Free Instant Leaders Club Membership Revoked, and How to Get Membership Again for Free

a pool with tables and chairs in front of a town
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About a month ago we were alerted to a great opportunity for readers to try out Leaders Club, the loyalty program of Leading Hotels of the World.

The annual $150 was waived as part of a promotion by Diners Club, and many readers signed up, got instant membership, and were looking forward to trying out the program and properties.

A reader sent me copy of an email they received from the Director of the Leaders Club loyalty program just a few days ago though, letting them know that their membership had been revoked.

The email went on to say that the offer was intended for a specific group of folks (Diners Club), and that as they weren’t a legitimate recipient of the offer their membership in Leaders Club had been terminated.

It is true that only a few were the target audience of the promotion so it is of course their right to cancel memberships for anyone not holding a Diners Club card. That being said I do find it unfortunate that Leaders Club chose not to honor the year trial membership for everyone that used the link.

It would have been a great way to show frequent travelers a different loyalty program than the usual ones, brought more stays to their hotels and perhaps gained repeat loyalty from new members. I’m guessing that many who signed up are those who already hold mid/top tier status in several other hotel loyalty programs so this might have been a chance to woo away some of their business over to LHW.

Instead, an email like this is off-putting and no doubt there are some who will pass altogether on future opportunities for Leaders Club. Shame, seeing as Leading Hotels of the World has some outstanding properties with everything from castles and villas to lakeside retreats and safari accommodations.

Althoff Seehotel Ãœberfahrt, from LHW's website
Althoff Seehotel Ãœberfahrt, from LHW’s website

If you signed up using the link and received the cancellation message, you can contact them if you are indeed a Diners Club Member and eligible for the promotion.

Alternately, you can still get a free year trial of Leaders Club by utilizing a promotion still going on through the end of this year. You do not need to be a Diners Club member. All you need to do is use your Mastercard to make your first Leading Hotels of the World booking. Here’s more information about the offer, which is going on via Mastercard Priceless Surprises.

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Note that the offer is only good for new members. I’m not sure if those with revoked membership will still have their email addresses flagged in the system so if you try again using the Mastercard offer you may need to sign up with a new email address.

Was your Leaders Club membership revoked?

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