Senior Citizens Discounts
(5/12/24)- Well, it is about time we at therubins got around to upgrading this article, but with deepest apology, and sincerest thanks to Taylor for sending this email to us with this recommendation. Thanks Taylor:
From: Taylor Williams
<taylorwilliams@moneygeekonline.com>
Date: April 30, 2024 at 1:58:32 PM EDT
To: Allan Rubin <allanrubin4@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Sharing 4 support resources on Aging
Hi Allan,
I wanted to check if
you've had a chance to see our resources. I believe our guides would be great
additions to your resource page at http://www.therubins.com/aging/sites.htm
Have a look here:
Combating Ageism in
Health Care – https://www.moneygeek.com/insurance/health/resources/fighting-ageism-in-health-care/
Guide to Senior
Discounts and Where to Find Them – https://www.moneygeek.com/financial-planning/resources/guide-to-senior-discounts-and-deals/
Assistance for Older
Adults Facing Food Insecurity and Hunger – https://www.moneygeek.com/financial-planning/resources/food-assistance-for-older-adults/
Guide to Aging at Home
Safely and Comfortably – https://www.moneygeek.com/seniors/resources/aging-in-place-independent-living/
I would appreciate it
if you could add our resources.
Thank you!
-Taylor
(2/17/13)- We at therubins want to thank our good friend Ted Kavanau for the following list of discounts for seniors:
Dunkin Donuts gives free coffee to people over 55 . If you're paying for a cup every day, you might want to start getting it for FREE.
YOU must ASK for your discount !
RESTAURANTS:
Applebee's: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+); Arby's: 10% off ( 55 +);
Ben & Jerry's: 10% off (60+); Bennigan's: discount varies by location
(60+); Bob's Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+); Boston Market: 10% off
(65+); Burger King: 10% off (60+); Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or
coffee ( 55+); Chili's: 10% off ( 55+); CiCi's Pizza: 10% off (60+); Denny's:
10% off, 20% off for AARP members ( 55 +); Dunkin' Donuts: 10% off or free
coffee ( 55+); Einstein's Bagels: 10% off baker's dozen of bagels (60+); Fuddrucker's: 10% off any senior platter ( 55+)
Gatti's Pizza: 10% off (60+); Golden Corral: 10% off (60+); Hardee's: $0.33
beverages everyday (65+); IHOP: 10% off ( 55+); Jack in the Box: up to 20% off
( 55+); KFC: free small drink with any meal ( 55+); Krispy Kreme: 10% off (
50+); Long John Silver's: various discounts at locations ( 55+); McDonald's:
discounts on coffee everyday ( 55+); Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating
locations (60+); Shoney's: 10% off Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+); Steak
'n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday ( 50+); Subway: 10% off (60+);
Sweet Tomatoes: 10% off (62+)
Taco Bell : 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+); TCBY: 10% off ( 55+); Tea
Room Cafe: 10% off ( 50+); Village Inn: 10% off (60+)
Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+); Wendy's: 10% off ( 55 +); White
Castle: 10% off (62+) This is for me ... if I ever see one again.
