Health Insurance With Discounted Gym Membership

Co-author: TJ Ryan

Did you know some health insurance policies will offer you a discount or rebate on your gym membership, sometimes worth up to several hundreds of dollars a year?

Health insurance with gym membership

If you want to access a discount, rebate or claim part of the cost of your gym membership, yoga, pilates or other exercise classes through your health insurer, you will typically need a high-level extras policy that offers health-related benefits.

As a starting point, it could be worth asking your current health insurer what they offer in the way of “health management benefits”, “healthy lifestyle benefits”, or “wellness benefits” to understand the services (if any) that might be of interest to you. You might be surprised at what’s available within your current policy or an extras policy with the same provider.

We’d also recommend finding out what is required by your provider to claim the money back – for example, some providers require a doctor’s referral, a plan devised by a personal trainer or a receipt from the gym. Exclusions can also apply – for example, some insurers won’t cover the cost of personal trainers, while others will only cover sessions with trainers approved by them that hold a recognised certification in group fitness. There will also usually be an annual limit to how much you can claim, so check your PDS for details.

We’ve put together the following information on what gym benefits some health insurance providers are currently offering when it comes to gym memberships. This list is based on the insurers we research and rate in our Health Insurance Star Ratings and is not exhaustive but will give you a good starting point. You should also check the relevant PDS for details before making a decision.

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AHM

With AHM’s Lifestyle, Family and Super extras policies you should receive some cover for a wide range of health improvement benefits including with a personal trainer, yoga, pilates and gym exercise classes.

Bupa

Bupa’s Gold Extras policy provides a level of cover for some gym memberships, swimming programs for children, pilates, and yoga under its Living Well program. It is important to note this does not cover 24-hour gyms, gym membership for general fitness, casual gym sessions or boot camp, sports clothing or shoes, or personal trainers.

Medibank

Medibank members should receive a 25% discount off the cost of each visit to selected gyms as part of their GymBetter program, including Fernwood, Goodlife and YMCA Australia-wide.

How to find the right health management benefit for you

Don’t have a favourite gym yet? Choose a gym that Aussies love – compare customer satisfaction in gyms with Canstar Blue. Consider our health insurance for runners article and the weight management benefits available for those dealing with osteoarthritis. We also have articles detailing health insurance policies that cover massages, chiropractic works, dentistry and more.

Remember, discounted gym membership is not the only consideration when looking for health insurance and the policy best suited to you may not necessarily have a benefit for the gym. While you may be getting a good discount, having a high-level extras policy means you’ll also be paying for a variety of inclusions – some of which you might not need, so make sure you’ve given some thought as to which policy you’ll choose.

Compare your options to see which policy is right for you.

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