Discounts for People Over 50

I'm not over 50, but I know a few that are!

This compiled list of discounts, some starting as young as 50 years old, was taken from a Facebook share. The original Facebook post is here, and the text of it is also pasted below the image. Enjoy!

As I was waiting in line behind an older gentleman at Wendy's recently,I heard him ask for his senior discount. The girl at the register apologized and charged him less. When I asked the man what the discount was, he told me that seniors over age 55 ...get 10% off everything on the menu, every day. (But you need to ASK for your discount.)

Being of 'that' age myself, I figured I might as well ask for the discount too. This incident prompted me to do some research, and I came across a list of restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, travel deals and other types of offers giving various discounts with different age requirements. I was actually surprised to see how many there are and howsome of them start at the young age of 50. This list may not only be useful for you, but for your friends and family too.

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 +)
Whataburger: 10% off (62+)
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 +)
Big Lots: 30% off
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)
Kmart: 40% off (Wednesdays only) ( 50+)
Kohl's: 15% off (60+)Modell's Sporting Goods: 30% 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+)
Food Lion: 60% off every Monday (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: 40% off (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: 40% off when booked 72 hours in advance
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+)
Motel 6: Stay Free Sunday nights (60+)
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
Massage Envy - NYC 20% off all "Happy Endings" (62 +)
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 discount ---- no ask, no discount.

Free admission to 1400 museums on Sept. 28

Looking for something to do this Saturday? When was the last time you went to a museum?

Travelzoo just posted 1400 museums that will be free this Saturday. That's my favorite price! All you have to do is grab a ticket (which is good for two people). They've conveniently listed all 1400 museums in searchable format.

This is part of the Smithsonian's Museum Day Live program. There are two museums here in Montgomery, the SPLC Civil Rights Memorial and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). I've been to both already (I've actually been to the Civil Rights Memorial a lot, every time someone comes to visit). But the MMFA is beautiful, and I can't think of anything I'd like more than to spend a Saturday afternoon strolling through their new exhibits. 

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!

Here are the links:
1400 Museums Free on Sept. 28 | Travel Tips From the Deal Experts | Travelzoo
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day Live!

Over 100,000 miles again!

It took forever, but I finally crested the 100,000 mile mark on United again.

And that's enough for a free trip to Europe... or if I pay for a the trip, definitely enough for a first class upgrade. I prefer the second option... that's a long flight from California!

I haven't flown 100,000 miles, but I have my secret methods of acquiring miles.  OK, not so secret.  But I am dedicated.  I have the United Debit Card, the United Visa, and the United Business Debit.

My next big hurdle is getting back up to Premier status.  That's the base elite status, where you get to use the fast check-in counters, upgrade to Economy Plus, and automatically get at least 500 miles per flight.  Most of my flights begin with an 83 mile flight to LAX, so that's alot of extra miles!

Now they're beefing up the program, so I can use my miles for all sorts of things.  Car rentals, hotel rooms, even electronics.  But I prefer to use them for something flying-related.  AND I can use them on Lufthansa, my favorite airline.

I still haven't forgiven United for the SFO (San Francisco) disaster... but I think that has more to do with the airport than United.  So I give my hugs back to United, but will try to only fly into and out of itty-bitty airports, like SBA and SMX.

A few related links:
United Mileage Plus

United Mileage Plus debit cards from Chase

United Mileage Plus Credit Cards

P.S. I'm not an affiliate for United or Chase!  I don't make any money for promoting them, I just like the relationship they have, since it gets me free flights for stuff I already do...like shop!  :)

Wow, too much traveling...

...Not enough time to post!

At the end of January through the first week of February, I was able to go to Las Vegas for 9 days... for work!  Of course, I took some time to play.

Then I spent this past weekend visiting friends in Vacaville, CA.  And that meant spending Valentine's Day wine tasting in Napa Valley!  Mmm.

Übercheap Weekend Getaway to San Francisco

The fabulous deal I got on next weeks trip happened like this. I went to United's e-fare website, where they post weekend deals every Tuesday morning. I found Santa Barbara (SBA) to San Francisco (SFO) for $74, round-trip. We'll leave Saturday around noon, and come back Monday around noon. The total price came to a little over $100 for each ticket, after taxes. Still, that's $100 for a round-trip ticket!

The hotel came through Priceline. Just like on TV, I bid a ridiculously low price for a 4-star hotel in San Francisco. The first bid was $50, which was declined. But Priceline said I could raise my bid by $14 and bid again. So I did, and it was accepted. So Saturday and Sunday night, we'll stay at the Hyatt Regency, for $64 each night. $155 after taxes.

And the rental car. I went back to United and used their offer for Hertz. A midsize car was $55 for two days, taxes and everything included. Plus we get a ton of United miles.

And then I went to Restaurant.com, typed in a zip code for San Francisco, and bought a few gift certificates for restaurants on Fisherman's Wharf.

The only thing I don't have are the Broncos/Raiders football tickets for Sunday!

Beam me up!