RETAIL & APPAREL :
Banana Republic: 30% off ( 50 +); Bealls: 20% off
first Tuesday of each month ( 50 +); Belk's: 15% off first Tuesday of every
month ( 55 +); Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days ( 55
+); C.J. Banks: 10% off every Wednesday (50+); Clarks : 10% off (62+); Dress
Barn: 20% off ( 55+); Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by
location); Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location); Kohl's:
15% off (60+); Modell's Sporting Goods: 20% off; Rite Aid: 10% off on Tuesdays
& 10% off prescriptions; Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday ( 55+); The
Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off ( 55+); Stein Mart: 20% off red
dot/clearance items first Monday of every month ( 55 +)
GROCERY :
Albertson's: 10% off first Wednesday of each month ( 55 +); American
Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday ( 50 +); Compare Foods Supermarket: 10%
off every Wednesday (60+); DeCicco Family Markets: 5% off every Wednesday
(60+); Fry's Supermarket: free Fry's VIP Club Membership & 10% off every
Monday ( 55 +); Great Valu Food Store: 5% off every Tuesday (60+); Gristedes
Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+); Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday
(60+); Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location); Kroger: 10% off
(date varies by location); Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday
(60+); The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday ( 50 +); Publix: 15% off every
Wednesday ( 55 +); Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+); Uncle Guiseppe's
Marketplace: 15% off (62+)
TRAVEL :
Airlines:
Alaska Airlines: 50% off (65+); American Airlines: various discounts for 50%
off non-peak periods (Tuesdays - Thursdays) (62+)and up (call before booking
for discount); Continental Airlines: no initiation fee for Continental
Presidents Club & special fares for select destinations; Southwest
Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for
discount); United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before
booking for discount); U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call
before booking for discount)
Rail:
Amtrak: 15% off (62+)
Bus:
Greyhound: 15% off (62+)
Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50+
Car Rental:
Alamo Car Rental: up to 25% off for AARP members; Avis: up to 25% off for AARP
members; Budget Rental Cars: 40% off; up to 50% off for AARP members ( 50+);
Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off ( 50+) Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP
members Hertz: up to 25% off for AARP members; National Rent-A-Car: up to 30%
off for AARP members
Overnight Accommodations:
Holiday Inn: 20-40% off depending on location (62+); Best Western: 10% discount
(AARP members or anyone 55+); Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+); Waldorf
Astoria - NYC $5,000 off nightly rate for Presidential Suite (55 +); Clarion
Motels: 20%-30% off (60+); Comfort Inn: 20%-30% off (60+); Comfort Suites:
20%-30% off (60+); Econo Lodge: 40% off (60+);
Hampton Inns & Suites: 20% off for seniors; Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off
(62+); InterContinental Hotels Group: various discounts at all hotels (65+);
Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler's Discount (50+); 20%-30% off
(60+); Marriott Hotels: 25% off (62+); Myrtle Beach Resort: 30% off ( 55 +);
Quality Inn: 40%-50% off (60+); Rodeway Inn: 20%-30% off (60+); Sleep Inn: 40%
off (60+)
ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT :
AMC Theaters: up to 30% off ( 55 +); Bally Total Fitness: $100 off memberships
(62+); Busch Gardens Tampa, FL: $13 off one-day tickets ( 50 +); Carmike
Cinemas: 35% off (65+); Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off; U.S. National
Parks: $10 lifetime pass; 50% off additional services including camping (62+);
Regal Cinemas: 50% off Ripley's Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket ( 55
+); SeaWorld, Orlando , FL : $3 off one-day tickets ( 50 +)
CELL PHONE DISCOUNTS :
AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $19.99/month (65+)
Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service ( 50 +)
Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+).
MISCELLANEOUS:
Great Clips: $8 off hair cuts (60+)
Supercuts: $8 off haircuts (60+)
NOW, go out there and claim your discounts - - - - and remember ----
YOU must ASK for your discount ---- no ask, no discount
(8/31/12)- Please see items under the Coupon Heading.
To find the local tourism office for nearly every city and state in the U.S.
on the web try www.SeeAmerica.org
FINDING THE LOWEST ONLINE PRICE FOR AN
ITEM
- The number of free apps that allow you to compare
prices online and in some cases even make your purchase continues to grow
by leaps and bounds. Below is a list of some of the newer ones:
TheFind Inc.; Pricegrabber; Pic2Shop; ZXing Team; ShopSavvy; eBay's RedLaser; LevelUp; Shopkick and Smoopa - To remain competitive in the online price-comparison
field the newer sites are adding additional savings for those who use
their sites. MeziMedia Inc. includes coupons and
other retail discounts on its site. Vendio Services Inc. introduced a
toolbar that users can download. If a person is on the Web page of a
particular product, the toolbar will flash an alert when it finds a lower
price for that same item somewhere else. BuySafe
Inc. lets consumer's search among 1.5 million
products that are backed by antifraud guarantees up to $25,000.
- Some of the other new comparison shopping sites are: www.become.com ; www.smarter.com ; www.buysafeshopping.com ; and www.brilliantshopper.com and www.redlaser.com a bar scanning app
that recognizes the product you are looking at and then goes online to
find other prices as part of the Phone App Store.
