No. To me, it’s obvious that AARP, like almost any other organization you want to name, has sold out to the marketing professionals. I get a more or less content-less “magazine” which has all the “gravitas” (remember that?) of USA Today.
Every article gives the appearance of being written by a “cub” reporter, one who is treading lightly, afraid that he or she might offend someone. Very little substance there.
As for “discounts”, most places give them without proof of membership in anything.
When I register at a motel, and ask for a senior discount, they just point to the AARP sign. No AARP card, no discount. So I still carry the temporary card they sent me 28 years ago, it works. Just flash it, they don’t write down the number or look at the name or anything. So I get that 10% on motel rooms, but I’ve never been in any other situation where I’d benefit from membership. And I’ve paid them nothing.
I decided not to renew after a few years of membership because of the blizzard of pubs and insurance solicitations. I mentioned my concerns on this board and I soon got a phone call from them (AARP) asking about my problems with them. They could only have gotten my contact info from this board somehow. They more recently have solicited my membership and I repeatedly declined. They even offered me a free membership which I declined. One big gripe is that in many of their pubs, like the slick monthly magazine, THEY PRINT YOUR NAME ON INSIDE PAGES AND BOUND-IN RETURN POSTCARDS which you can easily miss if you, like I, remove any personal i.d. info before disposing of any docs or pubs, etc.
This is why I am a member. The only reason. When Republican politicians and think tanks are coming up with yet another plan to undermine Social Security and Medicare, AARP can usually be depended on to get the word out.
I refuse to join for the same reason many here give for joining. For a long time they have very successfully advocated for the elderly to the great determent of the rest of the people in the country IMO. Now that I’m old, I’m not going to help them take even more from my hard working children so that I can hopefully sit around and get everything for free.
And the discounts suck. Tell any hotel or restaurant you’re elderly and you’ll probably get just as good a discount. I’m not sure why young people should have to pay extra for everything though, so I don’t usually ask.