On Monday, I acted like a tourist in L.A. I drove down Rodeo drive, cruised around Beverly Hills, and then drove over to the take a few pictures of the Hollywood sign. But the highlight of all this was this picture. That's Nichelle Nichols handprint! And my hands fit perfectly inside. I knew she was my hero. Uhura is the fictional version of what I do. I work in Space Command, and my on-crew job was basically to repeat the computer alarms and say, "Yes, Captain."

I wonder how many people wait for "something" in the Premier Check-In line?

Leaving Bismarck, we stood in the line marked "Premier/First Class" to check-in for our flight. The regular line only had about 5 people in it, but I like to use my Premier perks whenever I can.

Except it meant nothing to the ladies at the check-in counter. They processed everyone else first. Even people that got in the Economy line AFTER us.

After she finished processing everyone else and I was invited to step forward, I asked if there was any difference between the regular line and Premier line. She said (wait for it), "I didn't know if you  were waiting for something else." Apparently, a lot of people like to stand in the Premier line at the United Check-In counter at 5am in Bismarck, while they wait for "something else." And then she informed me that she was "new." Holy smokes. I think she might be under-qualified for the job.

Comfortable at the Comfort Inn - Bismarck, ND

Hey, free drink coupons, nice!

In the lounge, they also have a free appetizer mini-buffet for happy hour, and half-off drinks. Happy hour is a happy three hours, running from 3:30 to 6:30. We saved our free drink coupons for later, since a round of drinks for four people only cost $7.75. They don't mess around in Bismarck.

There is an indoor pool in the center of the hotel, and the rooms surround the pool, with sliding glass doors on the pool side of the room. The room did have a faint chlorine smell when we walked in. But all the standard amenities where there, even little makeup-remover towelettes.

The beds were comfy.

Free breakfast, with scrambled eggs, sausage, waffles, cereal, bagels, donuts, etc.

There are more than enough restaurants within walking distance. Try the Country House deli across the street, pass on the Hong Kong Buffet. Actually, go to the Hong Kong Buffet, because it was $41 for 4 people, and they had crab legs.

And if you want to go out, try Borrowed Buck's Roadhouse. It was cheap, clean, and fun. Not like the dive I was expecting when my brother suggested we go there.

Comfort Inn
1030 E. Interstate Ave.
Bismarck, ND, US, 58503-0547
Phone: (701) 223-1911

Room Rate: $76/night (Military/Government Rate)

Award Ticket Fees Dropped by United Airlines

Somewhere in route, I was checking tweets on my Blackberry, and noticed a fabulous one from United Airlines. United is dropping all close-in award ticket fees! Yay! Previously, if you booked an award ticket, the closer you were to the travel date, the more it cost. Not free, folks. It could be up to $100! And now, it's free. I could come see you tomorrow, for free. Free is my favorite price.

United Airlines
United Airlines Mileage Plus
United Airlines Twitter : @UnitedAirlines

A Tour of the Western United States

To use our award tickets, the only routing we could get was from Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS) to Denver (DEN) to Bismarck (BIS). We left at 6am, and arrived in Bismarck around 3pm. Anyway, it was free, so I don't really have any complaints.

Shopping at LAS is far better than the shopping at LAX. Man, I could spend a day and a pretty penny in that airport.

A Bumpy Start - Radisson LAX

We decided to stay at the Radisson-LAX on Wednesday night, since our (free award ticket) flight left at 6am on Thursday. The stay was OK at best.

The hotel is in the middle of remodeling... I think. Only two of the four elevators worked, so we actually had to stand in line to get on one of them. The decor in the room was mismatched. I'm not sure what they were going for, but some of it was contemporary (white linens, geometric designs on the drapes). And some of it was...polynesian?

The parking was $13 a day, and was about a block away. Not "across the street" as I was told on the phone when I called to confirm the reservation.

The business center was closed! No computers. One of the reasons I stay at the Radisson is for the business center.

It certainly isn't for the Sleep Number beds, which I could completely do without. Who wants to sleep on a glorified air mattress? Not I. And there was no refrigerator in the room, making it the first Radisson I've ever been in that did not have that amenity. And my husband noted the lack of a Gideon Bible! :)

They didn't even bother to put a trash liner in the trash cans. The bag was hanging over the side, as if to say, "You do it."

And no free drink coupons, bummer. The poor bartender, Cesar, could have used a hand. It was only Wednesday evening, but he was dealing with a full bar rail, a full lounge, and all of the room service calls. Add to that the customer frustrations with the service, and I'm very impressed Cesar kept his cool. He was always polite and respectful. And he made a nice French Martini!

I did get a ton of points for this stay though. Check out the breakdown below.

Radisson LAX
6225 W Century Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 670-9000

Room Rate: $99/night (Military/Government Rate)
Radisson Goldpoints Plus Points: 4480
Online Booking Bonus: 500
Express Yourself Point Bonus: 1000
1000 Points Per Night at 1000 Hotels Bonus: 1000
Stay Earning 20 Points Per US Dollar: 1980

Two Tickets to Paradise

My brother's wedding is in fabulous Bismarck, North Dakota at the end of the month. It's super expensive to fly there. Although I hoard flight miles like they might save my life someday, I ended up using them.

