I am thinking of buying my mother a membership to AARP as they are having a special right now – 5 years for $55. Does anyone have (or had) a membership? If so, what are the pros and cons? TIA
Well, does your mother agree with them? I dislike many of their policies, and while I would appreciate the thought if my child gifted me a membership, I’d also be fairly outraged that they gave money in my name to policies I disapprove.
If your mother has said she wishes she had a membership, that is one thing. But if not, have a discussion with her about them.
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@SonoranSilkies I’m totally ignorant when it comes to AARP and their policies. I thought it was just a membership geared towards people ‘of a certain age’ that offered discounts for various things. Could you please enlighten me, or direct me to where I can find the information you’re referring to?
Thanks!
They advocate for policies to protect seniors. But I just like it for the hotel discounts. I regularly save 10%. If you mother travels she will enjoy this perk.
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No matter what their website says, they are very liberal oriented. If you like that it is ok, but those who are not liberal minded do not like that.
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I’ve never joined. Why not give her just one year? If she likes it , you could then go multi-year.
I’m not a member but I did check into whether I’d get a superior price on auto insurance and easily found a superior plan elsewhere. They do give a small monthly discount at Consumer Cellular if you are an aarp member.
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Thank you all for your feedback. I did some research on the pros and cons and decided not to get my mother a membership as she wouldn’t use most of the ‘benefits’ offered.
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I have a membership, but actually did not sign up for the discounts, which I think are rather paltry. However, I’ve been finding their articles on health, fashion and other topics interesting.
They have great deals on gift cards for cuisse lines and other companies. I don’t agree with all of the political stuff but the gift card discounts are fantastic. I saved over $450 on my Princess cruise last year by buying the gift cards and applying them to my cruise fare.
Are you referring to the articles in the AARP magazine, LauraDub?
Cool. My mother actually doesn’t travel, but does use gift cards. Do they offer a large selection of gift cards? When you say ‘deals’, what is the average savings on gift cards?
Yes- I get the digital version which I find handy.
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Thanks for the link, David, but it’s asking me to log-in and/or join in order to see the gift cards.
Does anyone have dental insurance with the carrier offered by AARP?
Try this link: https://www.aarp.org/rewards/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aarp.org%2Frewards%2Fredeem#sort-by=default
I had gone to the rewards while signed in.
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You need a membership to buy the AARP-UnitedHealthcare Medicare Supplement insurance, which my wife and I just bought. My Mom has had it for 31 years now, she’s 96, never a hitch. We’ve been members since age 50.
If AARP’s advocating for Medicare and Social Security is liberal, I guess the conservative approach is disassemble those programs in bits and pieces and make them less easy to access? Oh, like what’s been happening all year? Silly me.
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@ochotona Thanks for the info. I was aware that you needed to be a member to be eligible for the dental care offered via UnitedHealthcare. May I ask if your monthly premiums are reasonable? Do they pay claims quickly and without hassle? Also, do they cover dental implants per chance?
Sorry, I don’t know anything about dental plans from UHC. My wife and I have a good dentist who charges a reasonable amount, and we’re just going to pay cash. Personally, I don’t think dental insurance conveys any value over the long term.