AARP MEMBERSHIP
- The membership dues is $16 for
one year. This organization has numerous discounts available for hotels,
auto rentals, shopping, travel planning, etc. www.aarp.org
BOOKS BOTH USED AND NEW
- One of the best sites for both new and used books,
which also compares shipping charges and delivery times is www.AddAll.com
- BooksPrice.com- http://www.booksprice.com
is a free innovative service of finding the best price on a purchase of
several books together. This service is more useful than the standard
services which perform one book comparison at a time, and can save more
money when buying several books together. Both new and used books are
covered by this site.
BROADWAY AND OFF-BROADWAY SHOW
Here's one way to try to get a great seat in the orchestra section of a Broadway theatre, and pay very little for it. We know of 2 shows where it is happening right now, and if any of our viewers know of any other theatres doing it, we would appreciate your letting us know about it.
About two hours before the show time for Hair and In the Heights, their respective theatres hold a lottery, in which all you have to do is write your name on a small index card, indcate your zip code and circle whether you want one or two tickets. You drop the card in a bucket, and about 1/2 hour later, an employee of the theatre will draw out the cards of the winners. There are a total of 25 tickets awarded for seats in the orchestra of the theatre for which you have to pay either $25 in cash for Hair or $26.50 in cash for In the Heights if you win..
Sure its a gamble, and the odds are against you, but we do know some people who were winners in these lotteries. Your odds of winning are better during the week, as opposed to a Friday night or for a weekend performance.
- Season of Savings- www.seasonofsavings.com-
Broadway and Off Broadway producers advertise through their booklet with
up to 55% off.
- The New York Theater
Workshop-
www.nytw.org - All Sunday tickets for
$20
- The New York
Philharmonic- www.nyphil.org sells tickets for $12 for
students and has deals for people 65 and older.
- A viewer sent us in this one for discount Broadway and
Off Broadway theater tickets- www.BroadwayBox.com
or www.nytheatre.com .
- Dance Theater Workshop- www.dtw.org give 40% off to students and
those 65 and older.
- Playbill Online (www.playbill.com) and
TheaterMania.com (www.TheaterMania.com) are Web sites that provide news,
reviews, theater message boards and also let you sign up for free theater
discount offers. They will send you e-mails informing you as to which
shows are available. To participate you print out the discount offer and
take it to the box-office; or phone Telecharge
or Ticketmaster, using the number provided, and mention the discount code.
- Broadway Plays: www.audiencerewards.com This
site lets theatregoers learn more about Broadway shows playing in New York
and touring the country. Visitors to the site can buy tickets from authorzed ticket sellers (such as Telecharge
or Ticketmaster) and order show merchandise.the
site offers rewards to frequent ticket-buyers in a program similar to
credit-card rewards including behind the scenes events, cast albums,
theater party invitations, merchandise or special ticket offers. Every
Broadway show is participating in the new site.
BUSINESSES-RETAIL
- Go to any of the following Web sites: naughtycodes.com,
currentcodes.com, dealhunting.com, or discountcodes.com. Scroll down the
menu to find stores, then enter the store's discount code to complete a
purchase
- Here's one sent in by John Smith, a viewer of ours, for
which we want to thank him: Promotional-Offer.com lists merchant's special
promotional codes and coupons to save on online purchases. http://www.promotional-offer.com
- Bargain-hunter sites include: DealHunting.com,
ShoppersResource.com, and QuickToClick.com
- Here it's a matter of asking and you could get some
pleasant surprises. Supermarkets may vary the day of the week but most
offer senior citizen discount days. PearleVision
offers discounts on eyewear that increase with age. LensCrafter
Glasses offers a 10% discount if 62 or older.
Senior Discounts from Sylvia Spade-Kershaw (syndicated columnist):
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/50plus
This site contains some excellent discount ideas for those over 50. Although it
specializes on items in Texas, it contains many helpful suggestions for all
areas of the country. It covers topics as varied as car rentals to department
stores, arts and crafts to vacation getaways etc.
