Beware purchasing magazine subscriptions from the ...

mjt1959 · ‎07-05-2021

I was looking to purchase a magazine subscription through the rewards program which seemed like a good deal. I was curious to see how good a deal it was so i went to the magazines website to see what they were selling it for. What I found was that it was the exact same deal the rewards program was offering. That might not seem like a big deal but if you purchase several gift cards every month you would know it can be a big deal. By purchasing it through the rewards program it would count towards the 5 purchase limit per month. By purchasing it from magazine publishing company for the same amount of course it doesn't count towards the 5 purchase limit. I did just check a Magazine called Birds and Bloom the rewards program is offering for 15.00 for a 1 year subscription. I went to the magazines website and they were offering a 2 year subscription for 13.00 ! It pays to check before you buy!

nctarheel · ‎07-05-2021

@mjt1959 wrote:

I was looking to purchase a magazine subscription through the rewards program which seemed like a good deal.

It pays to check before you buy!

I have said this before and I will say it again.

The rewards program is mostly a sham. You have found it out on your own, @mjt1959, but I have many other examples.

Coupons for Quiznos that weren't accepted by the restaurant designated on the coupon because they said they never joined the reward program.

Coupons for local restaurants that offered, just as in your case, better coupons or deals if you went directly through them.

But my best story is about a coupon in the AARP Rewards Program for a free greens fee on a golf course. It FIRST APPEARED on the rewards program ONE YEAR AFTER the course had been closed by the government, fenced and padlocked, weeds had replaced grass. The owners had committed some type of financial crime and the course was seized. The land was eventually sold for the building of apartments. The Entertainment Book and AARP were responsible for the Rewards Program at the time, I don't know if they still are.... although, based on your experience, it seems like they are still up to their inferior "rewards".

As a side note, always negotiate subscriptions.... I get 3 years of Time for $30, that's about 18 cents an issue, I get Smithsonian for a dollar an issue, I even got AARP membership for $31 for FIVE YEARS or just over $6 a year, lower than you will ever see AARP publicly advertise it.

JoLo49 · ‎07-06-2021

It is ideal to comparison shop when you have the time to put in the effort. Each of us have our own priorities on where and how we choose to spend money. The cost of the AARP membership is well worth the price, as the savings offered, far exceeds the cost of the membership. It's unfortunate that sometimes the offers are not redeemable, but not the fault of AARP or the Entertainment Book..... those offers are secured way in advance, before the Entertainment Books are printed. It is unforeseeable if businesses change ownership or goes out of business. Even though the offer is no longer available or the new owner decides to not honor the reward, most will give a courtesy discount as a goodwill gesture to retain return customers. During this pandemic, a lot of businesses and restaurants closed their doors and had to go out of business. The ones who survived lost revenue during the pandemic are making up for lost time now and cannot afford to offer much discounts.

That's quite a bargain, @nctarheel for you to get your AARP membership for $31 for 5 years.

nctarheel · ‎07-06-2021

@JoLo49 wrote:

It's unfortunate that sometimes the offers are not redeemable, but that is not the fault of AARP or the Entertainment Book..... those offers are secured in advance, and it is an unforeseeable occurrence if a business changes ownership or goes out of business.

I do realize, @JoLo49, that the offers are obtained in advance, but the volume of invalid offerings is always what concerned me. I rarely had an AARP coupon from the rewards program that was usable.

The fact that they ADDED that golf course ONE YEAR AFTER it had been padlocked was the final straw.

Several AARP offerings now are invalid if you participate in an entity's loyalty program. Those entities don't let you "double dip" so to speak.

I always let AARP know when a coupon wasn't accepted and the reason why it wasn't accepted, and even though the Rewards Program is "on line", AARP never ever edited the Rewards list. Places would stay on the Rewards list for months after being reported as invalid opportunities for "supposed savings".