Is it too late to sign up for a Penn Rec membership?

Dear Benny,
I’m a Penn staff member, and my Pottruck Center membership ended in August. I haven’t gotten around to registering for this year yet. Does it still make financial sense for me to enroll in the Campus Recreation basic plan for the 2017-18 year? Am I allowed to sign up for just one month?
—Cost-conscious fit friend

Dear Fit Friend,
This question comes at the perfect time. It’s not only close to the start of the membership plan’s year, but also, as the days shorten and cool, more people’s workouts will move indoors.

Some of Campus Recreation’s rules this year are actually more flexible from the past.

Full- and part-time employees, and Penn retirees are eligible to purchase a membership for access to Penn’s facilities, including the Pottruck Center and Fox Fitness Center. The Campus Recreation basic plan for the 2017-18 year is $483, or $40.25 per month.

The easiest way to enroll is online via Campus Recreation’s web portal, recreationwebportal.dria.upenn.edu, if you wish to pay in full. To enroll via payroll deduction or monthly credit card installments, you must visit the Membership Services Office in Pottruck.

Visa, Mastercard, and checks are accepted, and the equivalent of one month is due at the time of enrollment. If you choose to enroll in payroll deduction, your membership would end Aug. 31, 2018. For those with installment plans, their membership is valid 365 days from the date of purchase. Either way, the cost, via payroll or credit card, is $40.25 per month, or $9.42 per week for weekly paid staff members. A 30-day rate is available, too, for $55, and can be purchased online.

For most group exercise options, which are an additional cost, participants must first purchase a gym membership.

For more information, visit www.upenn.edu/recreation/membership-services.

Got a question for Benny? Send it via email to current@pobox.upenn.edu or through a direct Twitter message via @PennCurrent. Follow @PennCurrent on Twitter, if you please.