There were no flights available from Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, or San Luis Obispo (I live in a saintly area). I got two roundtrip tickets out of LAX. That lovely Premier status means we get the bigger Economy Plus seats for free. We'll drive down the night before, stay at the Radisson (thus getting more miles), and fly out early the next morning.

I never fly out of LAX - the price savings isn't worth the time, the stress, or the the gas it takes to get there, not to mention parking fees. (Did I mention parking at Santa Maria airport (SMX) is free? Just a little FYI.)

The cost for two tickets was 50,000 miles, plus a $20 processing charge. The Radisson rate was $99, and they have parking for $13 a day. And we rented a car through Hertz for $180. And we are staying at the Prairie Knights Casino on the Standing Rock reservation for $50 a night.

James has never been to the Rez, so he'll be in for a real treat. Parts of it are like a 3rd world country, except they speak English, and I'm related to just about everybody. And the powwow is that weekend, too.

Total price for a 3 day vacay in paradise, about $400.

Current miles: 77,500.

United Mileage Plus and Radisson Goldpoints Plus

From June 4-13, 2009, I stayed at the Radisson Inn & Suites in Colorado Springs. At check-in, I requested that my stay be credited to my United Mileage Plus account, like a good girl. The standard United offer for Radisson is 500 miles per stay, no matter how long that stay is. Better than nothing.

But wait! The gentlemen at the front counter recommended I join their Gold Points Plus program. I'm hesitant to join anything membership program that could distract me from becoming the queen of United flight miles, but I listened anyway. He said I'd earn way more than the 500 miles per stay if I collected the points on the Gold Plus card, and then converted them later. So I joined, and he gave me (another) plastic card.

The points I earned were stacked:

I got 17,040 points by earning 20 points per dollar spent.
I got 5,000 points for their 5000 Points 5th Night bonus.
I got 9,000 points for their 1000 Points Per Night promotion.

I earned 31,040 Gold Points on my stay.

I logged into the Gold Points Plus website to transfer my miles. 2000 points gets you 250 United miles. So I traded 30,000 points for 3750 United miles. Not too shabby for no work at all.

Current United Miles: 118,428

Fare stalking

I spent weeks obsessing over the fares to Germany. Finding the best fares was easy, but the layovers were insane, and the travel dates were way out of our range. We are going to be travelling with a 7 year old, and spending hours in an airport in Amsterdam or London did not seem like a good time.

I checked every site, everyday. Kayak, Vayama, Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, CheapTickets... and the airline's websites, too. I signed up for every fare alert and deal detector I could find. I even tried FareCast, but they didn't have predictions for Denver to Frankfurt. I made bets with myself. I found cheap tickets, about $400 round trip, but that didn't include the extra $400 in taxes. And again, the layovers, ugh. I waited. And waited. For weeks.

Biting the bullet, I jumped on a chance to get all three tickets for $3000. Sticker shock? Yes. It was not the $1800 I had hoped for, obviously. But the itinerary was a breeze. Colorado Springs to O'Hare, a piece-of-cake one hour layover, and then direct from O'Hare to Frankfurt. The return itinerary is similar. The travel time is approximately 12 hours both ways.

I booked through Orbitz. The flights are on United, but the fare wasn't available on their website. Plus, Orbitz has this Price Assurance thing. If someone else books my itinerary at a lower price, they refund the difference.

Also, while booking, Orbitz offered a rental car for all 11 days for $350 from Avis. Seriously. Not Euros. Dollars. I got that too. It's a VW Polo, so it's small, but not Smartcar small. We'll fit. And probably get bumped to a higher class vehicle (cross your fingers!).

At any rate, the Germany/Austria Christmas 2008 trip is now definitely happening! I'll be dusting off the Rosetta Stone discs and brushing up on my German.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Pimp United Airlines with eBay

No joke. I went on eBay to see how much United Airlines vouchers were going for. BTW, you know you can sell those free flights you get for volunteering to get bumped? Anyway, they were going to about $350. Great deal if your reg flight is more than that.

But mine is usually right about there, so I didn't want that. Then I saw these United Airlines $100 vouchers going for $19.99. I thought it can't hurt to try it, but I kinda thought it was a scam too. So I used Buy-It-Now, and the seller emailed me the promotion code within 30 minutes.

I checked how much my flight was on United first... it was $419. Then I went right back and entered the code, and voila, $319. Simple as that. I bought and paid for my flight immediately, still fearful that the men in black were about to show up at my door and arrest me for something.

I also went right back to eBay and bought another one from the seller. Which I just used today for another flight that was $339. I used the code, and abracadabra, $239.

Not to mention I also went through United to book my Hertz reservation at the end of the month. A whole week for $143, including taxes. It's a Ford Focus, but I have a double-upgrade coupon. So for $143, we get an Impala (or similar, as they say).

So let's tally that up. It looks like $700 for TWO roundtrip tickets to Colorado Springs and a full one week car rental (which happens to be over Memorial Day weekend). Damn, I should be a travel agent. I'm a travel goddess. I'm a roaming gnomette.

So let eBay hook you up next time you need a plane ticket!!!