Rhode Island Gym and Subscription Cancellation Letter

Cancel a gym membership or an auto-renewing subscription in Rhode Island with a letter that builds in Rhode Island law, including Health Clubs (R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-50). It runs in your browser; nothing you type is stored or sent.

Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island law addresses for this kind of contract are listed.

Rhode Island gym membership rules

The law: Health Clubs (R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-50). Read the law

Who it covers: The chapter covers any business offering fitness facilities for a fee, including gyms, health spas, studios and aerobic studios, for memberships longer than seven days, but not nonprofits, member-owned private clubs or state and local government facilities.

  • Other rights to end the contract: If your health club contract is in material violation of the Rhode Island health club law, you have a right to cancel it and a right to sue the club for triple the amount you actually paid; a contract that does not comply with the chapter is voidable at your option. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-9(a); 5-50-4(e)
  • Cooling-off period: You can cancel a Rhode Island gym contract by written notice in person, by email or by mail before midnight of the tenth day after the contract date; the required contract notice says tenth business day, so sending within 10 calendar days meets both. Prepaid money must be refunded within 15 business days. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(b)(2), (c), (f)
  • How the club must let you cancel: Cancellation notice must be in writing and may be given in person (the club writes cancellation and the date across the contract and an employee signs it), by email to the address in the contract, or by mail. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(b)(2)-(5), (c)
  • Moving away: After the 10-day window, a contract must relieve you of all obligations and refund any prepaid membership if you move farther than 15 miles from a comparable club the seller operates. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(1)(i)
  • Disability or illness: If you become significantly physically or medically disabled for more than three months, you may choose to stop owing for the disabled period with a full refund of prepaid membership, or take a free extension; the club may require a doctor's certificate. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(2)
  • Death of the member: If the buyer dies, the estate owes nothing further and gets a refund of prepaid membership for the unused portion; the club may require verification of death. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(3)
  • Club closes or moves: You are relieved of all obligations and refunded any prepaid membership if the club moves more than 15 miles or has no club within 15 miles of its current location, never opens, permanently closes or substantially changes its operation; a sale of the club makes the contract voidable at your option. If you bought before the club opened, the club must notify you when it is ready; you then have 15 days after that notice is mailed to inspect it and may cancel for a full refund if it does not substantially conform to the contract, its written materials or its advertising. If it was not open within 60 days after the promised date and no substantial work was done for more than 30 days after that, you may request a full refund. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(1)(ii)-(iii), (d)(4); 5-50-7(c)
  • Refund timing: After any cancellation under this section, prepaid money must be refunded within 15 business days of the club receiving notice. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(f)

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Rhode Island Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit

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)

  • Rhode Island: Cancellation notice must be in writing and may be given in person (the club writes cancellation and the date across the contract and an employee signs it), by email to the address in the contract, or by mail. (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(b)(2)-(5), (c))
  • Refund timing in Rhode Island: After any cancellation under this section, prepaid money must be refunded within 15 business days of the club receiving notice. (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(f))
  • 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: Rhode Island Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit, https://riag.ri.gov/forms/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.

Rhode Island gym membership cancellation law

Rhode Island regulates these contracts through Health Clubs (R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-50) (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-1, R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4, R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-5, R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-7, R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-9). The rules below come from the statute text; each links to its source, and the first line says which contracts the law covers.

Rhode Island gym membership rules

The law: Health Clubs (R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-50). Read the law

Who it covers: The chapter covers any business offering fitness facilities for a fee, including gyms, health spas, studios and aerobic studios, for memberships longer than seven days, but not nonprofits, member-owned private clubs or state and local government facilities.

