There are many benefits to getting older, especially discounts for shopping, dining and traveling.
More than 100 retailers, supermarket chains, health and wellness chains, airlines, hotels, restaurants and movie theater chains in NYC and nationwide which offer discounts to seniors.
Few of these offers are widely promoted. Some don’t even appear on the company website.
The top money saving tip is to ask first, whether it is a restaurant, retailer or hotel chain, and be prepared to show a photo ID.
The definition of “senior” varies widely — the minimum age can be anywhere from 50 to 65.
Price and participation varies, especially at fast-food restaurant chains. If you’re not sure, call ahead or ask a manager before ordering.
At restaurants, senior discounts usually apply only to the qualifying customer, not to the entire bill or the entire group.
Many offers are limited to specific times of the day or day of the week, so double-check before making plans.
Senior discounts are not limited to national chains. Many locally owned businesses love older customers because of their loyalty. Stop by your favorite neighborhood spots and ask about deals.
Know what you’re getting. Many restaurants offer a senior menu at a discounted price, but it also usually means smaller portions. So the true savings may be minimal or even non-existent.
Use your age to your family’s financial advantage. Consider tagging along with “the kids,” so they can use your discount, especially at stores that offer “Senior Days.”
Several deals require an AARP membership which costs $16 annually. The minimum age to join is 50, and the discounts alone are well-worth the price of membership, which includes the AARP Magazine, filled with additional money-saving tips, health and wellness tips and more.
Look for other discounts, too. Don’t assume a “senior discount” is your only or best option. Often you can find better savings via coupons, promos and offers available to the general public, especially via customer loyalty rewards programs.
Join the e-club and/or loyalty program of businesses you frequent often, for exclusive coupons, promos and discounts, including free nights from hotels and free miles from airlines. Typically, members get better offers than just 10% off. You can earn free nights at hotels, and free flights from airlines.
In addition to discounts for seniors, many businesses offer birthday freebies or discounts.
NYCOTC list of restaurants offering birthday freebies.
NYCOTC list of retail stores and more, offering birthday freebies.
Here’s a list of current deals. If you know of any we’ve missed, please send them to [email protected].
We’ll check them out and add them when we can.
Disclaimer - NYC on the Cheap is not responsible for discounts which have changed since our list was researched and published.
