beware AARP membership renewal notices

[michaelg222537]

AARP sends mass mailings to "valued members" to renew.  Over the years, I've received many of these posted YEARS before my membership is actually due for renewal.  AARP is well aware of this and chooses not to correct this clearly deceptive and predatory practice. 

It will be interesting to see if AARP takes down this post.

[Lifegaze]

Is this a scam or spam? I am paid up until 2028 and getting renewal notices. There are enough complaints here that someone higher up should be notified of this. It wastes our time. AARP must be paying out tons of money in unnecessary mailing which could be used to support the AARP Foundation or lower membership costs. Trees are being cut down for these unnecessary mailings. Maybe even use the saved money from unnecessary mailing to improve the computer systems so that it only sends out renewal letters to the people who are coming close to the end of their renewal period. Or an option to only get renewal notices by email. Please, pass this message to someone at AARP who can fix the problem.

[eg4001]

PLUS ~ We receive a new PLASTIC card with every single membership renewal mailing. I Do Not Need another card! And will these cards Ever deteriorate ~ nope! Nor will I need a new one when my membership is up.

I’d prefer if they were paper anyway.

Just please(!) STOP with all the unnecessary mailings and extra cards.

Also ~ stop with the free gift as an incentive to purchase. Unnecessary.

[michaelg222537]

Dear Lifegaze,

It would be interesting to know whether the notices actually stopped after the 4-6 weeks lag mentioned by AARPJanelleM.  Did you notice? 

Let's assume for the moment that AARP is not deliberately sending premature notices.  If true, this suggests that they are manually updating their database - hence the 4-6 weeks lag.  There must be many ways to automate this and drastically cut lag time.  This should be slamdunk easy for online renewals.  For mail renewals, they could barcode the renewal form and batch run them through a hi-speed scanner.  An experienced database programmer should be able to easily modernize their system to handle this.

An alternate explanation is that they deliberately send excess notices, as others here have suggested.  The 11/3/23 message from Txcy512895 is disturbing.  That member paid twice in 1 year, and still receives notices.

Any lawyers out there care to weigh in on this?  I'm not sure whether these reports from members conclusively prove anything illegal, but it sure looks suspicious.

[AARPJanelleM]

@Lifegaze Thank you for your valued membership. No scam here! The renewal notices you're receiving are due to a lag in our renewal processing system. It can take 4-6 weeks for the notices to stop once your payment is processed because pre printed labels are used. I see your 5 year renewal was processed on 2/9/2023. Anything you are getting was printed before your payment was received. I'm always here to help!

[BtW751689]

I sent in my free coupon for a free year of membership in February.  They still have not processed it.

[BtW751689]

happy to update that after I sent them a copy of my original submission they honored it  But why does it take so much effort on our part to maintain our submissions?

[AARPConsumerCare]

BtW751689 I'm sorry to hear your renewal hasn't been processed. I've sent you a private message, so we can gather some more information and check on this for you. - Christy C. 

[BtW751689]

And FWIW Christy you only corresponded with me this one time  I sent you several emails and Brandon picked up the conversation  Why sign a name if anyone else in the office may be answering it?

[BtW751689]

cannot reply with this format.  your site won't allow it

[AARPConsumerCare]

BtW751689 I'm sorry to hear you had trouble replying to the private message. Please click this link - https://aarp.info/3epCObA - for other ways you can get in touch, so we can check on your renewal. - Christy C. 

[BtW751689]

maybe allow us to email or fax things since your site says invalid h t m l

[AARPJanelleM]

@GillianG268558 Hi Gillian, your last renewal made in Oct of 2021 credited your account for 16 months. You can also check your membership info online if you'd like: Show Me My AARP Account Information

[CindyE11097]

I have the same complaint. AARP will constantly send renewal notices months before your membership expires. I find this practice extremely irritating and because of it, I have stopped contributing to other causes that AARP champions for. I’m wondering if others feel the same way?

[marieern]

I constantly receive renewal notices sometimes a year or more before renewal is needed, I questioned this and asked them to discontinue the constant notices but still receive them, I just throw them in the garbage.

[rednexsrus]

@michaelg222537  I suspected something was odd with all the many early renewal notices I was also receiving, but sadly chose to ignore what was revealed as a deliberate and misleading practice. I am appalled that the Board of Directors of AARP.org a (non-profit) decided to overlook these actions in favor of monetary gain. 

I have always accused the administrator of the AARP Rewards Program for it's unsatisfactory performance in the programs activities i.e. Rewards Instant Wins, Points Only gift cards, Daily Deals, Sweepstakes and discounted gift cards only to realize management may be instructed to keep the $ value of all rewards as mediocre as possible. Just Saying 

[IWF2RETIRE]

I agree with you.  I would like to use my 2,079 points toward my renewal.  Still looking into it, but I bet they don't allow it.  They would say they didn't make any money.  Points, that whole thing is a joke.  A few points get nothing and everything else is expensive and you AARP just make money off of it.  I need AARP to help me and others not hinder us.