  • Other rights to end the contract: If your health club contract is in material violation of the Rhode Island health club law, you have a right to cancel it and a right to sue the club for triple the amount you actually paid; a contract that does not comply with the chapter is voidable at your option. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-9(a); 5-50-4(e)
  • Cooling-off period: You can cancel a Rhode Island gym contract by written notice in person, by email or by mail before midnight of the tenth day after the contract date; the required contract notice says tenth business day, so sending within 10 calendar days meets both. Prepaid money must be refunded within 15 business days. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(b)(2), (c), (f)
  • How the club must let you cancel: Cancellation notice must be in writing and may be given in person (the club writes cancellation and the date across the contract and an employee signs it), by email to the address in the contract, or by mail. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(b)(2)-(5), (c)
  • Moving away: After the 10-day window, a contract must relieve you of all obligations and refund any prepaid membership if you move farther than 15 miles from a comparable club the seller operates. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(1)(i)
  • Disability or illness: If you become significantly physically or medically disabled for more than three months, you may choose to stop owing for the disabled period with a full refund of prepaid membership, or take a free extension; the club may require a doctor's certificate. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(2)
  • Death of the member: If the buyer dies, the estate owes nothing further and gets a refund of prepaid membership for the unused portion; the club may require verification of death. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(3)
  • Club closes or moves: You are relieved of all obligations and refunded any prepaid membership if the club moves more than 15 miles or has no club within 15 miles of its current location, never opens, permanently closes or substantially changes its operation; a sale of the club makes the contract voidable at your option. If you bought before the club opened, the club must notify you when it is ready; you then have 15 days after that notice is mailed to inspect it and may cancel for a full refund if it does not substantially conform to the contract, its written materials or its advertising. If it was not open within 60 days after the promised date and no substantial work was done for more than 30 days after that, you may request a full refund. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(1)(ii)-(iii), (d)(4); 5-50-7(c)
  • Refund timing: After any cancellation under this section, prepaid money must be refunded within 15 business days of the club receiving notice. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(f)

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Rhode Island Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit

Rhode Island subscription and automatic renewal law

Rhode Island regulates automatic renewals only for certain kinds of contracts.

Rhode Island subscription and auto-renewal rules

State law covers automatic renewals only for certain contracts: Personal-property leases of one year or more, value up to 100,000 dollars (R.I. Gen. Laws 6-13-14), Health clubs (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-50); curated in the gym section, Retail electricity supply contracts: summary form must say whether the contract automatically renews and the right to schedule cancellation (R.I. Gen. Laws 39-26.7-5; corpus text only, not opened live). Read the law

Who it covers: Rhode Island has no general automatic renewal law; its renewal-notice rule covers only written leases of personal property with a term of at least one year and property worth 100,000 dollars or less.

  • Renewal reminders: For a covered lease, the lessor must send written notice 45 to 90 days before the term ends, stating the end date and that the lease renews unless the lessee objects in writing. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 6-13-14(b)
  • If the business breaks the law: If the lessor skips the notice, the automatic renewal is voidable at the lessee's option. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 6-13-14(c)

If a business will not process a cancellation, you can complain to: Rhode Island Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit

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 Rhode Island?

You can cancel a Rhode Island gym contract by written notice in person, by email or by mail before midnight of the tenth day after the contract date; the required contract notice says tenth business day, so sending within 10 calendar days meets both. Prepaid money must be refunded within 15 business days. (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(b)(2), (c), (f))

Can I cancel my gym membership in Rhode Island if I move?

After the 10-day window, a contract must relieve you of all obligations and refund any prepaid membership if you move farther than 15 miles from a comparable club the seller operates. (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(d)(1)(i))

How do I cancel a gym membership in Rhode Island?

Cancellation notice must be in writing and may be given in person (the club writes cancellation and the date across the contract and an employee signs it), by email to the address in the contract, or by mail. (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-50-4(b)(2)-(5), (c))

Does Rhode Island have a click-to-cancel law?

Rhode Island's automatic renewal law does not include an online cancellation requirement, by the text we checked. Federal law (ROSCA) still requires a simple way to stop recurring charges for subscriptions sold online.

Sources

Rhode Island rules checked against official sources on October 21, 2026.

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