Instant Win Alternate Entry

[MicheleW321192]

I am curious as to whether or not the free alternate entry method is worth the time to input my info rather than just using points. Has anybody won an instant win using it?

Happy 4th everyone!

[SummerOnTheWay1]

[Saturday 7/25/26]

Michele @MicheleW321192 , I agree - it is a "pain" to input the REQUIRED info as my Android phone does NOT "autofill" these for some reason.

Lol, but does for stuff I rather it DIDNOT!!! 😂

Now since returning to using the "Free Entry" option for the AARP Instant Wins, I can now RELAX & not have to EARN POINTS EVERY DAY. A plus with being retired.

Geez, felt like a FULL TIME JOB HAVING TO MAX OUT DAILY to "play" the Sweepstakes & Instant Wins.

I NEVER "buy" the AARP eGiftcards. Just "redeem" for the "points only" ones I can use.

Stopped "playing" the Sweepstakes. NEVER won & was leaving me SHORT on points for my 3 redemptions each month.

Had to PRIORITIZE what "Earn Activities" I wanted to do sadly. 😞

I don't know how folks get ENOUGH points to "play" the Sweepstakes. 😱

And NO - have NOT won an "Instant Win" for THIS YEAR 2026.

Joined the "AARP Rewards Program" last year May 2025 and had won a $10 Amazon & $10 Barnes & Noble.

Oh well, I will keep "playing".

Maybe in the NEXT 5 months LEFT in this year, I may get at least ONE. 🤞

Nicole!

[MicheleW321192]

Hi Nicole @SummerOnTheWay1! I did win a Best Buy gift card using the free method and have won a few over the years using points but have never won a sweepstakes. It does take time to build up your points. I usually max out every day "watching" videos on my laptop while reading emails on my phone. Keep trying!

[SummerOnTheWay1]

[Saturday 7/25/26]

CONGRATS Michele @MicheleW321192 !!! 🎉💃

Yes my friend, I will keep trying.

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➡️[*** MICHELE @MicheleW321192 wrote:

Hi Nicole @SummerOnTheWay1! I did win a Best Buy gift card using the free method and have won a few over the years using points but have never won a sweepstakes. It does take time to build up your points. I usually max out every day "watching" videos on my laptop while reading emails on my phone. Keep trying!

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[RenateW69623]

I have won several Instant Wins in the past few years using the free entry method.  But I don't think there is any greater chance of winning using this method than actually playing the games.  Per the rules, there are "random computer-generated winning times during the Promotion Period" and if you are the first person to play after these times, then you win, and it doesn't matter if you play by the actual game or the alternate entry.  It's just up to you if you want to use points by playing the game or save the points but spend the extra time entering all your information for the free method.

[rednexsrus]

@RenateW69623 @I am just wondering about this random generated time thingy. Let’s say the winning time is 2:10 am, does this apply to all 7 IW tiles regardless of which one you select OR does each of the 7 IW tiles have a different random time. Example: win Walmart @ 2:10 am and then win again Amazon @ 3:30 am  ????
lets just say for funsey you have 7 IW tiles, each has 200 gift cards available, each IW lasting 14 days that’s 1400 possible INSTANT wins spread out over 20,160 minutes ( forget seconds ) Programming those 1400 wins over 20160 minutes is quite a task.

 YOU THINK : Why worry about it, just play the game an hope you get lucky 

after all there is no one at AARP REWARDS smart enough to program all that information into a computer.  

[RenateW69623]

The IW only last for 7 days, so not quite as many wins spread out, but I assume they never had someone doing this manually.  It doesn't have to be AI, but just a short computer program can be created to do this automatically for each new IW.  It's just interesting to know that the "games" don't actually have anything to do with winning, since it is actually just based on when you play the game. And with all of the issues that continue to happen with this rewards program, I try not to let it get to me, because as many other people have said in comments, it's just not worth it to get upset over these issues.  Life's too short, and it's better to focus on the good things and not the annoying things you have no control over.

[SummerOnTheWay1]

[7/8/26] Lucy @rednexsrus , the Merkle AI "probably" does ALL the "programming" my friend. Take care, Nicole 🤗💛

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@rednexsrus wrote:

@RenateW69623 @I am just wondering about this random generated time thingy. Let’s say the winning time is 2:10 am, does this apply to all 7 IW tiles regardless of which one you select OR does each of the 7 IW tiles have a different random time. Example: win Walmart @ 2:10 am and then win again Amazon @ 3:30 am  ????
lets just say for funsey you have 7 IW tiles, each has 200 gift cards available, each IW lasting 14 days that’s 1400 possible INSTANT wins spread out over 20,160 minutes ( forget seconds ) Programming those 1400 wins over 20160 minutes is quite a task.

 YOU THINK : Why worry about it, just play the game an hope you get lucky 

after all there is no one at AARP REWARDS smart enough to program all that information into a computer. 

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[rednexsrus]

@SummerOnTheWay1 

Thanks for your input Nicole, I had totally forgotten about AI

come to think of it there can be a lot of bad stuff happening here that can be attributed to AI. It’s not a good thing in my opinion.

[MicheleW321192]

I just won a Best Buy instant win using the free method!

[RenateW69623]

Lucky you.  I have been hoping to win a Best Buy instant win, but I only win 1 or 2 instant wins a year so don't really expect to win one.

[LesL269823]

Great summary. Also the Slots or Sliding Tiles have no actual part in the game, they were added a few years ago to provide a "near win" feeling to the game as previously, it was instant and a pretty lame you lose message. So your instant win is actually over before the sliding tiles or slots even start. Early on, the games would show a winner on the game, but not in the banner below which is why all this was explained to us a few years ago. 

So, I have won using "Free Method", it was one of those times the games were not showing on the rewards page, but the free entry worked. I guess fewer people were playing since they could not see them. 

So I think definitely worth for those Super Instant wins. I let my browser autofill my name and email, so I only enter birthday. 

[MicheleW321192]

Thanks @RenateW69623 for the info.

[SereneSeagull]

Hi, @MicheleW321192 , I think in all honesty there are probably more winners this way.  But saying that, I backed out of it once I saw all of the info that was needed on that entry right away..  Why open myself up for more junk mail?  So since then I’ve decided to not take those instant Wins and Sweepstakes seriously, and not even use the alternative way to enter as well.  There are winners, and personally I think the ones that do win tend to be from the alternate way of entering them.