CAR RENTALS:
- If you are an AAA member, Hertz offers customer
satisfaction which assures you that you will get the rate and car class
that you reserved the car for. Your will also get free use of a child
safety seat; a 50% discount on SIRIUS satellite radion:
and a 25% discount on the Hertz NeverLost in-car
navigational system. AAA members get up to a 20% discount on daily,
weekend, weekly and monthly rates, plus special discounts on international
rates.
COUPONS ONLINE
- We at therubins
recently received this email from Dan at www.couponfan.com
"We have designed a fully functional Google like search bar to browse stores via site name, URL and keywords with pull down menus. We have only included active working coupons so you do n't waste your time and energy attempting to use multiple stale and expired coupons. We have included a huge inventory of video tutorials which no other coupon site provides to help guide users on how to retrieve and apply coupon codes for that specific store. We have given the ability for users to share coupons via e-mail, twitter and facebook with the click of a button" - The listing of KindCoupons ( www.kindcoupons.org ) which donates
50% of its profits to charity is as a direct result of an email that we
received from Jen Miller an employee of KindCoupons.
The first charity that the site mentions to receive a donation from this
organization is CaringBridge.On the title page
of the site it states, "Prior to selection, potential charities are
closely evaluated by the KindCoupons staff to
ensure that they have an appropriate mission, a strong management team,
and a history of operating efficiently. If you’d like to suggest a charity
to be the recipient of future donations from KindCoupons,
please visit our Facebook page and share your thoughts". We at therubins became acquainted with
CaringBridge organization, when Mandi Schwartz, a Yale University student
and member of their women's hockey team was given a cord blood transplant
for leukemia in Seattle Washington.
- For discount coupons online try www.RetailMeNot.com ; www.CouponMom.com , which includes
coupons for physical stores; and www.CouponCode.com
Coupon Map- www.couponmap.com It
shows coupons in your immediate area (the results are shown on a map), so
you can print the coupon and get over there quickly
- The Seasoned Spender www.seasonedspender.com is a
free financial advocacy website for seniors. It's in the process of
building the Internet's largest database of age-based discounts (often
called "senior discounts") and other financial information
meaningful to people 50 and older
- For the United Kingdom- We recently received an email
from Jen- "I work for a great UK site called DiscountCoder.com and
think you and your site visitors would find it useful so please do check
it out." Please see www.discountcoder.com
- We at therubins
recently received an email from Nicholas Barber, the editor of Voucher
Codes in England, in which he showed us his company's discount coupon
site. We took a look, and found that it could save users quite a tidy
amount of pounds when traveling "across the pond"- www.vouchercodes.com
- We thank Jane of Coupon Saver for pointing out some
broken links on our site. Her site http://www.couponsaver.org
is also an excellent discount coupon site.
DENTAL DISCOUNTS FOR SENIORS:
- We include this site because we feel it may be helpful
to some of our viewers, but we make no recommendation about the service
since we do not know anyone who has taken part in it- Avia Dental
Plan-Avia Dental offers special senior discounts in 17 states.
Below is a link to the senior discount rate information.
http://www.aviadental.com/avia_dental_plan.php#Dent_Cov_Seni
DISCOUNT COUPONS-ENGLAND:
- The site is http://www.promotionalcodes.org.uk
and it lists merchant's special promotional codes and coupons to save on
online purchases. The site is free to use..
- We at therubins
recently received an email from Nicholas Barber, the editor of Voucher
Codes in England, in which he showed us his company's discount coupon
site. We took a look, and found that it could save users quite a tidy
amount of pounds when traveling "across the pond". The site's
address is http://www.vouchercodes.co.ukhttp://www.vouchercodes.co.uk
DRUGS
- www.DestinationRx.com
-Searches the major online pharmacies for the best deals on prescription
and OTC medications.
- www.theunadvertisedbrand.com
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's clearinghouse for information on
generic drugs, including a savings calculator that compares popular brands
to their generic equivalents.
- www.aarp.org/wiseuse/oregon-table.html
-the AARP and State of Oregon teamed up to present this useful comparison
on the safety and effectiveness of drugs that treat various conditions.
- www.rxexaminer.com
this is a free site that gives you both generic and brand name
alternatives, and explains how they differ from the drug you are comparing
it to
- www.pparx.org - to
apply for free or low-cost medications from the drug companies' patient
assistance programs, or call 1-888-477-2699.
