Over the weekend I received my AARP membership offer and saying to enjoy my birthday (in a few weeks). Not that I was already feeling old.
Anyone a member and recommend? I was actually curious about the benefits, looks like mostly 10% this and that, not a big deal. I'll keep USAA for insurance, thanks anyway. Glasses look the most promising. Anyone care to chime in? (And stay off my lawn.)
We've been members for a LONG time, and I'm not eligible for a month and a half for full membership. Turns out, they can't deny membership based on age.... 
The insurance discount is very worth it, to us. That's the only thing we use. My wife appreciates some of the articles in the magazine.
I think 80% of their dues go to sending spam to people 40+ who aren't members.
I throw their E36 M3 away twice a week. Every week. All year. How much do they spend in printing and material costs? Postage?
I think it gets you a 10% discount at Penske when you rent a truck.
I started getting mail from them at 38. I just E36 M3can it, but might read some of it when I am in my 60's.
alfadriver wrote: The insurance discount is very worth it, to us. That's the only thing we use. My wife appreciates some of the articles in the magazine.
So...tell me more about the insurance discount?
I've been getting spam from them since I was 20 - more than 30 years - thanks to DW being stranded at a truck stop with a flat tire waiting for her dad to come change it. AARP, Miracle Ear, and (for a decade or so, anyway) Transport For Christ International, among several others. I seriously could not get away to come help her, and she was much closer to her house than where I was anyway. But hell hath no fury like a woman scorned who also has a ball point pen and time to kill.
I somehow started getting it earlier this year at age 27.
I wonder if the discounts are worth it... probably not.
Grtechguy wrote:alfadriver wrote: The insurance discount is very worth it, to us. That's the only thing we use. My wife appreciates some of the articles in the magazine.So...tell me more about the insurance discount?
I'd have to look it up- as we've been members for over 10 years. But I think we got a nice drop in homeowners insurance. Way more than the cost of membership. It's easy to ask if there's an AARP discount.
mtn wrote: I somehow started getting it earlier this year at age 27. I wonder if the discounts are worth it... probably not.
think of the cost more as a black box. There's no reason you have to read the magazines or articles. But paying $16/year to save more than that is a net positive, regardless of what something sends you.
I'll be 50 shortly, did not realize there was an age to have "full membership"?
Jerry wrote: I'll be 50 shortly, did not realize there was an age to have "full membership"?
50 is the "full membership" age. That we can tell, the "associate membership" is exactly the same thing with the same discounts. It's funny to understand that AARP can't discriminate based on age.
alfadriver wrote:mtn wrote: I somehow started getting it earlier this year at age 27. I wonder if the discounts are worth it... probably not.think of the cost more as a black box. There's no reason you have to read the magazines or articles. But paying $16/year to save more than that is a net positive, regardless of what something sends you.
What are the discounts though?
In reply to mtn:
Like I've posted already- we get a homeowners insurance discount that is considerably higher than $16/year. We've not really worried about any other ones, as that's the reason we joined AARP so long ago.
In reply to alfadriver:
The 30-40% discounts I see for glasses caught my eye. See what I did there? But maybe some homeowner insurance discount would be even better.
I'm 48 and somehow I haven't got to the top of their SPAM list yet, nothing from them. My wife who is 50 has been getting stuff from them for 5 years.
Who is the insurance through? Do you need to go through USAA to get it? We're happy with our insurance, but with two rental houses as well as our primary, Insurance rates are something I pay attention too.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson:
We have the homeowners through Citizens, which is where we get the AARP discount.
Doesn't hurt to ask anywhere.
What's funny is that as members, I don't get spam from them.
I bought it last year for a road trip. Saved enough on the first hotel night to pay for the card, which meant subsequent hotel nights were all a bonus.
This year I'm flying, so I didn't renew.
I kind of wish I'd saved all the spam mail they've sent me, I'd have enough to burn to be able to heat my house for a year.
I joined. I let it go after two years. I never used anything and the magazine wasn't exciting.
I was a member for quite awhile until I realized that the cost of membership was more than the discounts I could get.
cancelled but still get mailings for me to renew.
I got my first invitation to join at 21. The same year my Hair started falling out.
My mom has been a member for while though, but I think we get better discounts from AAA, and yes I know entirely different group. She's done some group vacations and stuff with AARP though, or because of, or they were involved somehow.
Been a member for 23 years (I'm 73). I don't pay much attention to it other than read the newsletter which I have gotten some good tips from. The wife on the other hand is always asking for an AARP discount and quite frequently gets one. Stores, restaurants, etc. (I.E. 10% at Outback). I figure she gets enough discounts to make it worthwhile.
I have about a dozen friends that got an "invite" from AARP within a week of their 50th birthday an they were all upset because they weren't "old". I am a few years past the magic age and haven't gotten a single invite. Maybe I need to look into it and see what the discounts are. Are they better than AAA?
For $16 per year, I'm almost thinking if I use it at all it would be worth it. That's barely one pizza.
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