Flex, a Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) payment solution, has teamed up with amp, makers of a sleek, AI-powered at-home fitness device that delivers a personalized workout experience.

Now, consumers can use their HSA and FSA funds to purchase amp’s fitness device.

The premium fitness equipment company joins a growing list of Flex partners, which includes Echelon, recovery wellness tech brand Kineon, smart ring maker Ultrahuman, Forme, Centr, CorePower Yoga, Orangetheory, iFIT and Tempo. 

Behind amp is founder and entrepreneur Shalom Meckenzie, the largest shareholder in DraftKings. Last fall, the company officially launched amp for pre-orders.

“amp is redefining fitness with cutting-edge AI technology and award-winning design, creating a smarter, more personalized training experience that pushes limits and delivers results,” amp CPO Amir Levanon said. “Partnering with Flex empowers our customers to invest in their health seamlessly, using pre-tax dollars to access our smart fitness device without financial barriers.”

Unlike traditional at-home fitness equipment, which tends to be bulky, amp’s gym system is noticeably stylish and compact but mighty. It has a minimum weight of 5 pounds and the flexibility to level up to 100 pounds of digital resistance. 

Users can easily adjust weight amounts in real time or manually, and there are three smart resistance modes available: Fixed, Band and Amplify. Fixed mode maintains constant weight throughout the entire range of motion, while Band adds resistance the further a user gets from the starting position. Amplify mode adds resistance when returning to the starting point. A subscription-based app guides users through gamified workouts and allows users to participate in challenges and compete on the leaderboard. 

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Echelon is the latest fitness brand to partner with Flex, a health and wellness payment solution provider, making it easier for consumers to purchase fitness equipment and services using their Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

The partnership is expected to deliver Echelon customers a net savings of 30-40%, according to Flex.

“At Echelon, we’re committed to providing the tools and inspiration people need to achieve their best selves,” Echelon founder and CEO Lou Lentine said. “Partnering with Flex allows us to make our fitness solutions more accessible while providing a seamless and rewarding payment experience. Since launching this partnership, we’ve seen significant growth in HSA/FSA transactions, benefiting both our customers and our business.”

Echelon’s partnership with Flex mirrors a recent collaboration with recovery wellness tech brand Kineon, makers of the MOVE+, an FDA-registered and medical-grade laser using red and infrared light therapy to address pain and inflammation. Other brands working with Flex include smart ring maker Ultrahuman, Forme, Centr, CorePower Yoga, Orangetheory, iFIT and Tempo.

“Our mission at Flex is to help consumers maximize their HSA/FSA benefits while accessing the best in health and wellness,” Flex CEO Sam O’Keefe said. “By teaming up with Echelon, we’re transforming the payment experience and supporting a brand that’s inspiring people to move, improve and thrive.”

Echelon’s timing couldn’t be better, as the fitness equipment brand launches a new suite of products, including the Strength Home, an all-in-one connected strength training system. Notably, Echelon also recently launched ActiveMD, a subsidiary company with an online telehealth platform offering weight loss medications along with workout plans.

“We understand that people are taking these GLP-1s so they’re losing muscle mass,” Lentine said. “We believe if we can combine S1 with the at-home health care, we can provide a better program than someone just buying the GLP-1 and then losing muscle mass. We’re trying to make it a better program for them than just buying a product on its own.”

Industry-wide, fitness and wellness brands are increasingly leveraging HSA/FSA benefits to expand their consumer base and help reduce cost barriers.

This month, group fitness franchisor Orangetheory introduced an HSA/FSA payment solution through its telehealth partner Dr. B. The platform streamlines the process by offering letters of medical necessity for qualified individuals and has also teamed up with F45 Training, BODi (formerly Beachbody) and boutique fitness software provider Xplor Mariana Tek. Similarly, telehealth platform Truemd has struck partnerships with Peleton, Crunch Fitness and CorePower Yoga, while wellness recovery tech brand Hyperice has aligned aligned with Sika Health..

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Fitness and wellness companies leveraging payment providers are quickly seeing the benefits. 

Such is the case for light therapy tech brand Kineon, the latest recovery leader to partner with Flex, a health and wellness payment solution provider.

The partnership allows Kineon customers to access their Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) to purchase Kineon’s MOVE+. The FDA-registered and medical-grade laser uses red and infrared light therapy to address pain and inflammation and can be used on any part of the body.

“At Kineon, we’re dedicated to helping people take control of their health and recovery, reducing pain and inflammation, and getting back to healthy movement,” Kineon CEO Forrest Smith said. “Our partnership with Flex makes it easier than ever for customers to use pre-tax dollars on transformative products like the MOVE+.”

Smith noted that since the collaboration, Kineon has seen a notable increase in HSA/FSA transactions, which has been a revenue growth driver. 

“Our mission at Flex is to help consumers maximize their HSA/FSA benefits while accessing the best in wellness innovation,” Flex CEO Sam O’Keefe said. “By teaming up with Kineon, we’re streamlining the payment experience and supporting a brand that’s revolutionizing recovery and well-being.”

Kineon joins other wellness and fitness brands using Flex’s pre-tax savings solution, such as smart ring maker Ultrahuman, Forme, Centr, CorePower Yoga, Orangetheory, iFIT, Tempo and more.

