AARP, or the American Association of Retired Persons, is a nonprofit organization that serves people over the age of 50. The organization provides a range of benefits and services to its members, including discounts on travel, insurance plans, financial products, and more. In this article, we’ll explore whether AARP is a good deal for seniors and answer the question: Is AARP worth it?
What is AARP?
AARP is a membership-based organization that serves people over the age of 50. It was founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus and Leonard Davis as a way to provide seniors with access to health insurance, discounts on goods and services, and other benefits. Today, the organization has more than 38 million members nationwide.
Benefits of Joining AARP
The main benefit of joining AARP is access to discounts on goods and services. Members receive discounts on travel, insurance plans, financial products, and more. Additionally, members can take advantage of AARP’s educational resources and advocacy efforts.
Discounts and Deals
One of the most popular benefits of joining AARP is access to discounts on goods and services. Members receive discounts at many hotels, car rental companies, restaurants, retail stores, movie theaters, amusement parks, cruises, and more. Additionally, members can take advantage of special offers from partners such as Amazon Prime Video and Hulu Plus.
Financial Products and Services
AARP also offers a variety of financial products and services for its members. These include credit cards with no annual fee and low interest rates; checking accounts with no minimum balance requirements; investment options such as mutual funds; life insurance policies; prepaid debit cards; loans; identity theft protection services; tax preparation assistance; budgeting tools; and more.
Travel and Leisure Benefits
In addition to discounts on travel-related expenses such as hotels and car rentals, AARP also offers exclusive deals on cruises and vacation packages through its partnership with Expedia. Members can also take advantage of discounts on entertainment such as movie tickets, amusement park tickets, theater tickets, concerts tickets, sporting event tickets, museum admissions fees, zoo admissions fees, golf courses fees, ski lift tickets, waterpark admission fees and more.
Health Insurance Plans Offered by AARP
AARP also offers health insurance plans for its members through its partnership with UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company (UHIC). These plans include Medicare Advantage plans that cover doctor visits; hospital stays; prescription drugs; vision care; hearing care; dental care; chiropractic care; mental health care; home health care services; preventive care services; emergency room visits; ambulance transportation services; durable medical equipment coverage; hospice care coverage; long-term care coverage; international coverage for travel abroad; and more.
Other Member Benefits
In addition to the benefits already mentioned above, AARP also offers other member benefits such as free online classes through its Life Reimagined program; free access to online books through its Bookshare program; free online seminars on topics such as retirement planning and estate planning through its Money Matters program; free online legal advice through its Legal Counsel program; free online mental health support through its Emotional Support Line program; free online workshops on topics such as nutrition through its Healthy Living program; free access to online fitness classes through its Get Active program; free access to online language classes through its Learn a Language program ;and more!
Who is Eligible to Join AARP?
Anyone over the age of 50 is eligible to join AARP regardless of their employment status or marital status. Additionally, spouses or domestic partners who are under the age of 50 are eligible for membership if they are living with an AARP member who is at least 50 years old or older.
Is AARP Worth the Cost?
The cost of membership depends on your age but typically ranges from $12-$16 per year depending on your age when you join or renew your membership (you must be at least 50 years old). Despite this relatively low cost for membership,some may still wonder if it’s worth it.Ultimately,this depends on how much you plan to use the benefits offered by AARP.If you plan to take advantage of all that they have to offer,then yes,it may be worth it.On the other hand,if you only plan to use a few select benefits,then it may not be worth it.
11.Conclusion
AARP is an organization that provides a range of benefits for seniors over the age of 50.Whether or not it’s worth joining depends on how much you plan to use their offered benefits.From discounts on travel,insurance plans,financial products,entertainment,healthcare plans,educational resources,advocacy efforts,etc.there are plenty of reasons why joining AARP could be beneficial for seniors.
