Plastic Cards for Gyms and Leisure Centres
A gym’s main card is the membership card, carrying a barcode, QR code, magnetic strip or RFID chip that your entry system reads at the door. Many gyms add a key tag version for members who carry keys rather than a wallet, numbered locker key tags, and reusable passes for guests and day visitors.
This page covers which cards a gym or leisure centre needs, matching the card to your entry system, cards and key tags, locker tags, guest passes and how to handle renewals.
The short versionBefore you order, ask your entry or membership software supplier what it reads: a barcode, a magnetic strip, or an RFID chip of a particular type. Then choose a card, a key tag, or a combo card that gives members both. Number every card, or print the numbers your system gives you, and decide how renewals will work before the first batch is printed.
Which plastic cards does a gym need?
| Card | What it’s for | Worth adding |
|---|---|---|
| Membership card | Checking members in at the door or reception | A barcode, QR code, magnetic strip or RFID chip, matched to your system |
| Key tag | Members who carry keys rather than a wallet | A barcode or number for check-in, and a split ring |
| Combo card | A card for the wallet and a tag for the keys, in one piece | A barcode or number for check-in |
| Locker key tag | Lockers in the changing rooms | Numbers to match your lockers, a line saying where to return it |
| Guest or day pass | Day visitors, trial members and members’ guests | A number on every pass, a bold colour band |
| Referral card | Members bringing a friend | A different code on every card |
| Member discount card | Discounts in your café, shop or at partner businesses | The member’s number or a valid-until panel |
Personal trainers who work from your gym may want cards of their own. Our gym and leisure club membership card examples show designs other gyms have chosen.
Barcode, magnetic strip or RFID?
The card has to suit the system that reads it, so start with your access control or membership software supplier. Ask what the reader at your door or desk accepts, and whether it can import a list of card numbers.
| On the card | How it’s read | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Barcode | Scanned at reception | Your scanner must read the barcode type. We print a different number on every card, in sequence or from your list. |
| QR code | Scanned at reception or by a phone | Can carry the membership number or a link to your app or renewal page. |
| Magnetic strip | Swiped through a reader | Check whether your system needs HiCo or LoCo: see HiCo vs LoCo. |
| RFID chip | Tapped on a turnstile or door reader | The chip type and frequency must match your reader. Harder to clone than a magnetic strip. |
Mifare Classic 1K is the standard chip for most door entry and gym systems. Older systems often run at 125kHz, with chips such as EM4100. If you don’t know which yours uses, send us the make and model of your reader or a photo of an existing card. Our guides to what an RFID card is and RFID vs NFC explain the chip types.
What goes on a gym membership card?
Kestrel Fitness and its member are made up. The barcode is an illustration and won’t scan.
- Name and number. Printed on each card from a spreadsheet, or added as members join through our bureau service.
- The membership year. A band that changes colour each year shows staff an out-of-date card at a glance.
- A barcode, QR code, strip or chip for check-in, carrying the same number as the front.
- A signature strip. It takes an ordinary ballpoint pen, and once it’s signed no two cards are the same.
Our guides to what to put on a membership card and how to design a membership card go into more detail, and how to stop cards being copied covers the security options.
Key tags and combo cards
Members who come in with keys and a phone but no wallet can carry a key fob card on their keyring instead, so it’s with them whenever their keys are. It’s 54 x 29mm with a 4mm hole, and can carry a barcode, QR code or number for scanning in. We can supply metal split rings with it.
Locker key tags
A tag with your gym’s name and a line saying where to return it is what gets a lost locker key back to reception. Locker key tags come in two sizes.
Key fob size
54 x 29mm with a 4mm hole, small enough for a wrist coil or a split ring. Metal split rings can be supplied; wrist coils aren’t.
Full size
86 x 54mm with a 5mm punched hole, with space for “return to reception”, a replacement charge or your opening hours.
- Numbers to match your lockers, in any range, including separate ranges such as 1 to 120 for one changing room and 201 to 320 for the other.
- Colour coding for different areas: one colour for the pool, another for the gym, another for staff.
- Made for wet changing rooms. The tags are solid PVC and the numbers are sealed under the surface.
- Spares of your busiest numbers. Lost numbers can be reprinted in the same design, but the 25 minimum still applies, so order spares with the first run.
Guest passes and day passes
Day visitors, trial members and members’ guests need something to show staff, but not a membership card. A reusable numbered pass, logged against a name at reception and handed back on the way out, does the job and costs nothing after the first order.
