# Old-enough American Dopers: AARP member or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2017, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624 "2017-05-01T04:11:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/41 "2017-05-02T16:02:51Z")
I avoid being associated with a group that would have me as a member. There are exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/42 "2017-05-02T16:20:27Z")
We belong. They don’t offer any benefits that I use, but they are a large lobbying group representing millions of seniors who depend upon Medicare and other programs. They lobby at the state and national levels to prevent cuts in these programs and to try to defeat other legislation harmful to seniors. My membership helps fund that effort. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/43 "2017-05-02T16:33:32Z")
I didn’t want to join, but my wife did and signed me up as a member, so I’ve been assimilated. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/44 "2017-05-02T16:37:57Z")
They’ll have to force an AARP membership card into my cold, dead hands! ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/45 "2017-05-02T17:29:45Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > We belong. They don’t offer any benefits that I use, but they are a large lobbying group representing millions of seniors who depend upon Medicare and other programs. They lobby at the state and national levels to prevent cuts in these programs and to try to defeat other legislation harmful to seniors. My membership helps fund that effort. This. Also, there are very few other organizations that lobby for the general interests of ordinary people (and please correct me if I’m wrong; I’d like to know who else is out there.) The AARP is there and they do the job. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/46 "2017-05-02T18:03:19Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Not only no, but hell no. They started stalking me about a month before I turned 50. Their aggressive recruiting tactics (some of which make it appear that you’re required to join) alone are enough to turn me off. I managed to get them to leave me alone for a couple of years by calling a number I found online after a lot of searching. Even then the operator acted like he thought I wanted to join but was too old and feeble to figure out how until I yelled at him to knock it off. > > But the stalking started up again about two weeks after I moved. It’s like they never quit, I one point I was getting stuff weekly. Then I finally got it to stop. A few months later I got a welcome letter and a bill for a year’s membership. I hate them, when I say NO I mean NO, and it you can’t understand that then you are too stupid for me to do business with you anyway. If a man had been pursuing me the way they were, I could have filed a restraining order and put him in jail. NO means NO, and when I ask to be taken off your mailing list I expect it to happen. They are rude, obnoxious, and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/47 "2017-05-02T20:40:51Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Another ‘nope’ from me, and they’ve been wallpapering me with ads since before I was 50. > [@Sahirrnee](#): > > It’s like they never quit, I one point I was getting stuff weekly… I hate them, when I say NO I mean NO, and it you can’t understand that then you are too stupid for me to do business with you anyway…They are rude, obnoxious, and stupid. Amen. The come-ons started when I turned 50, and finally stopped only recently (I’m 67). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/48 "2017-05-02T20:46:02Z")
You get discount Auto insurance with membership. If you bundle it with Condo Insurance, do you get a discount on that, too? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/49 "2017-05-02T20:50:23Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > You get discount Auto insurance with membership. > If you bundle it with Condo Insurance, do you get a discount on that, too? That depends on the insurance provider and there are dozens of those. You may or may not get a break on auto insurance and, if you do, you may or may not get a bundle. Why don’t you just call your broker? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/50 "2017-05-02T22:42:06Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > They’ve been supplying my trash collector with additional bulk for 10 years now. Their position on the 2nd amendment and gun control is unacceptable. They recently tried to backtrack with the “we only meant keeping them out of the hands of criminals” BS, but they’re still on the NRA enemies list (AFAIK). Once a gun-grabber, always a gun-grabber – so I’ll never join or support them. I had joined for a couple years when I first was eligible, never used it (other than reading a bit of their magazine) and let it lapse for several years. But when I read the quote above, that convinced me that I should rejoin. I love their stance on gun control. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/51 "2017-05-02T23:36:24Z")
Their discounts are not all that great and AAA (which I have) offers better hotel discounts. The amount of money they spend direct mailing is staggering. I get the impression their various older people oriented insurance products are their main cash cow and everything else is intended to feed customers toward that service. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/52 "2017-05-03T00:22:20Z")
It’s worth noting that although most senior discounts kick in at 55 or 60, you can join AARP when you’re 50. However, that threshold is apparently a sore point with some people. I have friends who are over 50 who won’t consider joining because they’re “not old.” I can see people taking a pass on AARP because the discounts aren’t that great, or because they don’t agree with the group’s political positions—but apparently some folks just don’t want an Official Geezer Card. Back when I had a Facebook account, I’d occasionally see friends ranting and raving about AARP mail solicitations, which they threw away unopened because they felt so insulted. “GODDAMMIT I’M ONLY 53!!! I’M NOT OLD YET!!!1!” That always cracked me up. It reminded me of the character in _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ who went off on a tear when King Arthur addressed him as “old woman.” ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/53 "2017-05-03T02:06:21Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > … It reminded me of the character in _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ who went off on a tear when King Arthur addressed him as “old woman.” Dennis. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/54 "2017-05-03T04:44:48Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Dennis. I didn’t know you were called Dennis. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/55 "2017-05-03T05:36:52Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I get the same discounts at hotels with AAA. I don’t see the point. Reformed alcoholics get discounts? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/56 "2017-05-03T12:25:00Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > It’s worth noting that although most senior discounts kick in at 55 or 60, you can join AARP when you’re 50. However, that threshold is apparently a sore point with some people. I have friends who are over 50 who won’t consider joining because they’re “not old.” I can see people taking a pass on AARP because the discounts aren’t that great, or because they don’t agree with the group’s political positions—but apparently some folks just don’t want an Official Geezer Card. For a couple, only one person needs to be 50+. So the younger partner can join much earlier depending on the age difference. I.e., there are people considerably younger than 50 out there with AARP cards getting “senior” discounts. To them, a discount is a discount. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/57 "2017-05-03T15:18:19Z")
I’m 52, and my wife is 54. She’s never gotten an AARP membership invitation; while I have, they’ve apparently been sent to my parents’ house (where I have not lived since 1989). Net: neither of us are members. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/58 "2017-05-03T15:21:04Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Reformed alcoholics get discounts? 😕 AA is Alcoholics Anonymous. AAA is the American Automobile Association; many hotels and rental-car companies have discounts for AAA members. I have a AAA membership, though it’s primarily because of their “bail-bond” feature – in Illinois, if you get a traffic ticket, the police officer will impound your driver’s license until your case is resolved (at which point you get the license back). But, if you have a AAA card, then AAA offers some sort of bail-bond insurance, and the officer is able to take your AAA card instead. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/59 "2017-05-03T15:23:09Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > For a couple, only one person needs to be 50+. So the younger partner can join much earlier depending on the age difference. > > I.e., there are people considerably younger than 50 out there with AARP cards getting “senior” discounts. To them, a discount is a discount. And if the age difference is great enough, they can choose between the senior discount and the student discount. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624/60 "2017-05-04T14:30:21Z")
Old enough and no, and I get a mailing at least once a week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-enough-american-dopers-aarp-member-or-not/785624.md?page=4)