Best credit cards for gym memberships and fitness subscriptions

No matter the season or stage in life, it’s never a bad time to focus on health and wellness. Whether it’s your New Year’s resolution or a mid-year refresher on a fitness-related goal, meeting your wellness goals in a budget-friendly way is always a win.

One way to save money on your health and wellness expenses is to use the best rewards credit card possible. Many types of rewards cards could help you save money on things like gym memberships and fitness subscriptions:

• Flat-rate cash back rewards cards
• Rotating bonus category cards
• Fixed bonus category cards

How do I choose a credit card focused on health and wellness?

You can choose a card based on your personal spending habits and specific fitness-related needs. Different types of rewards cards will work for different types of spenders.

For some, a flat-rate cash back card is enough. It’s simple, doesn’t require tracking and provides consistent, predictable rewards that could go toward your health and wellness purchases. Here, you’ll get straightforward earning and redemption options.

For others, a credit card with rotating bonus categories or fixed bonus categories might be ideal. Cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ often feature a health and wellness category with 5% cash back at some point during the year. Card issuers may publish their quarterly bonus categories a few months or weeks in advance, but you can look at past bonus categories for an idea of what could be covered.

Then, some cards might offer a twist on rewards or how you use your credit card to save money, in general. Card-linked offers might offer special discounts or additional cash back for shopping at specific places. Also, some cards offer flexible payment options or work with health and wellness vendors for specials and promotions – ideal for those looking to build a home gym. For instance, Chase’s Sapphire cards offer rewards and statement credits for Peloton products and services.

Based on your personal health and wellness needs, you should choose a card that works within your budget and helps you meet your personal financial and fitness goals.

Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa®: Best for flexible payments

Card highlights:

• Earn 3% cash back on qualifying categories for home, auto and health; 1% on everything else
• No annual fee
• Arrange predictable payments for large purchases
• Cash back is added to your account balance after your next scheduled monthly payment as a statement credit.

The Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa has a higher rate of rewards for the health and wellness category. At 3% cash back on your health and wellness spending, there’s plenty of potential to save on purchases like gym memberships, counseling services, sports equipment, personal training, dentistry, medical care and a broad range of similar health-related expenses.

The Triple Cash card has some other benefits, too. There are no fees, and the flexible payment options allow you to pay down your balances in predictable, fixed installments – much like a personal line of credit.

Finally, you should know that your cash back is credited to your account a little differently than other cash back rewards cards. You earn your 3% back as a statement credit when you make payments, not when you spend on the card. This could be a good motivator for paying off your balance in full.

Citi Custom Cash℠ Card: Best for automatic cash back

Card highlights:

• Earn $200 in cash after spending $750 in the first three months
• Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent; earn 1% unlimited cash back after that
• Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou points
• No need to track rotating bonus categories
• No annual fee

With the Citi Custom Cash card, you can earn up to 5% cash back on your top eligible spending categories each billing cycle (up to $500). If you spend the most on gym memberships or fitness subscriptions for a billing cycle, you’ll get 5% back on those purchases.

With this card, you might have to do a little planning. For example, you could pay your membership or fitness subscription up for the year to get the 5% back for the billing cycle. Then, the next month, you could switch your spending to another of the eligible bonus categories to make sure you’re maximizing earning potential.

Chase Freedom Flex℠: Best for rotating bonus categories

Card highlights:

• $200 cash back after you spend $500 in the first three months
• Earn 5% cash back on rotating bonus categories that must be activated each quarter, up to $1,500, then 1%
• Earn 5% cash back on Lyft purchases (through March 2022); 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards; 3% cash back on dining; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases; 1% cash back on all other purchases
• Transfer rewards points to other Chase cards
• No expiration on rewards points or limits on the amount of rewards you can earn

The Chase Freedom Flex card works for those who are comfortable with tracking Chase’s rotating bonus categories. Though the categories typically do cover gym memberships at some point in the year, there’s no guarantee it will be an eligible category.

If you are comfortable taking the risk with this card, you could get up to 5% back on your gym membership or fitness club membership. Even if this isn’t the case, you still stand to earn 1% back on all purchases.

World of Hyatt Credit Card: Best for earning Hyatt hotel stays

Card highlights:

• Earn 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels; 2 points per dollar at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting expenses and on fitness clubs and gym memberships; 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
• One free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year; additional free night if you spend more than $15,000 on your card during the year
• Travel and purchase coverage
• No foreign transaction fees
• $95 annual fee

Charging your fitness club or gym membership on your World of Hyatt Credit Card will help you earn and redeem rewards for stays at Hyatt properties. If you are a traveling fitness buff, it’s an ideal arrangement.

You’ll get the most use out of this card by redeeming your rewards for stays at Hyatt properties. You can also redeem points for dining and spa services at some Hyatt locations or transfer to airline and rental car partners.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

Card highlights:

• Rewards Rate: 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores; 1%  back on all other purchases
• Welcome Offer: $150 Amazon gift card upon approval
• Unlimited cash back
• Points don’t expire

The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature card might seem like an unlikely candidate for your fitness-related spending, but getting 5% back on your Amazon.com purchases applies to digital products, too.

If you can’t make it to the gym or prefer to work out from the comfort of your own home, Amazon’s streaming services can help. As an Amazon Prime member, you can choose from various fitness videos like yoga, Zumba, cardio, strength training and other workouts. As an added plus, you’ll also earn 5% cash back on purchases from Whole Foods, which undoubtedly has products that can support your fitness goals.

Bottom line

Reaching your fitness goals is already an extreme feat. If you can do it while saving some money, even better. Taking just a little extra time to research some of the deals and discounts available to you through rewards credit cards could be the extra motivation you need to keep your healthy lifestyle going.