ClassPass Adds New Studio-Friendly Policies, Protections

The class-booking platform has unveiled new protections for fitness studios, from free-trial fraud crackdowns to revenue guarantees, as it works to win over skeptics

It’s no secret that some fitness studio owners have grumbled that ClassPass, the class-booking platform presented as a way to fill empty class slots and reach newcomers, actually incentivizes consumers to hunt for the next discount rather than pay full price.

Now, ClassPass has set out to prove them wrong by rolling out a sweeping set of new partner policies.

The majority of updates have rolled out already, with even more on the way, hitting nearly every point of contention operators have raised over the years: a Mindbody Direct Protection tool that blocks recent direct customers from poaching free or discounted trials, non-anonymous reviews for accountability, payouts on waived late-cancel fees, stronger fraud detection, expanded guidance for first-time users and dedicated phone support for partners.

A new insights tool will also be available that reveals the classes that are driving earnings.

The move comes just six months after Playlist, ClassPass’ parent company, closed a $7.5 billion merger with fitness tech firm EGYM.

“Our partners are at the center of the ClassPass marketplace, and we’re constantly evolving to help them both protect their direct businesses and get more value from the ClassPass platform,” said Jeff Bladt, Playlist senior vice president of pricing and marketplace. “These policy updates reflect our commitment to delivering the best possible partner experience. Whether a business is looking to fill excess capacity, reach new audiences or earn incremental revenue, our focus is on building a platform that helps them succeed.”

The platform reported in February that it has generated $3.1 billion in revenue for partners to date, with studios using both ClassPass and Mindbody software seeing bookings climb 9.9% year-over-year in January 2025, compared to a 1.6% decline for studios not on the platform. Additionally, ClassPass highlighted its massive $50 million investment in marketing to bring new users to partner studios, all at no marketing cost to the partners themselves.

And it’s worth noting that not all fitness operators have seen ClassPass as a foe.

Boutique fitness giant Solidcore has found a friend in the platform, using it primarily to sell excess inventory and fill off-peak classes, Solidcore vice president of strategy and insights Gillian Almeida told Athletech News last year.