Assure me I'm not being penny wise and pound foolish.

[Paper Roses]

Simple decision. AARP sent me a bill in May for an October renewal of my membership. I have been a member for about a million years. I cannot recall using this card ever. I am alone now, unemployed and cannot afford to travel The AARP discounts are not great anyway. My new card came yesterday with another bill for October renewal.

I don't really feel I need their services. Perhaps I have missed something that would be of value but the membership costs for me would be better spent on a bill or food.

Have any of you Seniors dropped this expense? Think I am making a mistake? My only income is from SS, every penny counts.

Your thoughts?

[Uben]

1. I am a member, but.....

...I have never saved a dime because of it. Drop it of you live on SSI.

[csziggy]

2. Have you checked their auto insurance (if you have a car)?

We save about $350 a year when we switched over to the AARP program even though we were already with Hartford. Their Medicare supplemental insurance plans are pretty good, too. And in some states, their homeowners insurance policies are supposed to be competitively priced - but they do not sell them here in Florida.

They also have a page on their website with coupons and discount from various vendors, I saved 10% when I bought a TV. The few times we travel, we use our AAA card for discounts - they give about the same amount off and their web pages for checking prices and making reservations is much easier to use.

If there are none of their discounts that you would use, then it is not worth it to you. The only other 'benefit' would be to influence how AARP lobbies for issues related to seniors. After they supported the Bush drug plan, they caught hell from members and changed their lobbying some. If enough members tell them to support specific issues, they will.

[DrDan]

3. nope - drop 'em

[Scuba]

4. "millions of Americans united by their love of travel discounts"

Can't remember who said that in response to AARP's position on some political issue, but it's right. And if you don't use the travel discounts, there's not much else there. Can't speak to the auto insurance issue.

One thing's clear: AARP does NOT reliably speak for seniors.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. You will lose nothing by dropping them.

In my experience.
I joined 15 years ago.
I dropped them in 2005.

NEVER had need to use their discounts except for motels when I was traveling, and did very little traveling.

The magazine will come for several years more, you will get a tons of mail from them and their
"business partners", they will ignore any repeated request from you to stop sending stuff.
Our junk mail via AARP has increased in the past couple years.

Worse, over time they became a shill for Big Pharma and Insurance.
Don't believe me?
Look at all the ads and inserts in their magazines, and all the "offers" you get in the mail from them for insurance.
And boy howdy, did they ever lobby for the POS insurance reform.
I heard NOTHING from about single payer, universal care.

We have ONE magazine sub nowadays, everything else we can get over the inter tubes.

[Lochloosa]

6. I dropped the a few years ago. One hint. When/if you make reservations at a hotel

tell them your a member. I have never been asked for my card.

[old mark]

7. No loss - you can find almost everything they offer at the same or better rates online.

They really are a clearinghouse, and are using members as a customer base for their products.

I am a member, but can not tell you why...
and we won't be renewing our membership, either.

mark

[LibinMo]

8. Dropped them when they came out in favor of Bush prescription

drug plan. We have never missed them.

[raccoon]

9. Only time the membership has helped me is getting a discount on my glasses.

I have a strong prescription and bifocals and my glasses cost mucho dinero.

WIth AARP membership, you get a discount--I think it's 1/3 of the price--on glasses, at Lenscrafters and I think some other places.

[hayu_lol]

10. Drop them...

they supported many of the repugnant bills affecting seniors during the 'reign of terror' of the Bush years.

[quiller4]

11. The discount I got on my last pair of glasses was more than my

membership fee. I don't travel much but I've gotten AARP discounts from several local merchants, too.