- Here's another one that was sent in by John Smith.
Thanks John. Drug Card America has a prescription card offering up to a
50% discount . The card is free. http://www.drugcardamerica.com/
Eyeglasses
- You can save up to 30% on eye exams, sunglasses,
accessories and complete pairs (frame and Rx lens) at Lenscrafters,
Pearle Vision and Sears Optical stores by showing your AAA membersip card. Members willl
also receive an additional $5 discount on all general public offers that
exceed the everyday AAA discount
FINANCIAL SERVICES
- Many banks waive or reduce fees for senior citizens.
Hartford Financial Services Group offers a 15% discount on homeowner
policies for those 50 or older and not working.
FINDING THE LOWEST ONLINE PRICE FOR AN ITEM
- American Express Blue Card- If you pay for a product
that you purchase with this card, and then find the same product on the
internet for a lower price, American Express will pay for the difference.
(Thanks to our viewer S Shaffer)
- FOR WHATEVER DEALS YOU
FIND ON THE WEB THERE IS SOFTWARE AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU DETERMINE IF IT IS
THE BEST DEAL ON THE WEB: It is estimated that consumers have already spent about
$60 billion through on-line shopping so far this year. Software tools have
been created that work with Web browser software to help you find the
best buy possible. These agent companies scan various shopping sites for
price and delivery data comparisons.The one that
stands out among all of the is pricegrabber.(www.pricegrabber.com) Its listings
give pricing with and without shipping, handling and taxes. Most products
are pictured as well as described. Shoppers describe their shopping
experience on the site and rate the vendors. It does not show price
listings from Amazon, the largest online retailer
. - Barry Diller's company, IAC/InterActiveCorp has
introduced Pronto, a software application that can be downloaded at www.Pronto.com that has over 50,000
merchants in its database that does comparative shopping. Once you find a price
and a product that you like, it can find the cheapest price at which that
product is available in its database. Smart-shopper, Dealio, Active
Shopper NextTag and WhenU
are the names of a couple of other companies that have entered this field.
- To help shoppers keep tabs on the increasing number of
e-commerce comparison sites, the new comparison-shopping engines are
adding secondary markets, niche categories and in-browser search tools for
more thorough bargain hunting.SquareTrade
Sidebar uses a program that hides in Internet Explorer, and when it
detects that a user is shopping online, it displays a list of alternative
prices for the product being searched including prices from eBay and
Craigslist.
- Vendio's new toolbar located at www.dealio.com will list the best price
for an item when someone visits a product page. LowerMyBills
compares expenses like phone services, car loans, credit cards and
insurance quotes.Simplyhired.com shows job hunters opportunities from
newspapers, job boards and corporate Web sites.Grocery
Saver's new feature at Cairo.com builds custom shopping lists from sales
at neighborhood shopping lists from sales at neighborhood sales
. - Flatlens.com offers comparison shopping for shows and
sporting events among traditional ticket agencies, online brokers and
individual auction sites.
- Several of the large internet search engine companies
as well as eBay and Amazon are entering this growing field of helping the
consumer with their shopping needs. Google the largest of the search
engines has started a site www.froogle.com
but it has far fewer features than the other sites. Froogle unlike most of
the other sites does not charge merchants to be included in its search and
it is not paid when users click on a store's offering. Google will be
making a major effort to expand Froogle to become the leading purveyor of
this type of information for the shoppers.
- E.W.Scripps Co., which owns
newspapers, television stations and network properties such as Home &
Garden Television has agreed to buy the Internet comparison shopping
company Shopzilla for $525 million. Shopzilla organizes information on more than 30
million products from 55,000 retailers worldwide, and the site had more
than 14 million viewers in April. Shopzilla was
founded in 1996. Along with PriceGrabber.com and NexTag.com it has become
one of the leading comparison shopping Web sites.
- There are several online services that rate the
merchants. Among them are BizRate www.bizrate.com which has now adopted
the name Shopzilla.com and Gomez www.gomez.com.
