When I called they said I had to cancel by sending a letter.
I went through something similar while trying to cancel, only instead of a vacation it was somewhere I completely moved to that no longer had planet fitness. Going back and forward with the gym via phone and then letters went nowhere. I finally put a stop on my debit card to end things. I heard they go after people in court or collections at that point, but I was never contacted again about it.
It has been a hot minute for me, but I think the lower $10/month gave you access to everything but their stupid lounge reserved for the higher $20/month tier. You could cancel the $10 anytime but not the $20 tier without paying an extra buyout fee. Also looks like it was increased from $10 to $15 in 2024.
I moved to a place without planet fitness and it was hell cancelling the higher tier since they insisted you couldn’t cancel over the internet or phone, only via certified mail, and even then they kept losing my letter. The gyms around me start at $40/month so I do not go to the gym anymore.
The lounge just has things like a sofa, tv, a red light treatment thing, automatic massage table/chairs, stuff like that. It is completely avoidable. I’m a dummy who signed up for it for the automatic massage stuff, and it was usually broken/malfunctioning when I used it >.<