Is SilverSneakers worth it for your gym?

For most independent gyms, SilverSneakers is not the first network to join. It pays a low rate per visit, so it mainly helps low-price gyms with empty daytime hours, and a premium gym usually does better elsewhere.

That doesn’t make it a bad program. It reaches a lot of people, and for the right gym those extra visits may add up. But the math is different from what most owners expect.

What SilverSneakers pays

SilverSneakers doesn’t publish its gym rates, and reported rates are among the lowest of any network. Tivity Health, the company that runs SilverSneakers, told investors before it went private in 2022 that gym pay is “generally based on participation,” meaning visits.

Other Medicare fitness programs, such as Optum’s Renew Active, publish per-visit rates that are higher than SilverSneakers’ reported rates. Both serve older adults, so it’s worth comparing before you pick one.

Who it helps

SilverSneakers makes the most sense when all of these are true:

• Your price is low. At a low monthly price, a steady stream of paid visits during quiet hours can add up.
• Your mornings and early afternoons are empty. SilverSneakers members tend to come during the day, when you have room.
• There are a lot of older adults nearby. SilverSneakers says more than 19 million people are eligible through Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and group retiree plans.

When a premium gym should skip it

If you charge premium prices, or you’re full at peak, SilverSneakers usually works against you. Heavy use at a low per-visit rate takes up space and staff time. If any current members become eligible, you want them paying your price, not the network’s.

Tivity also runs Prime Fitness for people ages 18 to 64 and pitches moving members from Prime to SilverSneakers as they age. For the gym, that is usually a step down in pay.

Read the “basic membership” clause

SilverSneakers members get the facilities and amenities of a basic membership. Before you join, decide exactly what “basic” means at your gym, and list the things that stay paid extras: personal training, specialty classes, recovery, and so on.

Sell those extras gently. Georgia’s attorney general has warned gyms not to pressure SilverSneakers members into paid add-ons.

In North Carolina

Blue Cross NC moved its Medicare members from FitOn Health to SilverSneakers starting January 1, 2026. Most other Medicare Advantage plans in the state already offered it, so SilverSneakers now reaches a large share of the 1.3 million North Carolinians in Medicare Advantage.

That also shows the risk. Plans change fitness vendors from year to year, and in 2026 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota dropped YMCA of the North and Life Time from its SilverSneakers network. An insurer can cut a revenue line with only weeks of notice.

Questions to ask before you apply

1. What’s the per-visit rate and monthly cap in my state?
2. Can I join SilverSneakers only, without Prime or the discount programs?
3. Can my current full-price members switch into the program?
4. Are SilverSneakers classes required, and who pays for instructor training?
5. How much notice do I need to give to leave?

You apply through Tivity’s online submission portal. Tivity doesn’t give a timeline for review. At the front desk, members bring a 16-digit ID and a driver’s license, and you verify them in Tivity’s system.

The short answer

If you run a low-price gym with quiet daytime hours, SilverSneakers may be worth a look, after you’ve joined networks that pay more. If you run a premium gym or a studio, it’s usually the last network to consider.

PayerFit is independent. We aren't paid by any network we write about. Network terms change, so confirm the details with the network before you sign.