- A bold colour band across the top, a different colour for each kind of pass, so staff can tell a guest from a member across the gym floor.
- A number on every pass to write in the visitor log, or printed as a barcode if your system signs guests in.
- A slot or hole: a 15 x 3mm slot for a badge clip or a 5mm hole for a lanyard. We sell lanyards too.
The 25 minimum is across all types, so a mix of guest, trial and contractor passes can go in one order. See visitor passes.
Renewals, names and photos
Decide how a card shows it’s current before the first batch is printed. There are three common ways:
- Colours for membership levels. A different colour for full, off-peak, junior or family membership shows staff the difference at a glance. Colour versions cost nothing extra in printing when they’re ordered as one job.
- Names as members join. Our bureau personalisation service holds your printed cards and prints each member’s name or number when you send it, in one ink colour (black, white, metallic gold or metallic silver) on one side of the card. Allow 3 working days; there’s no minimum.
- Photos. We can’t print a different photo on each card. If your membership software holds a photo of each member, it can show it on screen when the card is scanned, which does the same job.
What to order
A typical first order for an independent gym:
- Membership cards with a barcode or RFID chip matched to your entry system, numbered in sequence or from your list
- Key tags or combo cards for members who’d rather carry keys
- Locker key tags numbered to match your lockers, with split rings
- Guest passes in a different colour, numbered for the visitor log
The first table is for full colour membership cards. Barcodes, numbering, magnetic strips and names are priced on your quote.
| Quantity | Price | Per card |
|---|---|---|
| 25 cards | £75.00 +vat | £3.00 |
| 50 cards | £79.00 +vat | £1.58 |
| 100 cards | £85.00 +vat | 85p |
| 200 cards | £99.00 +vat | 49.5p |
| 250 cards | £109.00 +vat | 43.6p |
| 500 cards | £175.00 +vat | 35p |
| 1,000 cards | £245.00 +vat | 24.5p |
Full colour on both sides, High Gloss, 86 x 54mm and 760 microns thick. Prices include free delivery within Great Britain and one design printed from your print-ready artwork, with a free photorealistic proof. Prices exclude VAT and optional extras.
| Card type | 25 | 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| RFID smart cards with a chip, 820 microns | £182.00 +vat | £1,007.00 +vat |
| Key fob cards 54 x 29mm key tags | £98.00 +vat | £258.00 +vat |
| Combo cards a card with a snap-off key tag | £224.00 +vat | £425.00 +vat |
Test it on your systemA postal proof (£65 +vat, around 5 working days) sends you real printed cards, so you can scan a barcode or swipe a magnetic strip on your own system before the rest are printed. Email us the make and model of your reader and we’ll quote, usually within about 10 minutes, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Questions & Answers
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What cards do gyms use for door entry?
A membership card or key tag that your entry system can read: an RFID chip for a turnstile or door reader, or a barcode, QR code or magnetic strip for a scanner at reception. The chip or code has to match the reader you already have.
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Which RFID chip do gym entry systems use?
Mifare Classic 1K is the standard for most door entry and gym systems. Older systems often use 125kHz chips such as EM4100. If you’re not sure, send us the make and model of your reader or a photo of an existing card.
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Can members have a key tag instead of a card?
Yes. Key tags are 54 x 29mm with a 4mm hole for a keyring, and can carry a barcode, QR code or number. A combo card gives members both: a full-size card with a key tag they snap off.
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Can you print our members’ names on the cards?
Yes. Send a spreadsheet and we print each member’s name and number. For members who join over time, our bureau personalisation service holds your printed cards and prints each name as you need it, in one ink colour on one side of the card.
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Can you print a photo of each member on their card?
No. We can’t print a different photo on each card. If your membership software holds a photo of each member, it can show it on screen when the card is scanned.
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Do you number locker key tags to match our lockers?
Yes. We print sequential numbers in any range, including separate ranges for different changing rooms. Metal split rings can be supplied with key fob tags.
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How should gym membership cards handle renewals?
Print the membership year, a fixed expiry date, or a write-on valid-until panel so one batch lasts several years. A different card colour for each year or membership level shows staff the difference at a glance.
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Can we test the cards on our system before the full order?
Yes. A postal proof sends you real printed cards to test barcodes or magnetic strips on your own system before the rest are printed. It costs £65 +vat and takes around 5 working days.
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What is the minimum order?
25 cards, key tags or passes.
Ready to order?
Tell us what your entry system reads and which cards you need, and we’ll quote for them together.
Your free photorealistic proof shows every number, barcode and colour in place before anything is printed.