# Aarp **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279 "2008-05-31T17:05:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/1 "2008-05-31T17:05:20Z")
I won’t even turn 49 for another 7 months and I got my AARP application today. Hey, I’m not proud, if I can save some money on travel, get some powerful lobbyists working on my behalf to pass some pork barrel stuff for me, and get cheap insurance, I’m all in. Except I thought I had to be 50? But it appears I can just mail in my $12.50 (because when you get this age, even though the multi-year discount looks good, you really can’t count on being around to take advantage right? I think that might be their first moneymaking scam) and be a fogey. Mom’s going to be so proud, we’ll be in the same group together again! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/2 "2008-05-31T17:28:15Z")
I joined when I turned 50, and so far all it’s gotten me is a monthly magazine. I get better insurance rates elsewhere, I get the same break on hotel rates from AAA, and I’m too young to qualify for any real senior citizen discounts around here - most of those start at 60. I don’t think I renewed - is it a one-time fee for life?? _\_ ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/3 "2008-05-31T17:41:53Z")
I’m pretty sure there’s a yearly membership fee. It used to be $10. Now they send out membership cards that look free, but they follow up with a letter asking for the money. I signed up for a year, got the magazine, and 10% off at **one** museum. The discounts for things like car insurance, etc, aren’t that great. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/4 "2008-05-31T19:37:17Z")
Damn, I thought all this waiting to get old and cool stuff was worth waiting for? ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/5 "2008-05-31T19:51:43Z")
Maybe they will get you a free cane to hit children with if they are playing on your lawn. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/6 "2008-05-31T19:58:26Z")
Actually IIRC you can join AARP at any age. Otherwise it would be age discrimination, which the organization definitely opposes. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/7 "2008-05-31T21:51:55Z")
I’ve considered it, but don’t have enough information to decide if it would be worthwhile. The information they send is really pretty vague. You can get discounts at lots of hotels & restaurants – which ones, exactly? Any in my neighborhood? You get discounts on insurance – from what companies, and how big a discount? All generalities, so it’s quite hard to decide if it is personally a good deal. Oddly enough, their membership appeals seem to be the same kind of vague, non-specific promises that they warn seniors about! ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/8 "2008-05-31T22:05:21Z")
It’s probably not worth the money but they do have political clout and us old timers need that. I don’t know that I’ve ever received any discounts anywhere but the magazine is interesting from time to time. I hate to think I’ve been a member for 18 years and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/9 "2008-05-31T22:57:32Z")
I considered joining when I turned 50. Since then, I’ve torn up the junk mail that comes 3 times/year. They definitely have some political clout, but not worth the money. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/10 "2008-06-01T01:03:18Z")
Why the fuck can’t you capitalize a word in the title of a thread? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/11 "2008-06-01T01:39:50Z")
I dunno. It kind of sounds like the sound you make after getting the mailing…“Aarp! I’m officially old.” ---
**Author:** ![MissMossie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MissMossie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMossie)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/12 "2008-06-01T01:47:12Z")
I like that it ended up “Aarp”. I thought it was cool that someone else pronounced it like that. When my mom started getting things from AARP, I told her that she seemed waaaay too young to get stuff from Aarp. She looked at me like I was nuts. She was probably right to look at me that way. Only a little OT, did anyone else get a google ad for a fore-skin stretching site with this page? Do (near) retired folk long for the good ol’ days when they still had their fore-skin? ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/13 "2008-06-01T02:16:16Z")
I got my application a couple of months ago. I’m 32, for heaven’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/14 "2008-06-01T02:52:20Z")
Bright eyed and innocent at age 50, I joined. Older and wiser at age 52, I unjoined. Now, 10 years later, they still send crap telling me my membership will be permanantly lost if I don’t start sending them money again. (This in the form of a bill.) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/15 "2008-06-01T03:02:45Z")
The AARP is the most successful lobbying group in the U.S. The NRA is in second place the last time I looked. They need to combine forces and charter buses that travel to buffet restaurants that are full of old people with .357 magnums in holsters. That would get people’s attention. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/16 "2008-06-01T17:18:02Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] Why the fuck can’t you capitalize a word in the title of a thread? [/QUOTE] I did, but it kept defaulting back like that. I never noticed before, maybe the board doesn’t like all cap titles? ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/17 "2008-06-01T17:23:18Z")
[Nope, it doesn’t like all caps…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9859497#post9859497) ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/18 "2008-06-01T19:14:30Z")
[Use periods.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=470178) ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aarp/451279/19 "2008-06-01T20:16:30Z")
[QUOTE=MLS] Actually IIRC you can join AARP at any age. Otherwise it would be age discrimination, which the organization definitely opposes. [/QUOTE] That’s probably true, since I got an application and I’m 25. I actually thought about joining just to see what would happen. Do you think I could get a senior discount at IHOP if I did? 😃