Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Over 50? Big Discounts, Great Deals, Free Money for You!

Dec 02, 2004

Over 50? Big Discounts, Great Deals, Free Money for You!

Matthew Lesko

Special from Bottom Line/Personal

If you're worried about meeting expenses as you age, here's good news. You can get free vision care, college courses, even discounted stock commissions if you're 65 or older. Special deals on travel, movies, health clubs and more are available to people as young as age 50. My favorite money savers for the golden years...

TRAVEL/LEISURE

Fly for less. Industry turmoil has eliminated most, but not all, deals for seniors. My favorites...

United Air Lines' Silver Wings Plus, for travelers age 55 and older. You get up to seven trips at special rates, as well as discounted vacation packages, etc. Great for less-traveled routes to smaller cities that go on sale infrequently. Membership: $75/two years... $225/lifetime. www.silverwingsplus.com.

Southwest Airlines offers people age 65 and older 20% to 70% off regular fares. Tickets are fully refundable, but they can't be transferred to younger travel companions. www.southwest.com.

America West Airlines offers the Senior Saver Pack to people age 62 and older. It gives you four one-way coupons that are good for coach travel within the continental US, Canada and Mexico. You can transfer coupons to two children between the ages of two and 11. Cost: $750. www.americawest.com.

Hunting and fishing licenses. Many states do not require residents age 65 and older to carry fishing or hunting licenses, or they offer them for free. Many other states offer seniors 50% off the cost of licenses. To find the licensing bureau in your state, go to www.backgroundcheckgateway.com/huntfish.html.

PRODUCT DISCOUNTS

More than 120,000 unadvertised discounts are available at www.seniordiscounts.com, so just type in your zip code and a category (retail, restaurants, entertainment, etc.). The site will generate a list of discounts, locations in your area and phone numbers. Examples...

AMC theaters give moviegoers age 55 and older $2 off ticket prices.

Bally's Health Clubs and the YMCA offer discounts to seniors. Discounts and age requirements vary by location.

Jiffy Lube and Midas offer discounts to seniors. Discounts and age requirements vary by location.

Kohl's Department Stores gives customers age 62 and older 10% to 15% off purchases made on Wednesdays.

AARP DISCOUNTS

AARP provides dozens of significant discounts for members age 50 and older. Annual membership fee: $12.50. Some favorites...

20% to 50% off US Airways flights for you and a travel companion of any age.

20% off all Reebok and Rockport outlet store purchases.

5% to 30% off at major rental-car companies, such as Avis, Hertz and National.

10% off AOL's standard unlimited monthly Internet plan.

10% off installation of an ADT home-security system.

Information: 888-OUR-AARP (888-687-2277) or www.aarp.org/benefits.

EDUCATION

Older Adult Service and Information System (OASIS), a not-for-profit program sponsored by May Department Stores, offers free noncredit classes in the humanities, health, computers, etc. for people age 50 and over. OASIS's 26 cities include Chicago, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Washington, DC. www.oasisnet.org.

Many universities offer free classes for seniors. Contact your local university.

HEALTH CARE

Rock-bottom drug prices. At www.needymeds.com, select the medication you need. The site provides a link to the manufacturer's Web site for details about its discount drug programs.

For lists of specific discounts at drugstores in your state, go to www.suddenlysenior.com/cheapdrugs.html.

Free eye care. EyeCare America, sponsored by the Public Service Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, puts callers in touch with local ophthalmologists who provide free eye care to seniors. Care includes treatment of cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Requirements: The program is for people age 65 and over who have not seen an ophthalmologist in the last three years and who do not belong to an HMO. http://eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/public.

Health-care grants. The Medicare Savings Program gives eligible seniors and people with disabilities up to $1,598 (annually) extra in their Social Security checks -- $66.60 a month for individuals... $133.20 for couples. More than 16 million seniors and people with disabilities may qualify, but only 6.2 million have applied. Two of the basic programs are for seniors (eligibility is based on income and assets)...

Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries Plan: Premiums, deductibles and co-payments are paid under the plan.

Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries Plan: Medicare Part B premiums are paid.

Information: Contact your local Social Security office or state office of social services. Or call the Medicare hot line (800-633-4227), and ask for 2003 Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare. It is available on-line at www.medicare.gov. Click on "Publications."

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Track down forgotten pension money. Did you work someplace 20 years ago that is no longer in business? Don't give up on collecting the money that you're owed.

You can search for money by your name... company name... or state where the company was headquartered. Since the Pension Search Program began in 1996, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) has helped more than 16,000 people recover more than $73 million. Average benefit: $5,100. There is $38 million waiting to be claimed. Information: Pension Search Program, 1200 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20005. www.pbgc.gov.

Ask your bank/brokerage firm about perks for seniors. To attract older customers, many banks and brokerage firms offer senior services packages to customers as young as age 50. Package features: No monthly service charges or per-check fees... commission discounts... discount eyewear and pharmacy services... accidental death insurance... higher interest rates on savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) than younger customers get.

Examples: UMB Bank's Preferred Status account gives seniors 20% off all stock trades... discounted safe-deposit box... free checks, money orders, cashier's checks and notary services (www.umb.com). Bank of America's Advantage for Seniors program offers preferred rates on money market accounts, CDs and IRAs ... free cashier's and traveler's checks (www.bankofamerica.com). BB&T Bank offers free checks and checking accounts and allows penalty-free withdrawals from CDs for medical emergencies (www.bbandt.com).