BizRate will keep the bizrate.com site for
technology and consumer survey services, but use the name www.shopzilla.com for most of its
comparison shopping items. Initially the shopzilla
site will let users view 360-degree images of many consumer electronic
products, with other categories to follow. Shopzilla
will include reviews of computers and other products from Cnet, a company that reviews consumer electronic
products.
- For comparison shopping another good site is www.DealTime.com. DealTime
has agreed to buy Epinions, a Web site that lets
users write and read reviews about what products to buy. Nielsen/NetRatings estimated that the combination of DealTime and Epinions would
make it the fifth-biggest shopping site after Amazon, Ebay,
Yahoo Shopping and MSN Shopping.
- Thanks to Robert Skelton, Content Manager of Searchenginez, we learned that DealPilot
is no longer a price comparison engine. Take a look at Mr. Skelton's
company site at http://searchenginez.com/secondhandbooksearch.html
if you are looking for an excellent site for comparison shopping of second
hand books.
- If you are looking to find off-price deals for
everything from clothing items to electronic equipment we suggest the
following site: www.bluefly.com , www.overstock.com , www.SmartBargains.com , www.evalueville.com and www.mySimon.com (owned by CNET
Networks)
. - One of the newest sites in this field is www.coupons.dealnews.com. This
site offers daily tips abut where to find
bargains on-line. On http://www.amazing-bargains.com
you can find tips about which online retailers are running sales, offering
discounts or waiving shipping fees. This site is also very good for
finding the cheapest price of an item you are looking to purchase. Most of
these sites are free to shoppers since the retailers pay the service for
every referral that consummates in a purchase. Another site that helps you
find the best price for an item you are looking for is http://www.mysimon.com which is owned
by CNET's Shopper.com
HOTELS
- Marriott International Inc. has recently announced
that they would triple the number of their hotels that offer airline miles
and more than double the number of miles patrons can earn. This was done
as a competitive measure to match similar increases from Starwood
Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. Marriott's Chairman J.W.
"Bill" Marriott Jr. stated that further enhancements to the
program might be forthcoming this spring. Effective Oct.4 there will be 34
airlines participating in the Marriott Rewards Program. In the
participating hotels all items charged at the hotel will be included in
the program. Not all of the Marriott hotels will participate in the
program so check with your individual hotel beforehand.
- Hilton, Sheraton, Red Roof Inns, Howard
Johnson and Ramada all offer discounts, although some of the
above require membership.
MISCELLANEOUS
- National Park Service Golden Age Passport: -
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · (6/4/09)- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said
entrance fees at 147 national parks and monuments would be waived on three
weekends this summer. The dates are June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16..
Last year, national parks attracted more than 275 million visits, generating about $10.6 billion for local economies, and supporting more than 213,000 jobs. For the Park Service, the offer will mean a loss of an estimated half-million dollars a day.
- 5/07)-The National Park Service will be increasing
entrance fee schedules at national parks over the next three summers, but
if enough of us complain about the increase, the government may reconsider
the increase. The Park Service plans ot phase in
higher rates for park passes and vehicles at 131 of the 390 parks,
monuments and other areas it manages.
This increase in fees was not linked to the $230 million increase in the $2.1 billion parks budget that President Bush proposed in February to help prepare for the park system's centennial in nine years.
Under the new fee structure, annual park passed will generally range from $10 to $40. Fees per person would range from about $5 to $12; per vehicle, they would be about $10 to $25. A $50 fee for an annual pass has taken effect already at Grand Canyon and Zion, and for a combined pass into Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Individual park superintendents can however recommend to the National Park Service that the increase be rescinded because of a large outcry against it in the local community.
(10/8/05)- Seventeen sites in the National Park Service's intermountain region will raise entrance fees in 2006. Under the new rate schedule, a weeklong vehicle pass at Yellowstone would rise to $25 from $20. Other increases range from as little as $1 for weeklong passes in places like Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, to as much as $50 for annual passes in other areas.
Seniors 62 or older can buy a $10 lifetime pass entitling them to free admission to all National Parks, monuments, forests and recreational areas. Anyone in the vehicle gets in free also. The passport can be purchased at any national park. The pass also entitles holders to a 50% discount on use fees charged in park areas.
