ClassPass is tweaking its subscription system and some subscribers aren't happy

ClassPass introduced a new credit-based system to its subscribers, and some ClassPass users are taking to Twitter to say they aren't happy with it.
With the new system, some vocal subscribers said they feel that they aren't getting as much value for their money as before.
Others say they're still saving money with the new pricing structure compared to signing up for classes without ClassPass.
ClassPass says most users are happy with the changes, but that it has "adjusted the per class credit rate at a small percentage of studios to better reflect the true cost of those classes."

ClassPass recently made a major change to its subscription-based fitness class offerings — and some ClassPass subscribers don't seem to be happy about it.

Through ClassPass, users can sign up for an assortment of different fitness classes at various studios in their city for a fixed subscription plan. The subscription varies in price, depending on the user's location. (For example, a monthly subscription in San Francisco will typically cost more than a plan in Austin, Texas.)

When it first launched, ClassPass subscribers could sign up for a flat-rate subscription plan. A monthly fee of $45 gave access to 5 fitness classes a month, regardless of what the class actually taught or where it was held.

But at the beginning of 2018, the company rolled out a big change: Now, instead of being completely unlimited, the subscription gives you a certain number of class credits every month. An especially popular studio class might require as many as nine credits, while a more general fitness class could call for only one or two. At the time, ClassPass pledged that it meant users could still attend at least 5 classes per month.

However, some vocal ClassPass subscribers are complaining online that the the average token cost of a subscription is going up — which would mean that they're receiving dwindling value for their monthly subscriptions.

Class Pass email

Leah Gay, an active ClassPass subscriber who has been using the service in New York for nearly a year, said that she first noticed ClassPass's change when her favorite fitness influencer, who posts to Instagram under the handle @sweatsandthecity, made a post complaining about ClassPass's credit system.

"I looked into it and realized that every class in the system costs more, even though no announcement was made on ClassPass's end," she told Business Insider in an email. "This means that users can no longer guarantee they'll get the same number of classes as they used to only a few months ago for the same price."

In a statement to Business Insider, ClassPass downplayed any changes as to better reflect the regular cost of attending a class, and suggested that most users are still happy with the service.

"Since switching to a credits model, we’ve adjusted the per class credit rate at a small percentage of studios to better reflect the true cost of those classes," another ClassPass spokesperson tells Business Insider.

On Twitter, Gay wrote, "The new ClassPass credit prices in NYC are absurd. Remember when you rolled out credits saying, 'Oh no, don't worry, you'll still get at least 5 classes with 45 credits.' NOT ANYMORE! Please explain yourselves."

The new @classpass credit prices in NYC are absurd. Remember when you rolled out credits saying, "oh no don't worry you'll still get at least 5 classes with 45 credits." NOT ANYMORE! Please explain yourselves 😫
— Leah Gay (@leahgay) April 5, 2018

A ClassPass representative responded to Gay's tweet and said that users could still take five classes a month, but it all depended on the classes the user opted to enroll in.

But Gay soon realized that she wasn't alone in her grievance, nor was her complaint relegated to ClassPass's New York City offerings. ClassPass subscribers from LA, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Miami all responded to Gay's tweet and said that they, too, had noticed an uptick in ClassPass's credit model. One user wrote, "This is their 5 [sic] platform change in less than 2 months. It's been the sign of death for awhile!! Inconsistent business practices!"

This is their 5 platform change in less than 2 months. It’s been the sign of death for awhile!! Inconsistent business practices!
— Nikki (@Nikki_New_York) April 5, 2018

Not all ClassPass users believe the new credit change is bad, however. Breanna Reynolds, who has been a ClassPass subscriber for two years in the Bay Area said that she thought the new credit changes were "so much better." "I pay $115 for ten classes," she told Business Insider. "The studios I go to charge around $25 to $30 per class, so I save a s---- ton of money." Plus, some classes charge more or less at different times of the day, meaning you can actually save more if you go at off-peak hours, says Reynolds.

While some ClassPass users on Twitter said that they had plans to quit the service for a gym pass, Gay said that she would likely still continue to use ClassPass, even though she found the pricing surge to be both unexpected and unfair.

"As a broke New Yorker, I will probably keep ClassPass for a while unless they change their model again soon," she said. "Unfortunately, even though I don't love the company and their shifty business practices, getting classes through them is still cheaper than going through studios directly."

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