Once you get into your 50s and especially your 60s, restaurants, stores, and even some “experiential” companies will begin tossing discounts your way.
No one’s sneezing at 20% off lunch or a cheaper roller-coaster ride. But if we had to pick out a downside of many of these discounts, it’s that they’re frequently a one-off deal. They’re still appreciated, but unless you’re eating at a particular restaurant or staying at a certain hotel brand’s properties many times a year, they might not make a notable difference in your monthly budget.
That’s not the case with today’s topic: senior discounts for memberships and subscriptions. Depending on the frequency, these deals could keep you saving every year, every month … even every week on store purchases, phone service, gyms, and more!
Let’s talk about some of the most interesting discounted subscriptions and memberships for seniors.
Age-Based Discounts
The senior discounts we’re going to talk about today fall into one of two categories: age-based, and AARP-membership-based.
Let’s start with senior discounts that are only given out once you reach a certain age. The minimum age to be considered a senior may vary from one deal to the next.
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1. HelloFresh
- Required minimum age for discount: 60
Meal kit company HelloFresh aims to make it easier for you to cook healthy meals.
HelloFresh lets users choose from among 60 recipes and more than 100 market items (a wide variety of food items including salads, sandwiches, desserts, sides, spice blends, and grocery essentials, among other things). Food is delivered straight to your door, saving you a trip to the grocery store. It’s a high level of convenience that many seniors might appreciate.
The cost of your meal plan depends on the number of meals you choose and the number of servings per meal. Based on standard (non-senior) pricing, if a couple wanted three meals per week for two people, the cost would be $70.93 per week. If that same couple decided they wanted four meals per week for two people, the cost would be $90.91 per week.
Seniors age 60 and older enjoy discounted pricing, however:
- 40% off your first box
- 30% off your second box
- 10% off all boxes after that.
You’ll be asked to upload an ID to verify your age. You can pause, skip a week, or cancel your subscription at any time.
Editor’s note: HelloFresh’s marketing is, ahem, aggressive. If you cancel, expect them to keep contacting you for a while to see if you’ll return.
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2. Sam’s Club
- Required minimum age for discount: 50
Walmart’s warehouse club, Sam’s Club, boasts nearly 600 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, so there’s a good chance there’s one near you.
If you want to shop at this membership-only warehouse chain, you must choose between two member tiers:
- Club ($50/year)
- Two membership cards
- Sam’s Club Mastercard (optional)
- Instant store and online savings
- Member-only fuel savings
- Mobile Scan & Go
- Free curbside pickup on orders of $50 or more
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Plus ($110/year)
- Everything in the Club tier, plus …
- 2% “Sam’s Cash” back on purchases (can earn up to $500 annually)
- Free select same- or next-day free delivery from your local club on eligible orders over $50
- Free shipping on eligible orders over $50
- Shop up to two hours early
- $0 prescriptions on up to 10 select generic medications
- Additional savings on pet prescriptions
- 40% off additional pairs of glasses after buying one pair
- 50% off tire and battery installations
Seniors age 50 and older can get a stellar deal—a Club membership for just $20 per year, or a Plus membership for just $60 per year!
To sign up and receive your discounted price, you must verify your eligibility with ID.me. You also must be a new member who has not had an active membership in the past six months.
Related: 10 Products You’ll Regret Buying at Sam’s Club
3. YMCA
- Required minimum age for discount: Varies by location
The YMCA is a nonprofit organization with a presence in roughly 10,000 communities nationwide.
Many people know “the Y” for their sports programs and athletics facilities, but the YMCA also provides summer day camps, a variety of development programs (including leadership, academic enrichment, and career readiness), even child care services.
Pricing for YMCA memberships varies by location, but they frequently offer senior discounts.
For example: The YMCA closest to me offers adult memberships (ages 27-59) for $53 per month. Memberships for people ages 60 and older are only $48 per month, so a roughly 9% discount. There is also a Senior +1 option that includes membership for one person aged 60-plus and another adult from the same household for just $67 per month—37% less than you’d spend by purchasing two adult memberships at full price, and 9% less than you’d spend by purchasing a family membership at a full price.
The minimum age to qualify for a senior discount varies by location as well. While senior pricing starts at 60 years old near me, I’ve seen it start at slightly higher ages (such as 62-plus) elsewhere.
Verify the requirements at the YMCA you plan to join. Also inquire about whether your YMCA charges a joining fee in addition to the monthly rate.
Related: How Long Will My Savings Last in Retirement? 4 Withdrawal Strategies
4. America the Beautiful Pass
- Required minimum age for discount: 62
Similar to how people get an annual membership to Disney or Six Flags, it’s possible to get an annual membership to America’s national parks and federal recreational lands.
The America the Beautiful Pass is your ticket to a national nature immersion. These passes cover entrance fees and standard amenity (day-use) fees at lands managed by the following:
- National Park Service
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Bureau of Land Management
- Bureau of Reclamation
A standard annual pass costs $80. But there are two special deals for seniors who are at least 62 years old: 1.) Senior Annual Passes cost just $20, while 2.) Senior Lifetime Passes cost just $80.
These special passes may also provide a 50% discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services. Passes can be bought in person or ordered online at nps.gov.
Related: 10 Senior Discounts for Restaurants + Grocery Stores
5. T-Mobile
- Required minimum age for discount: 55
Wireless network operator T-Mobile has turned telecom’s “Big Two” into the “Big Three,” boasting more than 100 million postpaid customers, plus an additional 25 million prepaid customers.
