My daughter received an AARP card 2 weeks before her 20th b'day. My husband began receiving cards from the age of about 48, but I never gave them to him because I didn't want to make him feel old- one day he did something to annoy me so I decided it was time to give him ALL his mail. He got back at me though - he enrolled ME!!!! We have never received more junk mail than we do from this organization and the discounts aren't anything to write home about. If it's discounts you want try AAA.
Personally I think AARP just buys address lists and does mass mailings to fish for new members.

Sounds like you're right about them buying mailing lists, though I suspect they try to buy ones where the people on them are generally of the right age. Otherwise, I'd have been getting their ads for years.

Re discounts, I have AAA and haven't found their discounts to be so great. I've used them for hotels, but most hotels will give you a better discount for almost any other reason (low occupancy that night, being in the military - and they will sign you up for the duration of your stay if you're not, can't even think of all the alternate reasons that got bigger discounts than AAA). Some, when they are too full, feel they have the right to refuse the AAA discount. It does come in handy at tourist attractions. They have good discounts for online stores, but I rarely shop online.

While I'm ripping into AAA, I was very unhappy when I renewed this year. I buy the premium level plan, so I can be towed up to 100 miles if I need it. Not that I've ever needed to be towed more than 3 miles, and that only twice in all the years I've had AAA, but I'm paying the $100/year just in case. So I was really unhappy when the woman said, "That gives you up to four tows for the year." Huh? I'd thought it gave me unlimited tows for the year. Again, not that I expect to need it, but if that's all I get, maybe I won't bother renewing next year. Compare the cost of one tow every several years with yearly premiums. My car insurance includes tows for accidents, and my tires have some kind of inner structure so I can drive on them when they're flat. So maybe I wasted the $100...

AARP's premium is a lot cheaper.

i would check with my insurance agent. i buy the top level also, but now you're making me wonder, and i plan to talk to mine.

all i know is i don't want to be stuck 600 miles from home because my station wagon (a while ago) died, have them tow me to the nearest station and then have to wait in the nearest dirty roach motel until the right part came in. two days later. i tell you, been there, done that. with two small kids. and it ain't gonna happen again. :evil:

not for any amount of money.

When I turned 50, I certainly didn't want to be concidered a senior citizen. Yes, I got the AARP card before turning 50, and after turning 50, I joined---for 1 year. I didn't use the discounts so it really wasn't much of a benefit. A few years later, my sister tuned me into the fact that being a senior has benefits, even in the 50's. I love eating and getting senior discounts that some places offer to us in the 50's. My sister actually celebrated when she reached the age of senior citizen status at eateries. She was soooooo excited.

Remember: Your age is just a number. How old you are is in your heart.

most places give those discounts without aarp membership.

Goofed :D

Amen Ladies, thank you for the site.

Good point, that an insurance company's towing may not tow far enough. And for the reminder that not all tows are because of accidents and flats.

I am 67 and have been getting mail from AARP for years. I have chosen not to sign up because their magazine is too full of ads for pharmaceutical stuff. I don't take prescription meds at all. If I have a problem I use herbs, especially Chinese herbs. They always work for me.

But AARP won't get the message! Several times a year I get mail from them. What a waste of paper.

I received an AARP application last year. Thought about filling it in & then mailing it to them to see if they caught on to the fact that I'm not qualified due to being too young.

**I'm 39 this year.