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Deal of the Day by Kelli B. Grant (Author Archive)
Great Deals for 'Seniors'
CONSIDERING THE BILLIONS of dollars spent in the U.S. each year on wrinkle-fighting lotions and cosmetic procedures, you'd think that we were a society that doesn't value old age.
Join AARP for thousands of discounts and special prices on everything from auto insurance and travel to home security systems and amusement park admission. Membership is $12.50 per year (which includes membership for you and your spouse or partner). Members also get access to sales. For example, through July 13, Crystal Cruises is offering AARP members a $400 shipboard credit when they book a cruise.Virgin Atlantic offers senior pricing — 5% to 15% off all fares. You must book over the phone and request the discount. Sign up for Dollar Rent A Car's Silver Dollar Club, which offers 10% off regular rates. Select Banana Republic stores provide discounts. The store in Denver's Cherry Creek Shopping Center, for example, offers a flat discount of 10%. Select locations of Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers, Arby's, TCBY, Chili's Grill & Bar and IHOP all offer discounts of 10%.Omni Hotels offers discounted rates — about 10% — with its "Leisure 55" rate.Thrifty Car Rental offers 5% off regular rates. Select locations of Burger King Restaurants and Mrs. Fields Original Cookies offer discounts of 10%. Join Rite Aid's Living More senior reward program to save 10% off cash prescriptions and all Rite Aid-brand products. Shop on Tuesdays, and you'll save 10% on most other items. You can buy a senior movie ticket at AMC Theatres. In New York City, that's $7 instead of $10.75 — a 35% discount. At Regal Cinemas, you can get a senior movie ticket. In Alexandria, Va., that's $7 — $0.50 less than the adult price for a matinee, and $3 less than the adult price for evening shows.Hilton Hotels offers a Senior HHonors program. In addition to regular reward program benefits (points accrued with each stay for free accommodations), Senior HHonors members specially priced room rates and dining discounts of 20% at hotel restaurants.Alamo Rent A Car offers special senior rates — 5 to 10% off. You must book over the phone and request the discount.Marriott offers a 15% discount off the regular room rate. Buy a Golden Age Passport from the National Park Service. For $10, this pass gets you lifetime admission into all national parks (plus any accompanying passengers). If your trip includes certain activities — say, camping, swimming or boating — you'll also get 50% off those park service fees.Amtrak offers a 15% discount off the adult fare price.Greyhound Bus Line has a 5% discount off the adult fare price.Continental, Delta and SouthWest all offer special senior fares; however, availability and pricing vary by flight. Southwest, for example, discounts fares by as much as 70%, capping prices at $129 for a one-way ticket.
But many corporations are willing to roll out the red carpet for their more senior customers, by offering them generous discounts and deals.
You don't need to be sporting a cane and a head full of gray hair to qualify. These days, "senior" discounts are offered to those as young as 50. So while you might not like the label, you'd be foolish to let your ego prevent you from cashing in on these bargains. After all, if you're going to get old, you might as well get old and rich.
When it comes to claiming senior discounts, the key advice is simple: Ask what's available. You could easily save 10% or more. To help you out, we've collected a selection of the available deals for each age milestone:
Age 50:
Join AARP for thousands of discounts and special prices on everything from auto insurance and travel to home security systems and amusement park admission. Membership is $12.50 per year (which includes membership for you and your spouse or partner). Members also get access to sales. For example, through July 13, Crystal Cruises is offering AARP members a $400 shipboard credit when they book a cruise.Virgin Atlantic offers senior pricing — 5% to 15% off all fares. You must book over the phone and request the discount. Sign up for Dollar Rent A Car's Silver Dollar Club, which offers 10% off regular rates. Select Banana Republic stores provide discounts. The store in Denver's Cherry Creek Shopping Center, for example, offers a flat discount of 10%.Age 55:
Select locations of Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers, Arby's, TCBY, Chili's Grill & Bar and IHOP all offer discounts of 10%.Omni Hotels offers discounted rates — about 10% — with its "Leisure 55" rate.Thrifty Car Rental offers 5% off regular rates.Age 60:
Select locations of Burger King Restaurants and Mrs. Fields Original Cookies offer discounts of 10%. Join Rite Aid's Living More senior reward program to save 10% off cash prescriptions and all Rite Aid-brand products. Shop on Tuesdays, and you'll save 10% on most other items. You can buy a senior movie ticket at AMC Theatres. In New York City, that's $7 instead of $10.75 — a 35% discount. At Regal Cinemas, you can get a senior movie ticket. In Alexandria, Va., that's $7 — $0.50 less than the adult price for a matinee, and $3 less than the adult price for evening shows.Hilton Hotels offers a Senior HHonors program. In addition to regular reward program benefits (points accrued with each stay for free accommodations), Senior HHonors members specially priced room rates and dining discounts of 20% at hotel restaurants.Alamo Rent A Car offers special senior rates — 5 to 10% off. You must book over the phone and request the discount.Age 62:
Marriott offers a 15% discount off the regular room rate. Buy a Golden Age Passport from the National Park Service. For $10, this pass gets you lifetime admission into all national parks (plus any accompanying passengers). If your trip includes certain activities — say, camping, swimming or boating — you'll also get 50% off those park service fees.Amtrak offers a 15% discount off the adult fare price.Greyhound Bus Line has a 5% discount off the adult fare price.Age 65:
Continental, Delta and SouthWest all offer special senior fares; however, availability and pricing vary by flight. Southwest, for example, discounts fares by as much as 70%, capping prices at $129 for a one-way ticket.Related Stories
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Posted: 1:27 PM EST September 21, 2006
Posted by: cookielady
When my husband and I joined AARP we really didn't think about the discounts until we went on vacation and rented a car through Budget. The discount we got for 9 days was worth more than the membership fee. We are even getting a great rate on Auto and Homeowners insurance through them, savin about $500 a year on Auto for 3 cars and about $300 on Homeowners and we bought a larger house and our rates went down from what we were paying.My advise: CHECK INTO AARP for any and all discounts.
Posted: 10:51 AM EST July 12, 2006
Posted by: Acu168
All crusie ships offer $50 discount for anyone 55 or older.
Posted: 11:58 PM EST July 11, 2006
Posted by: venprabhu
Thrifty's 5% discount for seniors does not mean anything! It is sometimes cheaper to pick their normal rate on Thrify's own website when booked without the Seniors discount code!
Posted: 11:30 PM EST July 11, 2006
Posted by: booger1205
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