Yes, I fully appreciate the incongruity of asking these disparate questions in one post, and yes, I guess I am getting “more golden” (nothing wrong with that!).
Seriously, though, is AARP worth joining? Have folks here received a tangible benefit?
On Sirius, I recently got a new car and the trial subscription ran out. I was basically listening to one or two news channels, one music channel, and ONE TIME, when we were on a trip, we listened to the NBA All-Stars game on the car radio. I kind of realized the absurdity of paying for Sirius when my main channel was NPR, which rebroadcasts shows like “Marketplace” numerous times on Sirius. By contrast, the local NPR affiliate is far more relevant as it has local news. Any thoughts on whether it’s worth renewing? I don’t think it is, even with the alleged discounted “win back” rates that Sirius is offering. Plus, I am sick to death of the crazy advertisements that run on Sirius.
For online coupons, is there a particular website where you’ve had more luck? I seem to strike out all the time these days when I try the coupon services that come up when you google “online coupons COMPANY X”. It might be that the SM sites for COMPANY X are the best place, but a few years ago, I was usually able to secure a usable coupon when making an online purchase for food, a service, etc. Today, I seem to be striking out big time.
With the greatest respect to me, these are perhaps the most irrelevant questions you’ve probably been asked today, but I am curious. If the supermods want to split this into three threads, that’s their call!
AARP is pretty cheap. You get discounts and access to insurance.
I’ve been contemplating cancelling Sirius as well. It’s not used very often since I work from home now. My dad however did get his Sirius to play through his echo, so I may look into that as an option as welll.
Not sure on coupons. I have a rakuten plugin in my chrome that checks all of the codes for me.
We haven’t done AARP as we have AAA and get discounts that way.
I only got SiriusXM because my kid got an on-air job with them years ago so I wanted to hear him. I’m pretty attached to it now. I would drop Netflix or change my Sling subscription before I gave up SXM. It’s great for road trips, and I am able to listen to news channels I don’t get with Sling. I listen to it on my phone more than I do in the car at this point. Know that on the regular they offer free listen ins as a way to entice people whose cars are equipped to sign up. And I never pay full price. Call and tell them you’d like to get it, but it’s too expensive and they’ll cut the rate.
No idea about online coupons. I’ve never had success with them.
Yes, there is definitely a tangible benefit to AARP. I signed up for it because it was by far the best option for dental insurance for my family. Being self employed, it was difficult to find other good options. Plus the discounts at hotels, etc… are handy.
We still have AARP. I like supporting that organization because they do so much advocacy for retired folks and seniors. It usually pays for itself with one discount per year. I have been surprised though that I could find lower insurance rates elsewhere.
Dropped Sirius. Got tired of calling them every year at renewal time to get a better rate. We can play almost anything we want to on our car speakers with an app on our phones. We also started checking out more audiobooks from the library to listen too and have really enjoyed that too.
I have an AARP membership because my Medicare supplement is United Healthcare through AARP. I occasionally use the discounts if I remember to. Their magazine is written at about a twelve year old reading level but once in a while has something worth reading about.
I have SXM in my car (for my six mile commute.) It keeps me amused. I have a huge number of presets and flip through them through the control on my steering wheel till I find something I like. Those six miles fly by.
AARP more than pays for itself if you pay attention to the discounts at various places.
SXM is probably a waste for me given how seldom I go very far in the car. I mostly listen to Doctor Radio. Great information about various health situations. LOL Yes, I find that entertaining. NPR and 60’s radio.
Yes to Sirius, if you negotiate with them to get the rate down really low.
For coupons: Sign up to Honey. Before you check out of anywhere online, Honey checks coupon codes for you. My Capital One credit card, which I use for most purchases, does also.
Well…once you sign up for AARP once, it’s impossible to get off of it. I’m not a member, but I get the same or better discounts through my retiree professional organization.
I actually love Sirius radio.
I can usually find coupons when I need them. I hate getting random ones in my email.
AARP can have better travel discounts than AAA and others. And, as posted previously, Iike their advocacy.
I love NPR, but I just couldn’t listen constantly during election season because I found the constant coverage and speculation repetitive and stressful. I commute about 45 minutes each way and love having Sirius to listen to when I turn off NPR. One local station is fun in the morning, in between the excessive commercials, but not on the ride home. We negotiate the cost and it is not very much. Not sure I will keep it when I stop commuting, although would be great for traveling.
No advice on coupon codes. I use discount codes I find on specific store websites, but not on general coupon sites.
The year I turned 50 I received an AARP enrollment invite in the mail. It sat on my desk for a while until I was making an online hotel reservation. The hotel for some reason had an AARP discount but not a AAA. I took the temporary membership card, sent the $15 to AARP, and took the AARP discount! Saved quite a bit more than the $15 dues.
Have renewed ever since. (1) It’s cheap. (2) Its glossy magazine is mostly fluff pieces, but the tabloid newsletter that they send out has lots of good articles that for some reason (!) now have relevance to our lives.
I’ve joined and dumped both AARP and Sirius. AARP was mostly worthless for me. The hotel discounts did pay for the membership, but they were no better than AAA. The junk mail that I got from AARP (and AAA for that matter) was a real nuisance.
Like you, my cars also came with Sirius XM and I listened to a few channels during the trial period. After it expired they kept sending renewal deals and I reupped with one of them for $5/ month for 6 months. When it was over, I called to dump it. This was a very contentious process. Sirius XM reps are very aggressive and will do anything to get you to keep the subscription. I finally had to YELL at this person multiple times before they listened and cancelled my subscription. I would not deal with them again.
This. And they also have programs for free fitness center memberships. Not just the Silver Sneakers version. DH and I are a member at the same gym. I’m paying $99/month. His membership is free thru AARP. I think they only give a certain number of those free memberships…and might have hit their limit at this point.
As for SXM…remember…‘ya gotta haggle’! I listen to several stations, hubby - almost never listens. Each year they send me a renewal letter with some insane amount for the annual fee. I just keep waiting until the current subscriptions are almost expired and then magically the next letter offers a hugely discounted rate. Turns out I could drop my rate dramatically by ‘losing’ the MLB and Howard Stern stations - news to me since I didn’t even know I had them in the first place
The final advice for anyone using SXM. Do NOT allow them to sign you up for automatic renewal. Tell them you want to go on an annual invoice plan.
Signed up for AARP because of discount in AAT. Well worth it for that.
I used Sirius quite a bit because I was on the road a lot but now is probably not worth it. I liked the comedy channels. It’ll be canceled when this subscription ends. It’s not that much but every year it’s a hassle to dicker with them over price and to get the channels you want. Husband will be glad to not deal with it.
I keep Sirius in my car as its the vehicle we use most to travel to our lake cabin. Cell service is spotty on the 5 hr drive and at our destination so satellite radio gives us better listening options.
AARP is a political organization. If you agree, join. If you don’t, don’t.
Don’t pay more than $5/mo for Sirius. They will always give you that rate, or drop it and they will give you that rate. We didn’t like it because there are so many dead zones around my neighborhood that I’d be listening, it would go dead, and then I’d miss the middle of the story or the end of the song. Not worth it to me. It is nice for long trips.
I like supporting AARP. I believe in their mission of helping seniors, and I do use some of the discounts.
We have Sirius in one vehicle. It’s a pretty basic package, and we call every so often to quit so that they keep giving us a really low price.
Honey is a good browser extension for coupons. However, I have switched to Rakuten. It automatically applies coupons, plus you get cash back. I saved a ridiculous amount between Thanksgiving & Christmas … I bought more than just Christmas gifts. The savings were incredible. I watch for extra cash back deals throughout the year.
