Square vs Stripe vs Bank Transfer: What Gym Members Actually Use
We analyzed payment data from 250+ gyms worldwide. Here's what your members want to pay with — and what's costing you the most in fees.
After processing over $2M in gym membership payments across hundreds of gyms, we have clear data on what payment methods members actually prefer — and what gym owners are losing to unnecessary fees.
Bank transfer: the zero-fee option
42% of membership payments at Tollana gyms come via bank transfer (e-Transfer, ACH, or local wire). Members love it because it's in every banking app and there are no fees for sending money. For gyms, the trade-off is that bank transfers require reconciliation unless your software handles it automatically (Tollana does).
Square: the most popular card processor
Square takes 38% of transactions. It's popular because the POS hardware is everywhere, the rates are straightforward (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), and the dashboard is clean. Square integrates directly with Tollana for auto-reconciliation.
Stripe: for tech-forward gyms
About 15% of gyms use Stripe as their primary processor. It's slightly cheaper at volume (negotiable rates) and has the best API for custom integrations. Most Tollana gyms use Stripe as their secondary processor for online-only payments.
What about cash?
5% of payments are still cash. This is declining fast and mostly limited to drop-in visitors. We recommend phasing it out: cash handling has hidden costs in counting, errors, and theft risk.
The fee math
If you're processing $15,000/month in memberships, you save approximately $180/month by routing 40% through bank transfer versus card. Over a year, that's $2,160 back in your pocket — enough to cover a year of Tollana.
The bottom line
Support all three. Members pay how they want to pay. Forcing one method increases churn. Tollana handles all three automatically so you don't have to think about it.