AARP membership?

[jp1]

Even though my workometer still has nine years to tick down I got a solicitation from them today.

Do any of you belong? Are there worthwhile benefits? They are trying to get me to join for $16 by offering a free gift of a three piece travel organizer set. That actually might be nice to have but will I get anything else of value like hotel discounts, etc?

[Yppej]

I just joined because I plan to get Consumer Cellular phone service in the near future and the discount on that will pay for the membership. They are sending me lots of email spam but so far no membership card in the mail, though yesterday a welcome packet came in the mail.

Their coupons are lame - discounts on overpriced brand name packaged foods. I can get as good or better deals with store brand generics. Their partners are unimpressive. For instance, they use the same sucky dental insurance company I now have at work.

So overall I am not impressed. I don't know how their travel discounts compare to AAA.

[SteveinMN]

DW joined as soon as she could. We do use the Consumer Cellular discount and that pays for the membership. We might have used their discount at a restaurant or store or movie theater, too, but I don't think their deals are any better than AAA (which we have as part of being insured by AAA) or our alumni associations or such. DW likes the magazine. I don't care. I'd read it in a doctor's waiting room but I won't sneak it into my to-read pile if she hasn't seen it yet. ;)

[iris lilies]

No.

why?

They inundate me with mail and I wish they would cut it out. It all seems scammy and stupid to me. I wouldn’t want their cheap travel organizer and I don’t even know what that is, but it’s not nice I’ll guarantee you that.

[pinkytoe]

Had it for one year so that DH could get a discount on supplemental insurance. I liked the little newspaper and magazine on occasion but decided not to renew. Never got the free travel bag either.

[bae]

Do any of you belong?

No. I attempted to join when I was 36 and first retired. They informed me that they were really the AAOP, and I wasn't O-enough.

Later.

[jp1]

Well, I guess the jury is in. (and actually the simple living jury gave pretty much the same reaction as my older non-simple living friends did via text and facebook.) IL was perhaps the most blunt but the most common response i've gotten is that it's not worth the $16/year cost, which is pretty damning since even one decent discount somewhere would make it worth it. Into the shredder it goes.

[rosarugosa]

My mother is a member, so I get to read her magazines for free. They are OK, but I wouldn't really miss them if she didn't pass them on to me. I've travelled with her to Maine in the past, and the inn offered the same discount for AAA & AARP, which I believe was 10%.

[LDAHL]

I always assumed that an organization that spent so much on marketing and lobbying would not make a priority of member benefits.

[catherine]

I know you've made up your mind, but I just want to add another n to this survey sample. I agree that it's not a horrible waste of money if you would otherwise choose to spend $16 on a magazine targeted to people who like reading about old celebrities, but that's about it. Every time I try to find some savings in travel or whatever, it gets trumped by other savings I might have, like AAA. Like pinkytoe, I think I did need it to sign up for the AARP Supplemental Plan, but you have a long way to go for that, jp.

[Teacher Terry]

No

[SteveinMN]

I always assumed that an organization that spent so much on marketing and lobbying would not make a priority of member benefits.
That actually is my experience with pretty much every affinity and lobbying group. High marketing/advertising costs do not impress me.

[iris lilies]

That actually is my experience with pretty much every affinity and lobbying group. High marketing/advertising costs do not impress me.
From the zillion mailings I get from AARP, I have concluded that they do not have my best interest at heart. They’re interested in selling crap.

[Simplemind]

We have. I like their magazine and I have used the travel discounts. Now that we have AAA I will probably drop it because the discounts are the same. We have never used the card for the little perks here and there at restaurants and shops.