I’m a T-Mobile customer, and my favorite feature is the ability to travel and still use my phone data for free. With qualifying plans, you pay no data roaming fees or hidden charges when you travel. I can attest that, when I traveled to Costa Rica and Grand Cayman Island, I had to take no action and my data worked just fine.
If you plan to spend your retirement traveling, T-Mobile’s plans might be a good fit for you.
T-Mobile offers special pricing for seniors age 55 and up—specifically, $5 per month off one of several different plans. All eligible plans include at least 50GB of data; higher-tier plans include additional benefits.
Seniors must be at least 55 years old to qualify. Discounts are available only to new customers.
Related: How Much Social Security Will I Receive?
6. Anytime Fitness
- Required minimum age for discount: Varies by location
Anytime Fitness is a network of more than 5,000 gyms. In addition to enjoying 24-hour access, members can receive a free fitness consultation, personalized plan, and access to personal and group training.
Pricing varies by location, and Anytime Fitness is known for aggressively discounted sign-up deals as low as $10 per month, but the gym itself states that the average monthly membership costs around $53.
Anytime Fitness commonly offers senior discounts, but frustratingly, there is no brand-wide standard, nor anywhere online that will present location-by-location information. Instead, the gym’s website says this:
“Our community is our priority and we are happy to offer student, senior and military discounts as well as insurance discounts. However, it is up to each location to opt-in to offer the discount. It’s always best to check with your local club directly to learn what discounts are available near you.”
In short: You might be able to go to Anytime Fitness for less as a senior, but age requirement, price, and availability could vary, so call your local gym to be sure.
Related: How to Invest for (And in) Retirement: Strategies + Investment Options
Discounts Requiring an AARP Membership
“AARP discount” is often used synonymously with “senior discount.” That’s because the AARP focuses on helping the needs of people ages 50 and older.
But in reality, you don’t have to be a senior to become an AARP member. In fact, you don’t have to be anywhere near your first white hair—AARP will let you sign up as early as age 18!
Still, given the substantial overlap between seniors and AARP members, I’m including the following AARP discounts, which require an AARP membership to lock in.
Related: What to Do With Your 401(k) When You Retire
7. Walmart+
Walmart+ is the membership program of ubiquitous big-box store Walmart. And it comes with a lot of perks, including:
- Free delivery from your store
- Free pharmacy delivery
- Free online shipping with no order minimum
- Fuel savings of 10¢ per gallon at over 13,000 stations
- Paramount+ subscription
- Burger King savings
- Pawp membership for online pet care
- Free tire repair and road hazard warranty at Walmart Auto Care Centers
- Up to 5% Walmart Cash on certain travel expenses
- Returns from home
- Mobile Scan & Go
- Early access to deals
A standard Walmart+ membership costs $98 per year (or $12.95 per month). However, AARP members can get $40 off a Walmart+ annual plan, for a final cost of $58 per year.
Better still? This discount isn’t a one-shot deal—you can enjoy the discounted rate in perpetuity. However, you must confirm your AARP membership annually, or your plan will be auto-renewed at the full rate.
Related: 10 Common Social Security Mistakes You Should Know
8. Ancestry
Have you ever wanted to know more about your family tree? Ancestry helps people learn about their genealogy. The website claims it contains the world’s largest collection of online family history records.
Would-be members can choose from one of two memberships:
- A World Explorer package provides access to all U.S. and international records on Ancestry. It’s usually $39.99 monthly or $319 annually, but AARP members enjoy a reduced price of $27.99 monthly or $223 annually.
- All Access memberships, at $59.99 monthly or $479 per year, offer full membership to Ancestry as well as Newspapers.com and Fold3.com. AARP members enjoy a lower cost of either $41.99 monthly or $335 annually.
Related: 10 Frugal Habits That Make Retirees’ Lives Better
9. Paramount+
Ready to ditch cable and jump on the streaming services train? Paramount+ is one of the popular streaming options. There are two plans to choose between:
- Paramount+ Essential ($7.99 per month): Access to more than 40,000 episodes and movies, certain sporting events, and select Showtime series. You can stream on up to three devices at once.
- Paramount+ With Showtime ($12.99 per month): Everything in Essential, plus no ads (except for live TV), access to all Showtime content, the ability to stream CBS live, the ability to stream in 4K UHD, Dolby Vision or HDR10, and the ability to download movies and shows.
AARP members who are new or returning subscribers can receive 10% off any Paramount+ plan. To receive the discount, you’ll need to follow the prompts on the Paramount+ website to confirm you have a valid AARP membership.
Related: How to Choose a Financial Advisor
10. Calm App Annual Subscription
Seniors who are actively looking for ways to maintain or improve their mental health might want to consider the Calm app.
Calm helps people of any age improve their mental health through mindfulness, which it promotes via 300 sleep stories, meditations, and music.
Calm, which offers a seven-day free trial, costs $69.99 annually, though it also has a lifetime subscription available for $399.99. AARP members can
Aging comes with both benefits and challenges. Some seniors actively look for ways to maintain or improve their mental health. The Calm app is a popular way for people of any age to improve their mental health through mindfulness. This paid app has over 300 sleep stories, meditations, and music.
After a 7-day free trial, Calm costs $69.99 annually. However, AARP members can get a $21 discount for up to three years. To take advantage of the offer, you enter your membership number when you create the account, and the discount will be applied automatically.
Editor’s note: The AARP discount does not apply to Calm for Life, Calm’s $399.99 lifetime subscription.
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