Is an AARP Senior Discount Card Worth the Cost?
No matter our age, we all try to find the best deal. But one perk that comes with getting older is all the discounts you are entitled to. For reaching 60 or 65 years of age, lots of retailers, restaurants, and even some airlines will offer a reduced senior price when you show your I.D. So, is it worth to pay an additional $16 per year to receive an AARP discount card? While they offer discounts on insurance and other services, we explore to see if you can get similar discounts without becoming an AARP member.
1. Insurance
AARP offers an auto insurance program to its members. According to the website, “Drivers over 50 who switch their auto insurance save an average of $404.” The AARP Auto Insurance Program is from The Hartford and claims to give exclusive low prices to AARP cardholders.
To see if this is actually a good deal, here are some comparison rates. Take this example of a 50-year-old Texas woman with no recent traffic accidents, who drives a 7-year old Honda Civic, and chooses insurance with comprehensive and collision, with low limits and high deductibles.
The rates are as follows: Allstate offered the highest car insurance at $215 per month, the AARP rate came in the middle at $100 per month, but they were undercut by Geico at $59.80 per month. The pros of using an AARP card for insurance is that you might get a cheaper rate than your current plan. But, the con is that while the AARP might be cheaper than your current provider, it is not the cheapest. And, you can easily find a better price for the same type coverage with a different agency.