One of the editors of this site has been a worked as a volunteer at the National Historical Park in Saratoga, N.Y one week a year since July 1999. This fantastic park is located at the site where the Battles of Saratoga took place in September and October 1777. These battles are considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War. The park is over 9 miles long and the site contains both hiking trails and/or auto tour stops that highlight where the key battles took place.
To receive at no cost the following publications contact the National Park Service, Office of Information, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 or call 202-208-4747: The National Park System Map and Guide, the National Trails System Map and Guide, or an Official Map and Guide of specific national parks. The National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) was established in May 1919 to be the citizen's advocate for the National Park System. You may write to them for the following free brochure: The National Parks: How to Have a Quality Experience and Visiting Battlefields: The Civil War. Members of the NPCA can also receive for free the following brochures: Park System Map and Guide, The National Parks Index, The National Parks Camping Guide, and Lesser Known Areas as part of NPCA's PARK-PAK. Their address is National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) 1776 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-1904 or by calling 202-223-6722 x 214
. - Discount Phone Service: Bell Atlantic offers a
special discounted service called Life Line. It affords those who are
eligible for it a discount or reduced rate on the cost of basic telephone
service from Bell Atlantic. It can cost as little as $1.00 per month for
basic telephone service from Bell Atlantic. Note: regular phone
rates apply for your local, regional and long distance phone calls. To
qualify you must be eligible for any of the following programs: Aid to
Families with Dependent Children, Food Stamps, Home Relief, Home Energy
Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, Veteran's
Disability Pension (non-service related) or Veteran's Surviving Spouse
Pension (non-service related). Applications are available at most social
services benefits offices or by writing to: Bell Atlantic Comm. Affairs,
Room 3410, 1095 Avenue of Americas, New York, N.Y. 10036.
- Yankee Baseball Games: Senior Citizens (60
& over) $5.00.Seating is limited. To quote from the Yankee schedule:
"Senior Citizen Games.-Senior Citizen (60 and older) can purchase $5
tickets for any Monday through Thursday game* in designated seating
locations." The * indicates the fact that it excludes all premium games.It is available only on the day of the game at
the Yankee Stadium Ticket Windows
- Met Baseball Games: Senior Citizens (60 & over) can buy half-price
tickets for 10 games that are designated on the schedule. The seating area
for Senior Citizens and guests is limited to 5,000 admissions per
designated date. Dates available are designated with the abbreviation-SC-
on the schedule. Tickets are available only on the date of the game, and
are sold 2 1/2 hours before game time.
- Jiffy Lube-Most of their garages
offer a 10% discount to those 55 and older for a grease and oil change
job. Please check with the individual shop you bring your car to have the
job performed.
- Bally's Total Fitness-For those 62 and older a
discount of between $50 to $100 for membership is offered.
- AMC Entertainment, Inc.- For those 55 and older
a $2 off full price admission to their movie theatres.
- Discounted New York City
Theater Tickets- A $20 annual membership fee enrolls you in Super
Discount NYC Theater Tickets whose site http://www.tdf.org
gives you access on-line to shows for which you can get a 65% discount.
(Thanks to our viewer S Shaffer)
Movies:
- For movie lovers in the New York City area, every
Thursday the New York Times lists a site for you to enroll in, to become
eligible to receive two free tickets to a movie prevue showing at one of
the Loew's theatres in the area. The site is located at www.nytscreeningroom.com
PC PROBLEMS
- Here's a site directed at seniors who need assistance
in today's world of modern technology. Thanks to Steve Kilts for sending
in the recommendation about his company, Modern Senior Technology. We
visited the site: http://www.modernseniortech.com
and we think you can find it quite helpful.
- Many of us feel quite frustrated when we either can't
solve a PC problem, or have to wait a very long time before getting,
maybe, an adequate answer from a PC help desk. The May,
1999 issue of PC World has an article " Great Support at a Great
Price". One of the free e-mail-based technical help sites
mentioned in the article is http://www.ask-a-tech.org. It may take several days before you receive an answer but the wait might be worth it. - For PC Tech Support to directly to an operator:
Apple 800 275 2273-Zero three times; if virtual rep answers, say "operator"
Dell 888 560 8324-Hit zero twice
Gateway 800 846 2301-Hit zero, pound
HP ( Compaq Products) 800 652 6672-No easy answer
HP (Hewlett Products) 800 474 6836-Say agent
IBM 800 IBM 4YOU You go into hold queue immediately.
