24 Hour Fitness, the largest U.S. fitness chain and a leading health club industry pioneer, is pleased to announce a new convenient, secure and environmentally friendly cardless check-in option for members. 24 Hour Fitness has partnered with MorphoTrak (Safran Group), part of the world's largest, most trusted provider of biometric technology, to offer cardless check-in for its members at all 420 clubs by the end of 2010.
“Our cardless check-in system is now available in more than 40 percent of our clubs and we've received positive feedback from our members who have already enrolled”
"Our cardless check-in system is now available in more than 40 percent of our clubs and we've received positive feedback from our members who have already enrolled," said Carl Liebert, chief executive officer, 24 Hour Fitness. "We look forward to offering all members this added convenience by the end of the year."
Once enrolled in the cardless check-in system, 24 Hour Fitness members simply place their finger on a reader and enter a personally selected 10-digit numerical code to gain club access. The technology only measures the distance between a few distinct points on the finger that are unique to each person and assigns a number based on these distances. Neither 24 Hour Fitness nor MorphoTrak store actual fingerprints, nor can the data stored be recreated into fingerprint images. Members who choose not to use the cardless check-in option can instead check in with a government-issued identification card, such as a driver's license.
"We are pleased to partner with 24 Hour Fitness to provide the largest consumer implementation to date of a biometric access management solution," said Daniel Vassy, president and chief executive officer, MorphoTrak. "We are confident that 24 Hour Fitness members will enjoy the benefit of this technologically advanced and secure check-in solution."
24 Hour Fitness conducted extensive testing and pilot programs for the new cardless check-in system before officially implementing it in clubs. The company began testing cardless check-in in 2006 and conducted the final pilot in November 2009, incorporating member feedback into the national rollout.
Benefits of cardless check-in for members include:
- Convenience: Once enrolled in cardless check-in, members will no longer be required to present their membership card and photo identification to enter a 24 Hour Fitness. Many members find the new cardless system quicker and easier to use.
- Security: Cardless check-in ensures that only the member is using his/her membership and that only 24 Hour Fitness members are using the gym.
- Eco-Friendly: By eliminating membership cards, there will be a significant reduction in plastic and paper waste.
- Cost: By eliminating membership cards, members will no longer be charged a $15 replacement fee for lost cards.
Online group programs aid weight loss but face hurdles