New Sweepstakes Feature Coming

[AARPTeri]

Hello Everyone!

You will start to notice the amount of live sweepstakes decreasing in the catalog this week. All current sweepstakes have end dates this week in order for the catalog to introduce new functionality enabling the increase of daily sweeps entries from 5 to 20. This new feature is just one of many coming soon to offer additional ways to use your points.

There will be a few days sweepstakes are totally unavailable.

You can still redeem your points for:

Daily Instant Wins & Points-Only offers

Foundation Contributions

Local Deals

Check back the end of August for brand new sweepstakes offerings featuring more winners, prizes and the ability to enter more each day!

[GreggP448699]

Oh man. Love a good sweepstakes. Thanks!

[mbrown2013]

could there be a link that shows what the daily deals will be for the WEEK so we can plan to TRY and snag one, it never shows more than the next day, like tomorrow is DSW, not my style, would like to know what is coming the rest of the week

[AARPTeri]

Yes, we will post today for the rest of the week!  Look for new post soon!

[mi4090]

Hello @AARPTeri 

Could we get more than (3) redemptions per month to use the points we have already?

I don't believe in gambling and the odds are against you with all Sweepstakes.

Thanks to you and @AARPSandyY  for considering the recommendations to increase number of monthly redemptions to at least (6) per month.

It's only fair when you can now send 20 entries to Sweeps (Points Graveyard).

Have a Blessed Day

@mi4090 

[ej64073754]

I sure hope you do something. A few days ago, I tallied up the "rewards" offered. Out of 122, 110 were discounted gift cards. You know, $2.00 off this card, $3.00 off another. And the cards? I'm sure we're all chomping at the bit to buy a Jewel Os. Co. gift card, or Tom Thumb, or the Pavilions (whatever that is), or the Chart House Seafood Restaurant card: $23.00 for a $25.00 gift card - what a bargain!. (Sarcasm, in case you didn't catch that.) The other rewards: 1 daily deal/Instant win, 4 points only gift cards: Jamba Juice, Top Golf, etc., 4 Sweeps, and 3 other: a magazine, a driver course discount, and a brain health test. Come on AARP!  People spend hours on your website - offer some better deals!

[JoLo49]

Beware of the "oops, something went wrong" message when entering the sweepstakes drawing.  Points are deducted, however, I presume the entries were not recorded if "something went wrong".  I tried to "retry", but got the message I was maxed out at 10 entries.  I got the "oops" message on 9/15/20 and 9/16/20 and lost 4500 points total.  There's no accountability of how many entries we have in the system.  Until the system is fixed, enter the sweepstakes at your own risk and lose points.

It seems the more enhancement to the AARP site, the more errors and issues are occurring.  The exercise videos were awarding points in August, but now it's a hit or miss if you earn the points.

@AARPTeri, I hope you can alert tech support about the "oops, something went wrong" message so that we won't risk losing points trying to enter the sweepstakes. 

[JoLo49]

Under the "Sweepstakes" link, each sweepstake offer is listed twice.  For the past several days, the drop down allowed for 10 entries to each sweepstake, but today (Aug 31)  the drop down entry is only 1.  I hope tech support can fix  Very confusing.

[RussellP197074]

I like that when you first click on the new sweepstakes it tells you how many entries you have.  I don't like that it tells me I have zero entries, on day two, though, after I know I bought ten entries yesterday.  Now I feel compelled to look at my transaction history for proof that I purchased them yesterday.  Baby steps? Or ineptitude?

[RussellP197074]

I looked and my purchases are there.  But, are the entries?

[tinasinge]

Can you please update us on when new offers for points only will be posted to the catalog?

 Thank you 

[AARPTeri]

@tinasinge   New points only items will be launching tomorrow for September Extra Credit. 

[AARPTeri]

Thanks so much for your patience as we update the catalog. I’m happy to announce that brand new sweepstakes offerings will be launching today in the catalog! Please check back later this afternoon for new chances to win.

Please note that daily sweepstakes entries will increase from 5 to 10 entries per day. Functionality to increase the daily entries up to 20 per day will be following soon. As always I will post here exclusively when that new update launches.

[ralmon]

@AARPTeri 

How does one get to the new Sweepstakes easily? 3 new sweepstakes rules are listed, starting on the 26th already!

They don't appear in any of the filter settings as of Aug 27, 12:30 CT.

