# Should I join the AARP? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066 "2009-02-02T02:26:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lillith\_Fair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@Lillith\_Fair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lillith_Fair)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/1 "2009-02-02T02:26:28Z")
Because I’m not anywhere near “R” (retired). It costs $12.50 for a year. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/2 "2009-02-02T03:31:37Z")
Moving to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/3 "2009-02-02T03:32:01Z")
Moved from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. **Gfactor** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![stucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@stucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stucky)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/4 "2009-02-02T03:40:23Z")
If you can afford the $12.50, have a car to insure and like to travel, it has side benefits like many travel discounts and reasonable car insurance, also you can use your AARP card for discounts at many other places. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/5 "2009-02-02T06:18:13Z")
> [@stucky](#): > > If you can afford the $12.50, have a car to insure and like to travel, it has side benefits like many travel discounts and reasonable car insurance, also you can use your AARP card for discounts at many other places. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/6 "2009-02-02T06:20:48Z")
Both AAA and AARP had discounts at every motel we used on vacation last year. They also both have some discounts on some things you wouldn’t connect them with, through their website. It varies, so you have to look, but some of them might be useful. At the very least we saved several times over the membership cost, just on that one vacation. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/7 "2009-02-02T06:36:30Z")
Does “full membership” (which their website says is open to anyone over 50) automatically entitle you to most advertised discounts? Or do venues (hotels, etc.) have discretion to deny discounts to people under a certain age (60, 65), even “full members”? I vaguely remember second-hand accounts of this, but it may have been other, non-AARP, “senior citizen” discounts. Also, can anyone suggest any reasons NOT to join AARP? E.g., do any insurers jack up rates? I would guess the answer is no (heck, they offer discounts on insurance), but thought I’d ask. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/8 "2009-02-02T07:49:27Z")
I’m pretty sure that there are no levels of membership. Once you join that’s it for the year. At least I’ve never seen anything like that in their mailings and nobody ever asked when we used the discount. They just said it was ten percent. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/9 "2009-02-02T13:48:58Z")
I don’t travel and I don’t shop and I’m happy with my insurance, so I let my membership lapse after a year. I was getting annoyed with all the AARP junk mail (“special” offers and such). ---
**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:** [February 2, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/10 "2009-02-02T14:42:29Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Also, can anyone suggest any reasons NOT to join AARP? E.g., do any insurers jack up rates? I would guess the answer is no (heck, they offer discounts on insurance), but thought I’d ask. There was a major back flash a few years ago about the new Medicare drug bill. A lot of AARP members were quite angry at AARP’s support of a bill that was very pro-drug company. (The AARP is basically in the drug business.) We and several people we know quit AARP at that time. The AARP magazine and other media are also used by quacks to advertise bogus cures. The AARP of all organizations should be in the front line of stopping such quacks rather than profiting from them. There is a major disconnect between the people running AARP and its members. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/11 "2009-02-02T15:17:53Z")
I sell tickets in to the attractions out here in the Kissimmee/Orlando Fl area, and we give AARP members up to a 10% off of their total for up to six people. I’ve seen some families using this discount save hundreds of dollars throughout their vacation. So take that for what it’s worth ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/12 "2009-02-02T16:01:31Z")
I’m 49 and I’ve been wondering if there is any benefit to joining when I turn 50. I haven’t started to look into it yet so I don’t know if it would be useful or not but my mom seems to appreciate the discounts. ---
**Author:** ![Lillith\_Fair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@Lillith\_Fair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lillith_Fair)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-join-the-aarp/484066/13 "2009-02-04T03:39:25Z")
Well, I’m a member of AAA so I think I will skip AARP for now. I have fine insurance already. And I certainly don’t need any more junk mail. Thanks for the information.