Aarp? Urp?

[dorinda]

SooOOOoOOOooo, I have a birthday comin' up. And in today's mail I got...a letter from the AARP offering me membership. Welp.

Anybody have any opinions on the subject? Would it be worth my while to sign up? Or is it mostly just a spam factory? (I get health insurance through my work, and other insurance through USAA, for what it's worth.)

Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go find myself a rockin chair, a porch, and a front lawn, for the sitting in, on, and yelling at. :D

Comments

[raine]

It is a political lobby, so anything you purchase through it supports its politics. My parents joined it and got better discounts through AAA, so YMMV.

[destina]

HAHAHAHAHA, welcome to the club! I got mine one birthday ago. *high fives you* I asked this question of friends locally who all said DO NOT SIGN UP, only because they will never stop selling your name and address or sending you piles of advertisements and offers. AN avalanche, one friend said.

[raine]

I haven't gotten mine yet, but I remember they added me to the list when I was still a teenager living at home because my dad, in his infinite wisdom, gave them my name. (He didn't understand the whole thing about 'mailing lists' and it only got worse with his dementia.)

[dorinda]

Double high fiiiiiiive \o\

I already get so much paper junk from AAA. I mean, email spam is one thing. Annoying, but I can set up filters, delete things, etc. Tons of paper spam, "magazines", etc., mean my tiny mailbox gets jammed and I am just shoveling glossy shit straight into the recycling bin.

[dorinda]

Hm yeah, it does seem like USAA is already covering things I'd actually use, and AAA pretty much the remainder.

[arduinna]

I joined specifically for the discount to Bonefish Grill, because I would easily make back the money - and then Bonefish Grill closed its restaurants in my state. sigh. (I of course signed up for multiple years to save the annoyance of re-upping.)

If you have AAA, the discounts overlap hugely and it's probably not worth it. If you don't have AAA, you can get AAA-style discounts on things. *g*

I don't agree with everything they lobby for, but I'm okay with giving money to a group that keeps pressure up on Medicare funding and Social Security.

Here's a list of all the things you can get discounts on - hotels, car rentals, restaurants, tickets, etc.

[dorinda]

I've never been to a Bonefish Grill but now I am mad on your behalf. >:[

Thanks for the list! Very handy!

[carbonel]

I joined because membership is inexpensive and I mostly approve of what they lobby for.

If you sign up online, I strongly recommend trimming what you allow them to e-mail to you. Otherwise you will be deluged with daily messages. There are something like 20 categories and you get all of them by default. It is easy to opt out, though.

I also find the habit of only including teasers in the e-mails to be annoying. I would be more likely to click through if I had a little more context than a clickbait title.

[dorinda]

The email warning is very much appreciated. I signed up for an ebook discount newsletter recently without paying enough attention to the checkboxes, and I was thereafter blasted with like ten different kinds of emails from them EVERY DAY. Too much! Tooooo muuuuuuuch!

[treewishes]

They are the lobbyist for every-person olds, so their continued existence is IMHO a good thing.

On the other hand, I have never joined up and don't plan to; I don't use their discounts and I'm terrible about donating tiny amounts to large entities. I know, I know, that they use the number of tiny amounts to get the big amounts from big donors. I would rather give my $ to tiny organizations where it actually makes a difference.

[dorinda]

Yeah, it seems likely I'll just wait a while, and see where my best interests lie. I suspect they will not cease reminding me that it's time to sign up. :D

[msmoat]

Heh. Welcome! I joined awhile ago for the discounts, but then I forget to look for the discounts. I haven't been spammed by them at all, but I see from the comments that others are. I'm always careful to limit that kind of thing when I join things, though, so maybe that's it. I do agree with many of their positions (definitely not all), and having been subjected to ageism for the first time, I support advocacy on my behalf.

[dorinda]

Awww, the Christmas icon. <3

That's a big problem of mine with discounts--remembering to look for them in the first place! Plus, it's like buying more of something if it's on sale: it's only really worth it, if it's something I'd be buying anyway.

I'm glad to hear it's possible to stay out from under the spamalanche! It gives me hope. *g*

[elynross]

Yeah, they've been after me for years now, so I'll be interested in what people say. I think the AARP discount thingie is about what the AAA discount thingie gives me, in similar places, so...

[dorinda]

I hardly ever remember to look at my AAA discount options when I'm doing something that might be relevant. I'm going to have to get more practice in actually USING discounts I'm already paying for!!

[elynross]

I'm not sure I've used it since I haven't been going to cons, because the hotel discounts were what I used the most. I think it's like me a coupons: most of the things offered aren't for things I buy, and when they are, I might even cut them out, but do I remember to use them? No, I do not...

[amedia]

I like the Outback discount, and while they give the same hotel discount as AAA, theirs also automatically includes a late checkout on your last day, which is sometimes a lifesaver.

[dorinda]

Ach, it's a shame that that was the last Vividcon, because that was the only place where I habitually ate at Outback. Dang.

Automatic late checkout! I had no idea--that sounds fantastic. Thank you for mentioning it!