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Gym membership PruHealth

You may have seen it in the press, PruHealth medical insurance are offering you a chance to get free gym membership from leading gym chains. This could save you £400 off the cost of a gym membership at Virgin Active, LA Fitness or Cannons.

The cost of the PruHealth medical insurance is between £20-£40 against the price of gym membership at £40-£80. So you see this can save you money even if you don't actually need medical insurance.

But nothing in life is free - is it?

Why do it?
Is there a catch?
What is the policy like?
What do I do next?

Why do it?

Gymuser.co.uk believes that PruHealth medical insurance wanted to get publicity and wanted to attract more health-conscious policy holders. Why? Because by promoting health and fitness they look good to consumers and they offer you a good saving on something that you usually pay for. Finally, with more fitness-conscious policy holders, they are probably hoping that there will be less claims - especially as to get the free membership you MUST go to the gym twice a week!

Is there a catch?

Yes of course there is. In fact there's two main ones, the first of which is in the last sentence above.

Actually, you simply need "to go to the gym". Obviously no one is going to follow you round, but you will need to swipe in as this counts as your visit to the gym (obviously we suggest doing more than walking straight out - that's why you're going for this deal after all!). one thing to also mention is that your visits are averaged over a 3 month period - so if you're away on holiday, the returning week simply go every day to make that up!

What if you simply don't go twice a week?

Your cost of membership is worked out on a quarterly basis, using the previous three month's attendance to work this out. Values for the membership fee work out as :

Regular users : 2 or more visits each week (on average) qualifies you for the free gym membership at both Cannons and LA Fitness. For Virgin Active it's £5 per month, or in the case of some London venues, £15/month

Occasional users : 1-2 visits each week (on average) qualifies you for a discount of between 25% and 75% on the membership fee depending on the individual club.

Infrequent users : less than once a week and your discount is negligible.

Summary :

A great way to save money if you are 100% sure you will attend the gym twice a week (even if you turn up to buy a juice from their cafe!).

However, unlike normal gym memberships, you can cancel the insurance at any time and not have to worry about the gym membership contract. Technically the PruHealth insurance policy is a 12 month contract so you could be forced to keep that - but then is that a bad thing?
If you are a new member :
- You have to pay a one-off activation fee of £25 to join Cannons, LA Fitness or Virgin Active
- You then pay (from) £25 a month for the first three months
- Depending on which chain you join, and how often you go ongoing gym membership could then be free
If you are an existing PruHealth policy holder :
- If you have a Pruhealth medical insurance policy with the old 6 month free gym membership offer, you will be moved to the new gym membership model on your policy renewal. Of course, if you'd prefer this model you can cancel and renew immediately - but remember the £25 activation fee above!
If you already have a membership at :
- Cannons :
  
  If you have a current membership, you will have to wait!
  
  If you are outside your terms of contract (ie you have paid for more than 12 months) speak to youe club and ask to be transferred to the Pruhealth deal
- LA Fitness :
  
  All members can switch to Pruhealth with immediate effect
- Virgin Active
  
  If you have a current membership, you will have to wait!
  
  If you are outside your terms of contract you have to cancel your contract, then rejoin as a "Pruhealth member"

What is the policy like?

To be honest it's a standard PMI (Private Medical Insurance) deal. PruHealth is a well established well-trusted brand so no problems there.

However, if you are considering a private medial insurance policy, you might want to hold back. If you make a claim through PruHealth whilst you are on the deal, the "pre-existing conditions" clause would then probably prevent you from switching to another provider! So the only thing you need to be aware of is whether this policy measures up to what you'll be needing.

If you have no interest in a PMI policy, or weren't planning on one, then your quids in on your gym membership and also you get some 'free' medical cover too.

What do I do next?

That's easy. Click here to search for your local club running this offer on the PruHealth website.