Four “E’s” of Senior Adults’ Money Deals
By: Maren E Morgan
Tags: Discount, Save Money, Old Age, Senior Citizen, Retirement

Arrows hit the bulls-eye of senior citizen discounts and opportunities.

Oldies Get Goodies

Sometimes the media bogs down in reporting only the negatives of senior citizenhood. How is it that the press discounts all the good things that happen when one’s age passes a magic number?

The advantages below are gotten only by attaining a number — just surviving the requisite number of years on this good earth.

The 4 E’s of Senior Bargains

Eats

The Early Bird Special!

We’ve all seen the signs posted on doors of diners and restaurants. The Early Bird Special is a price reduction for a meal (usually the evening one) if purchased before the most popular seating time. It is an inducement for more customers and more easily managed customer flow at an indoor dining spot. In American stereotypes, the Early Bird Special conjures up images of geriatric folks who want to be in bed by 8:00 p.m., thus enjoy eating supper at 4:00 p.m. Sometimes, proof of age by general visual inspection is also needed to take advantage of this opportunity.

Also, some restaurants will offer a discount or the availability of smaller, cheaper portions at any time with proof of age. These deals may be found in a special Senior Citizen page in the menu.

Exercise

Some national chain gyms offers membership fee discounts to AARP members. Also, some Medicare supplement plans provide gym membership as a benefit. The Silver Sneakers program is one example. Therefore, my father started working out at such a place for the first time in his life at age 79. Way to go, Dad!

In addition, ski resorts and the like sometimes charge admission with a sliding scale based on one’s age and nothing else. At one such establishment in West Virginia, after age 70 you can ski for free! This is good.

Entertainment

Admission price lists often have three groups: children/students, adults, and seniors.

Keep alert for this system in many venues. Movie theatres are prime places that reward advanced age with a ticket discount. Museums and historical associations may also offer these. Sports events such as baseball or hockey games may give the senior citizen a price break.

Education

In my area, some of the colleges and some churches offer courses especially with the senior adult in mind. They are for enrichment, not college credit. Topics are selected with this group in mind and the courses run for a short time, perhaps one or two months at most. This provides opportunities to learn for those who can’t commit to a four-month long semester.

Formal education, however, is where the old folks might hit the real jackpot. Some colleges and other institutions permit senior adults to attend tuition-FREE at age 60! If searching on-line, try the search term “<name of college> tuition senior discount.” It may not work for every institution, but it is a good start for exploring who has the deals.

Update as of December 2020 for Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania State University — four campuses offer free tuition at age 60, with restrictions, in the GO-60 program

Some community colleges and other PA state colleges offer free tuition at age 65 with restrictions, often that no credit may be earned

Alvernia University — free tuition at age 65

Show Me the Money!

So where others are coy about revealing their age, when you get “old enough” you may want to tell the world. Emblazon it on your T -shirts and flash your ID everywhere.

“I am a senior citizen: show me the money!”