Orangetheory Fitness’ Free Class

If you have already given up on your New Year’s resolution to exercise more, what better way to bounce back after National Quitter’s Day than a free class?

Orangetheory promotes on its website and via Google ads the opportunity to try out a group training class at no cost. But be wary of exercising this free offer because TINA.org discovered that for some consumers, these deals may be rooted more in theory than fact.

For starters, to sign-up for a free class, you have to agree to the company’s terms of service and privacy policy, as well as to receiving promotional texts and phone calls from Orangetheory.

And then there is the seemingly innocuous requirement to be a “local resident.”

Clicking on the details for this specific term reveals that consumers must live or work within a scant 5 miles of the studio to qualify for a free class. Without proof of this, you may be forced to pay a drop-in fee, which the company vaguely mentions without specifying the exact cost.

This 5-mile restriction isn’t mentioned in the ad above or any of the Orangetheory marketing materials TINA.org reviewed.

And that’s not all.

To encourage consumers to sign-up for a membership, Orangetheory touts “We’re so confident you’ll love Orangetheory that we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee*.” But in inconspicuous fine print, the company reveals that this guarantee is “limited to Premier members who complete 12 sessions within a month of membership start date.” (Premier memberships are the most expensive of Orangetheory’s four sign-up options). If it’s so confident, why doesn’t its money-back “guarantee” apply to all of its members? And why is this condition so hidden?

Orangetheory did not respond to TINA.org’s request for comment.

The bottom line

While many consumers want to get in shape, the hardest part may be finding a gym (or should we say nightclub) that’s transparent about its policies. When evaluating a gym’s advertised deals, always make sure to read all the fine print and check for—and thoroughly read—any terms and conditions.

Find more of our coverage on fine print.