Learn something new and earn free stuff in return, might be a new concept to you. But it’s possible to earn free gift cards and sometimes even win them. You can enter the daily instant win and also, earn points toward free or reduced-price gift cards every day. By entering the sweepstakes you could win things like $100 cash, $500 groceries, $2,500 gift card to a home improvement store, device docking station, etc.
All this is available by joining AARP. (aarp.org) Membership is available to those 50 and older. Is it worth the price of membership? Yes, this month I’ve already redeemed enough points to receive $40 in Panera gift cards. I don’t have to wait for them to arrive in the mail, I printed them out the same day.
Membership cost
The cost to join AARP for your first time is $12.00 a year. They usually include a free gift, which could be a duffel bag, a trunk organizer, or something else. Free membership for your spouse is also included. Automatic renewal is $16 a year. Actually you don’t have to pay for a membership, but members earn points at a 50% higher rate. There are also some offers available to members only.
Even if you never went online you would receive two subscriptions, AARP Magazine and AARP Bulletin, which are each issued 6 or more times a year. Some of the April/May 2020 articles in the magazine include an interview with James Taylor, “21 Crucial health tests for your 60+ body,” and “Why Smart People Get Scammed.” The issue is also the “Special 2020 Health and Happiness issue.” In the April Bulletin, articles include the work AARP is doing on behalf of older people, a health article on olive oil, and another on lung health. It is a special Fraud Report issue. I feel there are always plenty of new and interesting things to learn about in each issue.
Learn something new everyday
Every quiz, every video, every tool and calculator, and every online newsletter is full of information that you can use. Also, you can connect your fitness tracker, to your AARP app and earn points from walking, swimming, running, and biking. Each way to earn points can be earned on a daily, monthly or yearly basis depending on the particular category.
You can learn about many things including, healthy eating, coronavirus information, family caregiving, searching for a job, etc. Learning new things is good for our brain function. Everything is geared to people over 50.
Challenge yourself to these sample questions
Here is a sample quiz question that AARP has for earning points. This particular question is in reference to the free hearing test mentioned in the section “Additional perks available” below. How long does the free hearing test take to get results:
- 10 minutes
- 1 hour
- 24 hours
- 2-3 business days.
Another sample quiz question is to pick what is better for your heart:
- Coffee
- Tea
The same question has these choices:
- Kale
- Spinach
Learn with videos
The videos range in less than a minute to about 10 minutes. There is even one that is about 30 minutes. I think they average about 3 minutes. If it is a 10-minute exercise video you can watch it every day and exercise along with the leader. The leaders are well-known experts. In order to get your maximum points available per day, you will likely have to repeat some videos every day to get your total points. I would try for the ones that are 3 minutes or less to save time.
Some of the video examples include:
- 10 Minute Balance and Energy Workout
- 10 Minute Pilates
- Smart Home devices that make your life easier
- What vaccines do I need after 50
- How to stop spam calls
Tools and calculators
If you are trying to decide on something like whether to buy a house or rent, AARP has a calculator to help you decide. AARP awards only 75 points for these, but they are free to help you in making financial decisions. Another tool helps you see what difference it would make if you started spending less. There is a mortgage loan calculator to help you determine your loan payment should you buy a different home or refinance.
What do you do with your points once you earn them?
So many choices, how do you decide? You should decide based on what you want, not what seems to be the best deal or is the most value. For example, if they have a sweepstake for a month of free meals from a home delivery service and you don’t want it, don’t waste your points on it. Unless of course, you are able to give it to someone else as a gift, maybe someone who recently moved into the neighborhood or had a baby. Anytime they are offering cash, I’m entering. Usually, sweepstakes run for a month or longer. The per-day limit is 5 times and it is usually 25 or 50 points per entry. You can only win one sweepstake per month.
Sometimes they will have a gift card for Uber or Lyft. That’s not something I want, but maybe you would. I try to get Panera or Target or another place that I frequent. If you are in northern California like me, you will notice that some of the gift cards are for a place that is only on the East Coast. Unless you plan to visit there or gift it to someone that is over there, you might want to pass on those. AARP really tries to have a variety of things available including pet stores, gas stations, hardware stores, and sweet treats. If there is nothing there at the time that appeals to you, don’t worry they change things several times a month. Keep on earning so you are ready.
The number of points required varies by item. Some are under 10,000 points. The largest I have seen was over 100,000 points. My advice is to earn as many points as you can. There is a limit of 7,500 points per day, per person. However, if you have 7,450 you can do an additional quiz (450 points) and reach 7,900 in a day. A day ends at midnight on the East Coast or 9 PM over here in California.
Additional perks available
There are many other perks of membership. Members are able to take a free hearing test over the phone once a year. I took that test in 2019 and it has changed my life forever. (see https://growingoldereveryday.com/my-journey-back-to-normal/ )
In addition, you can receive discounts on insurance, discounts on buying an automobile, and earn a driver safety certificate to reduce your auto insurance. There are discounts at local businesses, including restaurants and travel deals and prescription discounts. If you are buying or selling a house soon, check their real estate benefits for a possible fee reduction. Get 25% off your first healthy meal order of $99 or more, through Silver Cuisine by bistroMD, delivered to your home for free.
Remember the sample questions I gave you above? The three answers are ten minutes, tea, and spinach. How did you do? Are you ready to start earning free stuff? See the sign up below for additional tips and tricks, that I am only sharing with my newsletter recipients.
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