COLORADO SPRINGS– 24 Hour Fitness has announced it will offer members the chance to suspend billing starting April 16 as well as the option to cancel memberships online.

This decision reversed a policy in which the gym announced it would continue to charge members during closures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

FOX21 News questioned that policy this week.

The company sent a new statement to FOX21 on Wednesday afternoon:

As the COVID-19 pandemic has grown in astonishing scale, 24 Hour Fitness has never wavered in its conviction that our top priority is always the health and safety of club members, team members and guests. On March 16, we made the difficult decision to close all our clubs, and also indicated that memberships would be extended to cover the time of club closures. Since these announcements, we’ve appreciated both the support and critical feedback about our actions. And now based on current public health projections, it appears our clubs may need to be closed for an extended period of time. Effective April 16, 24 Hour Fitness will suspend all membership billings, including any additional services and fees, if we are unable to reopen clubs by that time. For the membership billings charged from March 17 through April 15, members will receive additional days of club access equal to the number of days paid for while the clubs were closed in their area. That extension will apply at the end of the membership. Members with a pre-paid membership will have their membership end date extended to cover the amount of time the clubs were closed in their area. During this critical time for our business, our goal will continue to be focused on surviving this crisis so that we can ultimately emerge and welcome our club members, team members and guests back when it is safe to do so. However, for members who prefer to cancel their membership, visit 24hourfitness.com, click on the link and follow the instructions to submit a request to cancel. We hope members will reconsider prior to taking that step. We take pride in helping people transform their lives through fitness and that bond is even more vital now. While our clubs are temporarily closed, we encourage everyone to download and utilize 24GO, our personalized fitness app and visit 24GO Live, our new 24/7 workout experience broadcast on the 24 Hour Fitness YouTube Channel, among other virtual fitness solutions. We will continue to provide updates about our club reopening status, which can also be found at 24hourfitness.com. 24 Hour Fitness

FOX21 previously reported 24 Hour Fitness’ decision to continue to charge members a monthly fee, with the promise to extend those memberships, once gyms were free to reopen, for the same amount of time. The gym said the move would cover the expense of the closures, per a company statement, and declined, at the time, to process freeze transactions.

To cancel your membership, visit the company’s website here.