Bally Fitness Lifetime Memberships May Not Be For Life

Pete Lublin, a Wheaton resident, has been going to in Wheaton Plaza for years. But when he went to the gym on Tuesday, he said he was told they would no longer honor his lifetime membership. 

It turns out that the Bally Total Fitness in Wheaton Plaza is one of more than 170 locations bought by LA Fitness, but it took a few days for the lifetime memberships to transfer over to the new system.

Julia Steeg, the operations manager at the Wheaton location, confirmed that the fitness center is now honoring lifetime memberships--but they may no longer be good for life without additional charges.

“They might end up paying a $1 renewal fee every year, but I don’t think it will go any higher,” Steeg said, adding that she is still waiting for more direction from the national office.

This fits with what Paul Norris, a principal at LA Fitness, , that lifetime members would initially be given a free three-year membership, but would pay $1 for each year after that.

Lublin called Bally again Thursday morning, and he said they told him his membership would be honored. “I will be going over to the Wheaton Bally’s this weekend,” he wrote in an email. “I hope everything works out.”

If you are a Bally’s customer, you can verify your account online to enter the LA Fitness system.

For more details behind how LA Fitness is handling the transfer of Bally lifetime memberships,