Are "Points Only" Gift Cards Gone Forever?

[mi4090]

Hello Community,

I'm sure I heard that this program would be better, but I haven't seen but (2) Points Only deals in the All Rewards section of Redeem.  It's for the Modern Way to Stay Healthy Medicine Container for 65,000 points and 15,000 pt. Water Bottle  

Am I looking in the wrong place for the Points Only Cards?  Please someone let me know.

@AARPTeri are there any cards, if so where are they?  Will there be any?  Thanks for your help in advance.

Have a Blessed Day,

@mi4090 

[mi4090]

@AARPJanelleM 

Hope you are well, and thanks for what you do.  I'd like to know if we will ever get $10, 15 & $25 "Points Only" gift cards back?  

Maybe we could get the list posted again by Management at least (6) months out of the year, with dates these cards will be offered.

A suggestion to pass on to "The Powers in Charge".

Have a Blessed Day,

@mi4090 

[rednexsrus]

Hi Marylin

Well the $5 points only have definitely not gone forever, but it looks like we will not be seeing anything close to the $25 GC's that were so popular and appreciated with senior's back in the day. I know the $15 & $25 GC's for Shell, Marathon, Omaha Steak and Target were a welcome addition to the rewards catalog. 

The $5 cards now are nothing more than discount coupons and are designed to coerce seniors into spending needless $$$ with these vendor's. Just Saying 

[mi4090]

Management where are the $25 "Points Only" gift cards?  What happened to the $50 & $100 Weekly Instant Wins?

Does anybody remember those days?

[rednexsrus]

Sure do !!!!!!!!

Just Saying

[mi4090]

@JoLo49 

@MemberS2006 

Thanks for letting me know😊  If you see this offer again, can you post in the Redemption forum or on Latest Available post with info of how to get?  It would be greatly appreciated by Community members and of course me.

Have a Blessed Day,

Marylin

[mi4090]

@JoLo49 

Was that in The Daily email where you saw the $5 amazon gift card (Holiday Section)?  Wander why it wasn't in the catalog🤔.  This must have been a game of Hide and Seek😂.

I try to look at catalog at least once a day, around what time are you seeing these cards in catalog and time zone?

Thanks for letting me know in advance.

Have a Blessed Day,

Marylin

[JoLo49]

@mi4090  The holiday offering was not in the catalog, but came in an email link.  Forgot which email the link was received as I get several emails from AARP each week.  I remembered it was "Savings for the Holidays", so I clicked on the link and  was able to access the points only offers in addition to discounted gift cards that could be purchased.  I was more interested in the discounted gift cards instead of the $5 points only offers which included the $5 Amazon card.  The offer lasted through the month of Dec. 2021.  I presumed not many people accessed the offers since the Amazon gift card was available for such a long time. 

[MemberS2006]

I got the amazon card also.I always click the links in the emails just to check for offers.Yes it was a holiday offer.I think it had something to do with home improvement/decor type offer.Personally I like offers like that.Anything in the redemption section is usually gone in minutes with so many people logged in just to constantly check for free cards or watch for those to be posted on the forum so they can snap them up without having to look.

[mi4090]

@HokiePoq 

Congratulations on your "Points Only" $5 Amazon gift card👍.  

I would have been all over that if I saw it, must have disappeared very quickly😉

Have a Blessed Day

Marylin

[MemberS2006]

Nope it was there for most the month.If you didn't click the link you wouldn't know it was there and no one posted it here so people had to actually find it own their own.

[HokiePoq]

@mi4090   Points only daily deals were great, even those for $5 we used to get under the old program.   I did get Amazon $5 for points last month.  Glad to get something...that was all I got I think.  Paid for one Kindle book.   The daily "deals" are only slightly better than regular buying gift cards.   I know some like to do that but giving out my credit card number for savings of $1-$3 and the trouble of redeeming it does not seem like a good deal for me.   Especially knowing it's being done for profit by Hello World.

[mi4090]

@Jason2020LovesKelly 

The Sweeps Graveyard is becoming the only way to use points 😢

Instant Wins seem impossible.  Both are  convenient way of getting rid of points without getting any rewards.

@JoLo49 

What happened to "Points Only" Amazon gift cards and Daily Deals?  

Have a Blessed Day

Marylin

[JoLo49]

@mi4090   The Amazon gift card wasn't available this past week when I posted on 2/6/2022.  Amazon cards were available last month (Jan 2022), however, I'm not an Amazon shopper.  During the month of Dec 2021, there was a $5 Amazon card for 18.000 points in the "holiday section" of the AARP website, and I found it interesting that it never sold out.  It appears not many members used the link given in email to access the offer.   To score an Instant Win, is luck of the draw, but fun to play.  

