or a similar club that will honor the contract (the required contract notice also mentions moving your place of employment); the seller may require reasonable evidence and keep a share for time used. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82
  • Disability or illness: You may cancel if a significant physical or medical disability, on a doctor's order, keeps you from using the services for more than three months; the seller may require reasonable evidence and keep a share for time used. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82
  • Death of the member: After the three-day window, the buyer's estate may cancel on the buyer's death, with a refund within fifteen days less the share for time used. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82
  • Club closes or moves: You may cancel if services or facilities are unavailable because the seller fails to open a planned club or location, permanently closes the club or location, or substantially changes its operation. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82
  • Refund timing: A three-day cancellation is refunded within fifteen business days; a death, disability, move or closure cancellation is refunded within fifteen days of the seller's receipt of notice, less the share for time used. Source: M.G.L. c. 93, ss. 81, 82

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Massachusetts Attorney General, Consumer Advocacy and Response Division (File a Consumer Complaint)

Massachusetts subscription and automatic renewal law

Massachusetts has a general automatic renewal law that applies to consumer subscriptions.

Massachusetts subscription and auto-renewal rules

The law: 940 CMR 38.05 (Attorney General regulation under M.G.L. c. 93A, s. 2), 940 CMR 38.09. Read the law

Who it covers: The Attorney General's regulation applies to advertising, marketing or offers targeted to or resulting in a sale in Massachusetts and covers any trial offer or product with a negative option feature, such as an automatic renewal, offered to consumers buying for personal, family, or household use.

  • Cancelling online: A business must give a simple way to cancel that is at least as easy as signing up and available in the same medium, so a consumer who signed up online can cancel through the same website or app. Source: 940 CMR 38.05(3)(a), (3)(b)1
  • Required ways to cancel: Cancellation must be available in the same medium used to sign up; phone cancellation lines must be answered promptly in business hours and cost no more than the sign-up call, and in-person sign-ups must also be cancellable online or by phone. Source: 940 CMR 38.05(3)(b)
  • Renewal reminders: For negative option features longer than 31 days, the business must send written notice 5 to 30 calendar days before the cancellation deadline with the charges, cancel method and dates; shorter plans need that notice or a notice with each charge showing the amount and how to cancel. Source: 940 CMR 38.05(4), (6)
  • Free trials: Before a consumer accepts a trial offer, the business must clearly disclose in writing the financial obligations, how to cancel, the calendar date to cancel by and the date charges begin. Source: 940 CMR 38.05(1)
  • If the business breaks the law: Failing these requirements is an unfair and deceptive practice under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act, chapter 93A. Source: 940 CMR 38.05 (preamble); regulatory authority M.G.L. c. 93A, s. 2

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Massachusetts Attorney General, Consumer Advocacy and Response Division (File a Consumer Complaint)

Federal rules that still apply

No. The Federal Trade Commission finalized a "click to cancel" rule in 2024, but on July 8, 2025 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated it because the agency skipped a preliminary regulatory analysis the FTC Act requires (Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, No. 24-3137 (8th Cir. 2025)). The vacatur brought back the original 1973 rule, which covers only "prenotification" plans such as product-of-the-month clubs, not gym memberships or most subscriptions.

In March 2026 the FTC asked for public comment on a new negative option rule. An advance notice is an early step: it does not create any new obligation for businesses. (FTC press release, March 11, 2026)

Federal law still reaches subscriptions sold online. For subscriptions sold online with automatic charges, federal law (ROSCA) requires clear disclosure of the terms, the consumer's express informed consent, and simple mechanisms to stop the recurring charges. (15 U.S.C. 8403). For gym memberships signed in person, the cancellation rules come from state law and your contract.

If they keep charging you

If a business keeps charging you after a cancellation took effect, you can dispute the charge with the company that issued your card or holds your account. For a credit card, a written billing-error notice must reach the card issuer, at the address it gives for billing errors, within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the charge. (12 CFR 1026.13(b)) For a debit card or bank transfer, an oral or written error notice must reach the bank within 60 days after it sent the statement that first shows the charge. (12 CFR 1005.11(b)(1)(i))

For automatic debits from a bank account, you can also stop future payments. You can tell your bank to stop a preauthorized electronic payment from your account, orally or in writing, at least three business days before the payment is scheduled. If you call, the bank may require written confirmation within 14 days, and an unconfirmed oral stop order then lapses. (12 CFR 1005.10(c)(1)-(2))

Your copy of the cancellation letter and your proof of the date you sent it are the evidence for a dispute. The regulations define which errors these procedures cover and the card issuer or bank investigates, so send the dispute promptly and in writing.

You can also report a business that will not let you cancel to your state attorney general (each state page lists its complaint office), to the Federal Trade Commission, or, for a problem with a card or bank dispute, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

What this tool does not do

  • It does not cancel anything for you or contact the business. You send the letter yourself.
  • It cannot read your contract. A statute may exempt your club or plan (for example by price, length, or type of business), and your contract may give you more rights than the statute.
  • It does not tell you whether you owe a fee, a buyout, or the rest of a contract term. Those depend on your contract and the facts.
  • It covers state statutes and the main federal rules only. City rules and court decisions can add to them.
  • It is legal information, not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a cooling-off period for gym memberships in Massachusetts?

You may cancel without penalty within three business days after receiving your copy of the contract or payment receipt, by written notice delivered in person or postmarked by certified or registered mail to the contract address, returned with your membership materials; refund within fifteen business days. (M.G.L. c. 93, s. 81)

Can I cancel my gym membership in Massachusetts if I move?

After the three-day window, you may cancel if you move your residence more than 25 miles from any club the seller operates or a similar club that will honor the contract (the required contract notice also mentions moving your place of employment); the seller may require reasonable evidence and keep a share for time used. (M.G.L. c. 93, s. 82)

How do I cancel a gym membership in Massachusetts?

The three-day cancellation notice must be in writing, delivered in person or by certified or registered US mail to the contract address, together with the contract forms and membership cards. (M.G.L. c. 93, s. 81)

Does Massachusetts have a click-to-cancel law?

A business must give a simple way to cancel that is at least as easy as signing up and available in the same medium, so a consumer who signed up online can cancel through the same website or app. (940 CMR 38.05(3)(a), (3)(b)1)

Sources

Massachusetts rules checked against official sources on October 21, 2026.

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