KFit ends unlimited gym access

Photo credit: CherryPoint

KFit, the Malaysian startup that gained popularity by offering unlimited access to gyms and fitness studios for a fixed monthly fee, is scrapping that option entirely, Tech in Asia learned.

Taking after ClassPass in the US, KFit launched in 2015, providing a cheap option for people who didn’t want to be stuck with the same gym, doing the same activities all year long under a rigid contract.

To pull in people, KFit offered an unlimited pass to a variety of fitness classes for its users at US$72.87 per month in Singapore and US$24.30 in Malaysia (two of its biggest markets). However, we learned from some KFit users – and KFit itself – that this offer is no more.

KFit informed its users of its new pricing structure this week, limiting its membership to 10 activities per month for the same rate, which is equivalent to US$7.287 per activity (US$2.43 for Malaysia). If the user wants to attend an additional class, he or she may pay for it ‘a la carte’ on the app.

KFit now caps sessions at 10 per month.

We reached out to KFit’s founders Joel Neoh and Chen Chow Yeoh to verify the switch in pricing model and they confirmed it now applies to all of their markets.

KFit is present in 10 cities in Southeast Asia, Australia, Taiwan, and Korea, and has so far registered 293,524 people, with 520,544 activities monthly from some 5,147 gyms and fitness centers.

“Yes, we are now offering 10 sessions per month which is still at a very good pricing,” Chen Chow tells us in a text message.

Of course, some users are unhappy, especially now that KFit’s counterpart in Singapore, Passport Asia, has just hung up its fitness gloves. Gym-goers are now left with one other option, GuavaPass, but it’s priced higher at US$102.24 per month.

But Chen Chow claims the switch in pricing model isn’t disruptive for most of KFit’s users.

“We’ve analyzed customers’ usage data and most customers won’t be affected,” he said.

By that he means most users are not going to the gym more than 10 times in a month anyway.

Joel explains it was getting costly subsidizing users availing of the unlimited pass – even if it’s just a “single-digit” percentage of their base – hence the decision to scrap the offer.