Have you ever wondered if AARP has decent discounts on stuff that you really want and can use? I’ve had my AARP card for (gulp) more than ten years and I’ve never checked. I guess I would have been mortified pulling “The Card” out, to show that I really was over 50.
Now that I’m almost 60, I really don’t care about the age thing any more. I still look like I’m in my 40s and having the time of my life. Why not do it on a discount? I went to the AARP Member Advantages site to look for deals. Here’s what I found:
The site was broken down into 5 categories – Shopping; Travel, Entertainment and Restaurants, Financial Services, and Healthcare/Insurance. I visited each category in that order.
Under shopping, I found that you can get 30 percent off Ancestry Membership. I really didn’t give much thought to where I came from in my 20s, but now that I’m older I do have an interest. 30 percent is a significant discount. You can also get Ancestry DNA for $59. Last time I checked it was $99 retail on Ancestry’s web site.
If you’re an AARP member, you can get 25 percent off orders from Glasses.com. I will use this – I lose at least one pair of prescription sunglasses a year. They are not cheap!
You can also get an extra day’s rental on an Avis Rent A Car when you rent for 3 consecutive days, (including Saturday night.) I’m finally going to start using my AARP card when I go to the movies, because I will get 25 percent off of movie tickets. (Shit, I’m turning into my grandma.)
Some people on fixed incomes can’t afford to pay for treatment for their pets. It’s a devastating situation. AARP offers Petplan pet insurance. I’m gonna check this one out ASAP.
There’s a plethora (love that word) of restaurants that offer 10-15 percent off your meal, ranging from fast food to fine dining. To name a few, there’s Chart House, Applebee’s, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Denny’s, Chili’s, Claim Jumper, any restaurant owned by Landry’s (so cool, there’s some good ones that they own), as well as others that have a Santa Monica outpost, such as Arby’s, Burger King, El Pollo Loco, McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, and Einstein Bros. Bagels. Check the AARP site for specific discounts.
Almost all hotels offer an AARP discount. I use them all the time. An AARP discount room is usually the least expensive; that and AAA. I discovered that you can save 50 percent on select local events through Ticketmaster. When I looked to see what was offered locally, it was the 70s rock groups Boston and Joan Jett! I loved Boston when I was growing up in the 70s. But it’s hard to compare them to Frank Sinatra, my mother’s fave when she was my age. Rock on, my fellow AARP members!
