Apr 20, 2009 10:42 pm US/Central
Stretch Your Dollar: Membership Discounts
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
You may not realize it, but you are entitled to discounts that go beyond store sales and coupons. There are membership perks out there that can help stretch your dollar.
Renee Young needed new glasses but she didn't want to spend the money. That's when the saleswoman asked: "'Do you have a AAA card?' And I said, 'yes.' And she said, 'you're entitled to a discount,'" Renee said.
She got a discount of 30 percent on the frames and lenses. Renee was pleasantly surprised.
"I really only think of AAA when I need my car towed," Renee said. "So, you know, it's not something you ordinarily think about."
Consumer expert Edgar Dworsky says whether it's AAA or AARP, or even your alumni association, membership usually carries extra perks.
"All those types of groups have discounts that you can take advantage of," said Edgar Dworsky of Consumer World.
Discounts on everything from hotels and rental cars to discounts at major retail stores to savings on electronics. It's not just organizations, many work places offer corporate deals.
Jennifer Torrens' employer uses
Perkspot, which manages discount programs for companies.
"There are some times where I've bought something or used something and then remembered afterward, oh yeah, I could have got a discount on this,'" Jennifer said. "I hate that feeling."
Renee hates missing out, too.
"All I had to do was take the card out of my wallet, so it would be crazy not to take advantage of something like that in the future," Renee said.
Perkspot manages discount programs on behalf of approximately 100 large employers and associations, including Fortune 500 corporations, city/state governments, and affinity groups. In all, it manages discount programs on behalf of approximately 4 million members in the United States. Its latest research shows that, on average, about 25 percent to 35 percent of employees use their Perkspot discount program.
CBS 2 scouted for a variety of discounts from several different types of organizations. The following lists are not comprehensive, but are merely a sample.
The following membership clubs offer a variety of discounts from retail and electronic bargains to hotel, restaurant and rental car deals, to breaks at local attractions. Many also offer healthcare or insurance discounts to members:
http://products.aarp.org/discounts/
http://www.aaa.com
Credit Card Companies:
Many major credit cards offer a variety of retail, travel and dining discounts.
http://www.amexnetwork.com/shopping/
http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/specialoffers/savings_discounts/index.html
http://www.usa.visa.com/personal/discounts/index.jsp
http://www.discover.com/shop
Union Memberships:
Union memberships often offer retail and travel discounts along with deals on healthcare/fitness, insurance, tax preparation, financial planning and credit counseling.
http://www.workingadvantage.com
Alumni Associations:
The following alumni associations offer various discounts at retailers (national and local) as well as deals on car rentals:
http://www.msualum.com/membership/mo-benefits.cfm
http://www.alumni.psu.edu/membership/benefits/discounts.htm
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/alumni/alumni-discounts.php
http://gtalumni.org/pages/benefitsanddiscounts
http://www.alumni.berkeley.edu/Discounts_and_Services/main.asp
http://www.alumnibenefits.org/ku/
http://alumni.unc.edu/article.aspx?SID=3083
http://orangeconnection.org/s/860/index-blue.aspx?sid=860&gid=1&pgid=269
http://www.alumni.virginia.edu/membership/student/benefits.aspx
http://www.pepperdine.edu/alumni/benefits/services.htm
http://www.alumni.northwestern.edu/node/204
http://www.arizonaalumni.com/membership/benefits.shtml
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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