To AARP or not to AARP

[dieselguy]

I keep getting the invitation to join AARP in the mail, but never respond. Are many of you members? Is it beneficial or is it just another newsletter kind of thing you get every quarter? Thanks in advance for your responses.

[msmoonsatx]

I have wondered the same thing. I am retired military and as a result really don't have a need for the auto or health insurance programs. In addition, I know that they have discounts for rental cars and hotels/motels, but I carry my hotel on the back end of my pick up. Would be interested to know if there are any other programs that would make it worth my while.

Mark

[Dustytuu]

We belong to AARP but are thinking of not renewing. We have not used any of the discounts. We get more from Good Sam.

[Hemlockusa]

DieselGuy. I have belonged... and only got another year because it was FREE. The only thing I can see it is good for, at time's you get some great SENIOR'S information in their monthly magazine. However I don't believe that the organization is using the power of Seniors for the benefit of Seniors. I think they have just developed AARP as a SENIORS mailing list to sell insurance and medicine. Sorry, but if it wasn't Free this year, I would not of did it again. The AARP discounts are laughable and long with their Insurance programs, but SOMEONE IS MAKING A TON OF MONEY.......... Later John

[stiles watson]

Maybe, maybe not. Depends. If you have supplemental insurance from your old employment or military service, then probably a waste of time. Their senior lobby is woefully lacking in addressing the real issues that confront seniors. As has been posted, their main gig is lining their own pockets.

On the other hand, if one has been self employed or does not have carry-over insurance from the employment where you retired, then AARP does have a Medicare supplemental policy, supplementing Parts A, B, and the new, highly suspect, Medicare drug plan. When we went shopping for this coverage, we settled on the AARP policy, not because we necessarily liked the plan, but it seemed the best among the equally bad plans at the time.

After 28 years with NASA's largest contractor company, Dianna had no available retirement health coverage and I have been self-employed. If you have health coverage as a part of your retirement, be grateful. It can be difficult for those who have been caught in all this benefits re-engineering by corporate America.

As for AARP membership, we have been members for 12 years. I just want to keep up with what they are doing.

[toolmanroy]

I have to be careful how to word my response, but I found I could not belong to AARP because they spend a lot of the money to back political issues with which I do not agree. I feel an organization like that should not spend money they receive through dues to do that.

As for insurance, they do not offer any policy for those of us stuck BEFORE Medicare kicks in.

[Bob and Sheri]

Does anyone know of a good company to use before Medicare kicks in?

[Bruce Lenhardt]

As stated by Toolmanroy, I will not have anything to do with AARP.

[ols1932]

Stiles and Toolmanroy have stated it best for me. I am a member of AARP only because it gets me a 10% discount on my Earthlink bill. I don't get the magazine because I asked them not to send it to me. I wrote them a letter several years ago when they were backing universal medical care from both sides (for and against) and advised them that they didn't speak for me. Their political stands are more for the AARP hierarchy than for me or any other senior, for that matter.

Orv

[SlickWillie]

Not for sure why, but I'm a member. Never used their benefits other than one night at some motel. I checked on their auto insurance, and when I did the little calculation online, it showed I would save quite a bit over my insurer, the one that is "Just Like a Good Neighbor". So I contacted the AARP plan provider and got a real quote. Lots higher than the first online quote. So I stayed with the "Good Neighbor". Sort of like a "bait and switch" type deal if you ask me.

[rickety]

We used AARP auto insurance for 3 years. t was very reasonable, until this year. They increased my premium by 140.00 and when I called and asked I was told that the reason for the increase was I had turned one year older. I then asked why didn;t I get an increase in the prefious 3 years and the response was I don't know. The insurance undrwriter is Hartford Ins. co. Needless to say I was very angry and told them to cancel at the end of the policy period. We now have another supplier and a happy with it.
AARP is, like has been posted already, a money genreator for the owners and partners, without thought given to the subscribers to their program.

[Bowie]

I will make no comments on the political activities of AARP and I have no experience with any of their programs except their insurance. My parents carried the insurance for about 15 years. I have no idea whether the premiums were comparable to or better than other carriers though my mother made all the pennies salute before they left the house. What I WILL say is that before my mother died in 1993 she spent three months in the Intensive Care Unit. The bill presented was $999,000.00 plus change. Yes you read that number correctly...almost a million dollars!!! The only thing my father had to pay was the phone bill.

[sreigle]

We have used the discount on campgrounds in a few places where they did not offer discounts for Good Sam, Passport America, nor Escapees. We also got the discount in a few other places.

The one reason we may renew is I will need new glasses by the end of this year. When we got Vicki new glasses this past year, LensCrafters gave a 30% discount for AARP. That was on the exam, frames, lenses, and everything else (including all the addons like transitional, etc.) That is about a $150 savings and that alone will probably get me to renew at least one more time. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd renew.

[Parrothead]

We do not belong. I have found most places that offer an AARP discount will also have a Senior discount that is just or almost as good. Since we don't stay in hotels much anymore, it really isn't important. And I don't like their political stands and do not want my money spent on lobbying.
Happy trails.........................

[Trailer Trash 2]

Been there done it, just another orgination that that I realy dont need, and as another post said about politics, ideas, and besides I have AAA, Good Sam, Senior Citizen discount. gosh and I dont use them either.

[PowellsMonty]

The onlt reason tojoin in my opinion is if you need the suplimental medical policy if retired. Otherwise they are useless to us.

[BirdingRVer]

I belong to AARP but will not be renewing. It may be hard to believe but, we get more junk mail from them than even Good Sam sends.

[simonsrf]

AARP was needed when we had our automobile insurance through "The Harford". Now, we don't use them and have no reason to continue belonging to AARP, mainly because I have never been asked for my card to prove that I am an AARP member.

Now that I think about it, I've never been asked for my Good Sam card for a discount either.

Hmmm..gives me ideas about saving money and reducing the clutter in my wallet.

[exav8tr]

I have used my AARP discounts on several ocassions. Car and Hotel. Free upgrade on car and less rent on hotel room. I also like there mag for financial articles. There is alot of medicall related items in there, but, thats what MOST seniors are looking for. I will continue with them until I no longer see the need.....There supplemental insurance is a help also and term life insurance rates fairly cheap (I believe). To each his own, that's what makes our country great, the fact that we all have choices.

[John and Carol]

We have been members of AARP for years and have both our auto and home owner's insurance with them. We have been very happy. In 2000 we had a $50,000 home owner's claim--the insurance increased for 3 years following, but has gone down again. We will stay with Hartford and AARP>