[BrooksNYC]

AARP's shady billing practices are precisely what bring me to the site today, although I've been complaining for years. What makes these practices unconscionable is the fact that some elderly people (those with cognitive problems, say, or folks who may not keep careful records) won't realize that they're forking over cash to AARP for no reason.

Whenever I've complained, AARP has responded with an "oops" letter of apology, but nothing changes. It's hard not to wonder if the company's billing practices are not, in fact, deliberately misleading.

[jp2943823]

Exactly!  I just voiced my disappointment with an online chat and pointed out that this is especially questionable since they are dealing with senior citizens. It seems very unethical even if what they are doing is legal.

[creekclark67]

We, too, have been scammed! AARP sent a five year renewal approx 3 months before expiration. I promptly paid the full $63 for 5 yr renewal. Three weeks later more junk mail from AARP....requesting our renewal(same membership) with a new discounted renewal price of $45 for 5 yrs also a 4 piece luggage organizer set upon prompt renewal. THIS IS ASS BACKWARDS!!! Why are we not given the reduced price with goodies to pay early???  I want the $18 credit and the luggage or I will be cancelling for a full refund! We have been member since 2010. 

[PatriciaG267634]

I just got scammed as I got my notice and It showed different pieces of the luggage I think about 4 pieces. I paid online and they never sent the gift and mine was not any type of organizer at all it was luggage. I'm very disappointed in AARP  and will never renew again. They won't even answer my questions nor are of any help whatsoever. #BoycottAARP due to the lies

[AARPJanelleM]

@PatriciaG267634 Hi Patricia, thank you for taking the time to reach out- I'm here to help. AARP has never offered luggage as a complimentary membership gift. The 4 piece set is luggage organizers. They can be used to organize your smaller items within your luggage while traveling. Here is a link to an offer that shows an image of that gift: https://aarp.info/renew35-luggage  I sent you a private message to assist further. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything!

[jajohnson47]

My next reneal date is June 2026.  I just got a renewal notice in July 2025.  Nowhere on that notice does it mention my actual renewal date.  This is a scam!  Please straighten up!

[AARPConsumerCare]

Thank you for your membership, @jajohnson47. I can understand your concern. Please send me a private message to take a look at your membership and adjust your mailing preferences.

You may need to enable your private messages first, please follow the steps in our article: https://aarp.info/47hWcl7 - Diana G.

[jp2943823]

@AARPJanelleM the reduced renewal fee is what interested me however that too is not available.  This seems like a very deceptive and misleading practice especially when directed at senior citizens.

[robin1935]

It's not "luggage"... it's a luggage "organizer" and hardly worth the trouble. Most of the renewal "gifts" are of pretty low value.🥺😕

[m47168s]

MY NAME IS MARIA SALSAMENDI, AND I AM CANCELLING MY SUBSCRIPTION.

[AARPJanelleM]

@creekclark67 Thanks for being a member! I appreciate you taking the time to reach out regarding the difference in offer pricing. The membership fee is $63 for 5 years although we occasionally have discounted pricing offered on certain mailings. It seems as though you do not have Private Messaging enabled on this Community Forum for me to send you a private message with more details. Please give us a call toll-free at 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277) so we can discuss the options regarding the membership offers. 

Also, the particular offer that was used to renew your membership did not include a gift. That's no problem! I have ordered you the complimentary 4 piece luggage organizer set and you can expect to receive it within 3-4 weeks by mail. You will also be able to track it online once it ships, learn more here: Where Is My Free AARP Gift?

[michaelg222537]

@AARPJanelleM   I don't want to extend for 5 years.  I don't want any gift.  I want AARP to stop the unethical practices described in this thread.

[DougM312671]

I, too, have received multiple notifications for renewal of membership dues.  I finally paid for a couple of more years of membership (to insure my elegibility for United Health Insurance).  I now have three membership cards, one for a former wife, all received AFTER I spoke with a lady in member services.  After my last payment was received by AARP (December 2021), I received a notification that I had paid for ADDITIONAL years on top of the two more years for which I had already received credit.  This makes me question how AARP manages funds in general.  

About five years ago, I complained to AARP that they were not crediting me for dues paid in advance.  After months of hearing nothing, I received a check for the overpayment.  No explanation that I recall.  Just the check.  Gotta wonder how much that kind of paperwork costs the association.  

[AARPJanelleM]

@DougM312671 Let's get this fixed. When you have a moment, please give us a call so we can get more information from you:  1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277). We look forward to speaking with you to get to the bottom of this!