Cancel an LA Fitness Membership Easily With This Practical Guide

Ashley Ferraro, Consumer Operations
Feb 9, 2024
 • 
10
 Min Read
Manage Your Subscription Payments With Virtual Cards

LA Fitness is a household name in the fitness world, boasting over 550 locations across the United States and Canada. It provides state-of-the-art facilities, top-notch equipment, and a wide range of classes to help its members achieve their fitness goals.

Despite its popularity and amenities, LA Fitness may not be ideal for all members. Some may choose to end their memberships due to dissatisfaction, a desire to try out new fitness centers, or the need to cut back costs.

If you decide to cut ties with the company, consult this practical guide on how to cancel an LA Fitness membership easily. It will outline the appropriate cancellation steps and point out potential issues you may encounter during the process. You’ll also learn how to protect your account from unexpected subscription charges from any company.

The content in this article is current as of December 2023. Please refer to LA Fitness's official website or contact customer support for updated information.

A photo of the inside of a modern gym with various gym equipment
Source: Max Rahubovskiy

How To Cancel an LA Fitness Membership—The Process Explained

You can cancel LA Fitness in person or by physical mail. The steps to follow for each method are presented below.

How To Cancel Your LA Fitness Membership in Person

LA Fitness recommends canceling your membership in person at your local gym. This allows for a smoother and quicker process as the staff can assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. Take the steps below to cancel your LA Fitness subscription in person:

  1. Visit your local LA Fitness facility during staffed hours (Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
  2. Request to speak with the operations manager at the front desk.
  3. Inform the operations manager that you would like to end your membership. They will print out the cancellation form for you to fill out.
  4. Provide the necessary details and return the cancellation form to the operations manager.
  5. Request a copy of the completed form as proof of cancellation.

Remember to cancel your membership at least five business days before your next billing cycle to avoid being charged for the following month. You’ll have access to the gym until your current billing cycle ends.

Canceling LA Fitness Membership by Physical Mail

You can also cancel your LA Fitness subscription via physical mail as follows:

  1. Visit the LA Fitness website and log in to your account.
  2. Navigate to the My LA Fitness page.
  3. Select Cancellation Form from the Account Information section.
  4. Print and fill out the form.
  5. Mail the completed form to LA Fitness International LLC, PO Box 54170, Irvine, CA 92619-4170.

LA Fitness recommends Certified Mail as it allocates a unique number to your mailed cancellation letter for easy tracking. You should also keep a record of your files in case of any disputes. 

A close-up photo of a person trying to lift barbell weights in a gym
Source: Victor Freitas

Potential Issues With Canceling LA Fitness Membership

According to some user reviews, the LA Fitness cancellation process may not always go smoothly. One reviewer on Trustpilot claimed that they were charged for another month despite receiving confirmation via phone that their membership was canceled. Another member complained about LA Fitness not having a more convenient option to cancel a membership—the company allegedly required the user to cancel in person or via physical mail despite them living in another state.

While most subscription cancellation issues are a result of a mistake or an oversight in the company’s cancellation policy, some subscription-based merchants may deliberately use manipulative methods as customer retention strategies. For example, they may require you to call customer support and wait on hold for hours, which can be nerve-racking and result in additional charges.

These problems have prompted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to propose a "click to cancel" rule, which requires subscription merchants to simplify canceling services. However, it may take time for this rule to be implemented, so you should consider taking a proactive approach by using Privacy Virtual Cards to pay for subscriptions.

Virtual cards are linked to an actual funding source but mask your financial information with random card numbers at checkout. These cards add an integral layer of security to your payments, protecting your data from potential fraud. Besides securing your transactions, a dedicated virtual card provider like Privacy offers advanced card controls to help you manage your subscription expenses more efficiently.

A photo of a Visa card placed on top of a laptop
Source: CardMapr.nl 

How Privacy Protects Your Funds During and After Cancellations

You can link your debit card or bank account to Privacy and generate virtual cards for different uses. Privacy Cards can be used at most merchants and subscription services that accept U.S. Visa® or Mastercard® payments, including:

You can create two types of virtual cards with Privacy—Single-Use and Merchant-Locked. Learn how they work in the following table:

Card Type How It Works
Single-Use Card This card closes shortly after you finalize the first transaction. It's ideal for one-time purchases and shopping on websites whose credibility you’re unsure of.
Merchant-Locked Card This card “locks” to the first merchant you transact with and can be used repeatedly. It's perfect for merchants you frequently buy from and your favorite subscriptions, such as Adobe, NordVPN, and LinkedIn Premium

Privacy Cards can help you manage subscription payments with the following features:

  • Pausing/closing—You can pause or close your Privacy Cards anytime. Privacy will decline all charge attempts on paused or closed cards, reducing the risk of unwelcome charges when you want to stop your subscription.
  • Spending limits—You can set spending limits on Privacy Cards to ensure merchants can only charge the amount you’ve agreed upon. Privacy will decline any transactions that exceed the designated limit.

How To Set Up and Use Privacy

Complete the following steps to get started with Privacy:

  1. Register
  2. Fill out the required information to verify your identity
  3. Link a funding source (bank account or debit card)
  4. Generate Privacy Virtual Cards

Once you sign up, you’ll also get access to the:

  • Browser extension—The Privacy Browser Extension for Edge, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Safari iOS autofills your card details at checkout, so you don't have to enter them manually. This feature lets you enjoy fast and seamless transactions.
  • Mobile app—Privacy's mobile app for iOS and Android allows you to create and manage your virtual cards on the go.

You can choose among three Privacy plans—Personal, Pro, and Premium. Refer to the table below for more information about these plans:

Pricing Plan Cost per Month Number of Virtual Cards per Month Benefits
Personal Free for domestic transactions 12
  • Card pausing and closing

  • Ability to set spending limits

  • Access to the browser extension and mobile app

Pro $10 36
  • Everything in Personal

  • Fee-free foreign transactions

  • Priority support

  • Ability to mask transaction info on bank statements

  • 1% cashback on eligible purchases (totaling up to $4,500 per month)

Premium $25 60
  • Everything in Pro

  • Dedicated account management

Privacy — Seamless & Secure Online Card Payments
Checkout securely online by creating unique virtual card numbers for every purchase. Avoid data breaches, unwanted charges, and stolen credit card numbers.
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