[rednexsrus]

@JoLo49 

I am slightly confused on the "holiday section" "daily email"  comments with Marylin. It may just be a senior moment with me but am I to understand there was a link in the Daily email we get that led to a 18000 points only Amazon gift card. I get a email that is called the DAILY" 

[JoLo49]

@rednexsrus  You can read my reply to @mi4090  regarding the holiday offers I received through the email link.  The offers were not listed in the catalog, and you needed to click on the link that was offered in the email.  The $5 Amazon card was available for the month of Dec. 2021.  I don't remember which email the link was received,  as I get several emails from AARP each week. 

[mi4090]

Bumping to the top.

Have a Blessed Day,

Marylin

[Jason2020LovesKelly]

It's amazing... Currently, there are 17 Sweepstakes, 7 Instant Wins, and only 1 Gift Card Redeem , the one (Overstock) that has been available since Feb 1st. I am just wondering how balanced this seems for members? 😧

 

[JoLo49]

There were several points only cards available this past week:

$10 REI,  $10 Petco,  $5 Ulta,  $5 Lowes.   The $5 Overstock is still available, but the others have sold out.

[mi4090]

Hello Rewards Warriors,

It has been a very long time since I'm seen any $10, $15 or $25 gift cards for "Points Only"  in the catalog. 

Dare I mention the Weekly Instant Wins we had in 2019 with gift cards for $100 & $50.

The Sweeps Graveyard is getting a lot of business.

I haven't won anything of value since 2019, that was worth $25 or more.  What's being offered is really sad😪.

When we lost all our points and was promised a better program, it seems to get worst by the day. 

Is anyone seeing any "Points Only" gift cards for values mentioned in your catalog?

Have a Blessed Day,

Marylin

[rednexsrus]

Hi Marylin, its me again

No,  "points only" gift cards !!!! what are those ??

Speaking of the Sweeps Graveyard, Has anyone else noticed that our Dear Administrator is offering two ( 2 ) sweepstakes this month, one for $1000 cash and another for $5000.

Only 1000 pts for 10 entries on the $1000 and 2000 pts for 10 on the $5000.

I think they may have messed up on their calculations because all the e-gift card sweeps they have offered lately have been 1000 pts for only $100 in value.

I will take 100 pts for $1000 return any time. Hey they gonna take the pts from us sooner or later anyway so why not take a chance. Just Saying 

[J896552]

One thing about the $1000 and $5000 sweeps, in the past there were 5 winners for the money sweeps.  This time around there will be one winner for the $1000 and one winner for the $2000.  Wonder why the big decrease in the number of winners?

[RWP974701]

New to AARP, sure looks like the points accumulation is worthless to me. Has anyone had any positive experience with this?

[rednexsrus]

@RWP974701 

Being a newbie the first thing you need to do is check out your settings and Help

Be sure you turn on your private messages !!!!!!!!!

Just Saying 

[rednexsrus]

Maybe not so much RWP.

You are allowed 3 "points only" redemptions per month. True, a $5 GC ain't that much but maybe you can make use of it somehow, plus you have a chance admittedly very small of winning an Instant Win, currently at $10 each.

This requires 350 pts if you try all 7.  Don't know if you are into discount gift cards, but there are a slew of them available. Not my cup of tea unless by some remote chance a 50% discount card happens to appear. By careful manipulation you can earn a total of 7950 pts each day to apply toward these "rewards". Stick around and see if things get better for you. You may be surprised 

Just Saying  

[neldat357771]

I totally agree. Most of the rewards are for businesses I’ve never heard of, don’t use or are not located within 200 miles of where I live. I don’t want or need e-greeting cards, coloring pages or magazines. Since the beginning of 2022, I’ve gotten one $5 Home Depot gift card and thrown away thousands of points on sweepstakes and instant wins. 

[HokiePoq]

@RWP974701   A logical conclusion on your part.   A number of us here had great positive experiences and meaningful rewards with the previous program and in the early part of the current program.  Apparently the number of participants has greatly increased, causing the prizes to significantly decrease in quality and monetary value.  Some are worthless like the greeting cards and coloring sheets which seem to be contrived to take points out of the system and satisfy the easily duped.   Hello World, the operator of the program, also took the Coke Rewards program from a good one to worthless.   Whether these are corporate decisions on the part of Coke and AARP, I could not say.

[RWP974701]

Thanks for the quick reply. It's unfortunate, but I guess you get what you pay for also must apply here 😐.

[HokiePoq]

Yes, if one does not value one's time.  The membership is not at all costly and the prizes are free if time doesn't count..

[mi4090]

Hello Lucy, @HokiePoq & @KellytheBelly ,

I agree with you all.  R4G was a much better program over all with a working Free Method, ability to redeem points for (3) of the same item and Weekly Instant Wins of value.  Plus, good chances of winning something.

Rewards program has basically become a program of Sweepstakes and Purchases☹️.

Have a Blessed Day,

Marylin