Changing a member's membership

If you need to switch a member from one membership type to another, the best way is to cancel the current membership and add a new one.

This guide is for updating a single member’s membership. If you want to update the membership type for multiple members at once, see our article on Changing a Membership Type for All Members with That Membership.

When might you do this?

You might use this approach if, for example:

• A member wants to upgrade to a different membership

• They’d prefer to be billed differently, like switching from monthly to weekly

What to check first

Before cancelling, head to the member’s Account History to see what date they’ve paid up to, this might make a good cancellation point.

Otherwise, if you’re cancelling during the current billing period, or partway through a future billing period, prorating would apply if enabled, automatically reducing the cancellation charge.
 

For more information around cancelling a membership, see How to Cancel a Member’s Membership.
When cancelling in this manner, you can use the "Membership Change" reason to keep this clear in reporting.

When adding the new membership, start it from the day after the cancellation date. This makes sure the member keeps uninterrupted access to the facility.
If they also want to change their payment date, you can set a different First Payment Date, GymMaster will automatically adjust their upfront fee based on this.

Why We Recommend Cancelling and Starting Fresh

There are a few solid reasons we suggest cancelling the current membership and creating a new one:

1. Payment cycle changes
   The billing cycle (weekly, monthly, etc.) is locked to the membership type. To change it, you’ll need to switch to a new type.

2. Contract clarity
   The member originally signed an agreement for a specific payment cycle. Switching to a new cycle means they’ll need to sign a new contract, this helps avoid confusion or disputes later on.

3. Updated terms, waivers, and agreements
   Different membership types can have different Terms & Conditions or Waivers. A new membership ensures the member signs off on the correct version.

4. Clear history
   Cancelling and restarting creates a clean membership trail in the system. It makes it easier for you and your team to follow the member’s account history, charges, and changes over time.