Consumers Cash in on Membership Discounts

By Melissa Maynarich, NEWS 9

Consumers are taking advantage of membership perks through organizations, associations and their employers.

Renee Young, a member of AAA, needed new glasses but she couldn't see straight when it came to the cost. The saleswoman stepped in and gave her a 30 percent on the frames.

"I really only think of AAA when I need my car towed," Young said. "You know, it's not something you ordinarily think about."

Consumer expert Edgar Dworsky of Consumer World said whether it's AAA, AARP or an Alumni Association, people often don't realize or simply forget membership usually carries extra perks.

"All those types of groups have discounts that you can take advantage of," Dworsky said. "The discounts really are just far and wide."

The discounts could be for anything from hotel and rental car specials to discounts at major retail stores to savings on electronics. Most major credit cards have various discount programs and many work places offer corporate deals.

"It's really kind of a nice employee perk to get something back in addition to your employment and your health insurance," Dworsky said.

Jennifer Torrens regularly scours her company's site and recently saved on theatre tickets and a city tour.

"There are sometimes where I've bought something or used something and then remembered afterward, ‘Oh, yeah. I could have got a discount on this,'" Torrens said. "I hate that feeling."

Young hate's missing out too.

"All I had to do was to take the card out of my wallet," Young said. "It would be crazy not to take advantage of something like that in the future."

Experts recommend as always, do your homework.

Compare the discounts against coupons and any other available deals to see which is truly the best offer.

They also suggested signing up for store email lists.

Sometimes there are email only discounts.