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Connected fitness leader iFIT has teamed with Flex to offer Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Savings Account (FSA) payment options for its fitness products so that consumers can direct their funds on equipment such as NordicTrack and ProForm. 

“We’re excited to partner with Flex to empower our customers to invest in their fitness journey while leveraging their HSA/FSA benefits, further enhancing our mission to provide the most personalized and advanced fitness experiences,” iFIT chief sales officer Michael Maas said.

The HSA/FSA solutions provider also announced a collaboration with Tempo and counts Centr, Forme and Echelon among its clients.

“This partnership with iFIT demonstrates the power of HSA/FSA payment options to unlock new opportunities for growth,” Flex co-founder and CEO Sam O’Keefe said. “We’re proud to help iFIT continue leading the connected fitness space while expanding access to health and wellness for their customers.”

Check out Athletech New’s list of ten FSA & HSA-eligible products to buy before the year ends.

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Better health, better wallet — that’s Tempo’s take on its new partnership with Flex, a Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flex Savings Accounts (FSA) solutions provider. The collaboration makes it easier for members of the AI virtual personal training program to use their HSA and FSA dollars, making fitness more accessible.

The fitness company, co-founded in 2015 and led by Moawia Eldeeb, raised $220 million in a Series C in 2021 for its Tempo system. The at-home gym includes smart weights featuring AI-powered sensors that deliver real-time form feedback and use AI and biometric data to create personalized daily workouts.

Tempo’s marketing VP, Raechelle Hoki, said the partnership with Flex has provided a streamlined path for the personal training platform to accept HSA/FSA payments, reducing friction in Tempo’s sales funnel.

Tapping Into a Larger Consumer Base

“Initial tests have shown encouraging improvement to our conversion rate after implementing the Flex payment option,” Hoki said. “We believe this comes not only from being able to offer more payment flexibility to our customers but also from the added credibility that comes from being eligible for these tax-advantaged payment types.”

Flex currently works with over 100 brands, offering two pathways for merchants: Product Verification, which identifies and processes items that are eligible for all (over-the-counter medications, menstrual products and first aid supplies) and Health Check, which is for brands selling dual-use items where items are eligible if they are deemed medically necessary. Flex’s Health Check uses telehealth and healthcare providers to determine if consumers qualify to make purchases that would be covered as medical expenses.

“Tempo is a great example of a wellness brand that can easily tap into a bigger market by expanding its payment options,” Flex CEO and co-founder Sam O’Keefe said. “With the wellness and fitness market booming right now, this is the perfect time for brands like Tempo to win and retain customers who have set money aside for these kinds of services.” 

Democratizing Fitness

It’s the last consumer-friendly move from the smart home gym company, which launched a unique ‘Fitness Refund’ in April (a nod to tax time). During the limited-time promotion, Tempo offered to cover gym cancellation fees in exchange for users signing up for its Tempo Training program. The deal encouraged fitness enthusiasts to look at the bright side of at-home training programs, such as the elimination of a commute to the gym or the need to plan a workout.

Tempo’s partnership with Flex underscores the at-home gym brand’s commitment to accessibility, which Eldeeb noted in an exclusive interview with Athletech News last fall. A former personal trainer, Eldeeb co-founded Tempo while attending Columbia as a computer science major.

“Our mission at Tempo has always been to make personal training and fitness more accessible, and the impact personal training had on my life when I was younger is a big inspiration for that,” he said. “I was born in Egypt and moved to New York City when I was in third grade. My family became homeless when I was in middle school, and the trainers at my local YMCA agreed to train me if I focused on school. It was with their help that I excelled academically and fully understood the impact fitness could have on someone.”

The experience left a significant impression on the Tempo CEO.

“I realized that one-on-one, personalized training and guidance was unattainable for most people, and sought to fill that gap by combining AI and weightlifting to create the only at-home fitness solution with a built-in personal trainer,” Eldeeb continued.

Other Brands Tap HSA/FSA Dollars 

As fitness, wellness and healthcare continue to converge, other leading names in fitness have begun offering HSA/FSA options to find new consumers and make fitness and related areas (like recovery) affordable.

Last fall, recovery technology brand Hyperice teamed with Sika Health, so its suite of wellness brands (such as Hypervolt, Normatec, Venom, Hyperice X and more) can be purchased using HSA/FSA funds.

This year, Mark Wahlberg-backed F45 Training teamed with New York-based telehealth platform Dr. B so F45 members could pay for their functional fitness classes. Dr. B also partnered with Xplor Mariana Tek, BODi and SoulCycle for similar pre-tax dollar coverage to make paying for memberships and classes easier and more accessible.

Better Health for All

Proponents of using pre-tax health savings and spending accounts to pay for fitness and wellness expenses, such as Adam Zeitsiff, chair of the National Health and Fitness Alliance, say it’s a game-changer for Americans.

“We all intuitively know that regular exercise is a vital pillar of a healthy life, and the science backs it up,” Zeitsiff wrote. “Yet, access to fitness facilities, programs, and equipment remains out of reach for many Americans.”

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