RESTAURANTS
- Senior Discount Specials: Many thanks to our viewer
BB for this one. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs has a
list called " Discount Deals for Fifty Plus Diners". You can
obtain the list by calling the Department at (212) 487-4444, or by writing
the Department of Consumer Affairs, 42 Broadway, New York, N.Y. and
requesting the list. The restaurants on the list are all located on the
East Side of Manhattan. The Department hopes to have other restaurants
outside of Manhattan added to the list sometime during the summer. To view
the list: http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dca/html/fiftyguide.html.
Thanks to Miriam B.who emailed us to report that
this site is no longer operational, we suggest that you call the NYC # 311
and ask to be sent the Senior Guide to Restaurant dining or you can write
to NYC Dept. of Aging, 2 Lafayette Street, NY 10007. Incidentally you can
go from this site to many of the NYC agencies including the Office of the
Aging that is quite helpful for all purposes.
- For reservations-OpenTable.com is the
largest restaurant reservation online company serving over 3,200
restaurants in over 50 major cities. OpenTable gives you frequent-diner
points when you reserve online, which can be redeemed later for discounts
on meals.
- For restaurant discount coupons go to DinnerBroker.com
or RewardsNetwork.com which was formerly known as iDine.com
SHOPPING OFF LINE-Where to look for an item on sale at your local mall or department store. These sites tell you where there is a sale that is going on in your neighborhood or even Zip code on a given day.
- www.cairo.com ; www.ShopLocal.com and www.StepUp.com -These offline Web sites
cull the data from the Web sites, ads and circulars distributed by local
brick-and-mortar stores to give you sales information about many different
items that they have on sale right now. Gannett, Knight Ridder and Tribune
have purchased Cross Media Services, a Chicago company that helps
retailers put their sales circulars online under the name of www.SalesHound.com to allow
consumers to compare sale items at offline stores.
- Buzzillions- For comparing the
quality of different products- www.buzillions.com
SPORTING GOODS
- Modell's Sporting Goods: A 10% discount is
available every day of the week, at any of their stores, upon presentation
of proof of age.
TEXAS
- http://www.seniorsguide.net.
This site targets businesses and presents their services to the
senior community via Seniorsguide.net and the Austin Seniors' Guide, a
free book mailed to senior citizens in Austin, Texas. The book highlights
senior-friendly businesses, includes buyers' tips, coupons, a medical
diary, and includes special sections on arts and entertainment, and
opportunities for senior involvement in the community.
TRAVEL
- New York City Transit Authority: Half-fare. Medicare
identification card can be used to obtain a half fare ride. To acquire a
Reduced Fare Metro Card application call 1-718-243-2499, or ask for an
application at any police precinct house, Department of Aging office,
subway toll booth or public library. In order to be able to get $1.50
added on to your Metro Card you must pay $15 in order to be able to get
the additional credit. The Metro Card also enables you to transfer for
free from a subway to a bus or conversely from a bus to a subway.
- Metro-North: 50% off regular one-way fare. Not valid on inbound
morning peak hour trains. Required ID Medicare card, drivers
license or birth certificate indicating 65 years of age or older.
- By
rail:
Amtrak (1-800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com) cuts 15% off most fares for riders who are at least 62.
Via Rail Canada (1-888-842-7245; www.viarail.com) offers travelers over 60 a discount of 10% off the full adult fare. Via Rail Canada also offers a "Bring a Friend" program that lets you take a companion along for free except during winter holiday season
North American Rail Pass, a one month ticket for travel to more than 900 destinations on both sides of the border (USA and Canada), offers, for those over 60, a 10% discount. - . Airlines: See our article Discounted Airline Fares for Seniors
FOR AN INFORMATIVE AND PERSONAL ARTICLE ON PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS WHEN SELECTING A NURSING HOME SEE OUR ARTICLE "HOW TO SELECT A NURSING HOME".