Thanks,

Ray

[AARPTeri]

@ralmon   We anticipate they will be posted later today.

[MemberS2006]

Really like the extra entries.Cost more points but much higher value prizes which is fair.This should help everyone use up points long before they could expire.Will also need to earn as many points as possible in order to save up to redeem since we can now use 3000 plus points daily for sweepstakes.

This is a good change since not much worry as far as losing points in the future.Thank you for this change.

[AristotleOfGreece]

---

@MemberS2006 wrote:

Really like the extra entries.Cost more points but much higher value prizes which is fair.This should help everyone use up points long before they could expire.Will also need to earn as many points as possible in order to save up to redeem since we can now use 3000 plus points daily for sweepstakes.

This is a good change since not much worry as far as losing points in the future.Thank you for this change.

---

The value of the prizes has not increased. Perhaps AARP now is saying sweepstakes entries are more fairly priced per points. 

From AARP perspective they are seeing members redeem 3 gifts a month, enter sweepstakes every month and banking over 500,000 - 1 million points....They probably didn't like that.

Perhaps with COVID-19 they ran out of prizes you could redeem like a water bottle or pill box? 

[rednexsrus]

@MemberS2006
Trying to understand your 3000 plus points math per sweepstakes
Now, you can select up to 10 entries per day equals 1250 points. but that is for only one day, multiply that by say 30 days equals 37500 pts. per sweeps. Now 3 sweeps (thats whats in the catalog now ) is 112500 pts. That will be going up to 20 entries per day per sweepstakes later this month. That will probably cost you 2500 pts. per day per sweepstakes. One 30 day sweeps will then cost you 75000 pts. If you enter 3 sweeps than you will spend 225000 pts. These new changes are not good for the members, they are designed to prevent us from accumulating points. As you mentioned this should help everyone use up points long before they expire. One million pts won't last long with these new changes. Hmmm
Of course you do have the option of not entering any sweeps and just let management take your points from you
Just Saying

[sd1014]

It's always billed as "great new features to make our product more appealing to users" but never turns out that way.  There is always a cost to the users, sometimes hidden or maybe out there in plain site but who can do anything about it.  I like building up points but they seem worthless most of the time.  Why should I pay a membership fee to AARP for a worthless entry to a sweepstakes?

[AristotleOfGreece]

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@rednexsrus wrote:
@MemberS2006
Trying to understand your 3000 plus points math per sweepstakes
Now, you can select up to 10 entries per day equals 1250 points. but that is for only one day, multiply that by say 30 days equals 37500 pts. per sweeps. Now 3 sweeps (thats whats in the catalog now ) is 112500 pts. That will be going up to 20 entries per day per sweepstakes later this month. That will probably cost you 2500 pts. per day per sweepstakes. One 30 day sweeps will then cost you 75000 pts. If you enter 3 sweeps than you will spend 225000 pts. These new changes are not good for the members, they are designed to prevent us from accumulating points. As you mentioned this should help everyone use up points long before they expire. One million pts won't last long with these new changes. Hmmm
Of course you do have the option of not entering any sweeps and just let management take your points from you
Just Saying

---

We are screwed either way. Spend more on sweepstakes, or don't and you lose your points if you try to accumulate them.

In the future I think I will need to limit my sweepstakes entries because if I enter them everyday I am soon realizing my points will run out and I will not have enough to redeem my 3 redemptions per month which is a guarantee. Winning a sweepstake is not.

Strategic move by AARP. It is preventing members from maximizing their benefits but I cannot complain honestly. Compared to what I paid for a 5-year membership, I have redeemed and won a lot more than I paid........... although I never have won a sweepstakes. I have won a bunch of instant wins though.

[ralmon]

@MemberS2006 

Actually it's not entirely true that the values are much higher. At the following link, one can peruse the various previous sweepstakes and see there have been plenty of similar and higher valued prizes.

https://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/rewards-terms-and-conditions/sweeps-rules/

The rewards program is simply introducing a way to use up points faster.

It would be more beneficial to provide more of the higher value gift cards. Even maxing out on these 3 sweepstakes will unfortunately not prevent a large number of points expiring in January.

So, AARP, please bring on the big cards, or some cool merch! I'd even be amenable to some AARP branded t-shirts or sweaters. It's super hot in these parts. How about AARP Hawaiian shirts?

[andrewtoo]

@ralmon 

I too prefer larger and more gift cards for points over sweepstakes.

Offering $10,000 in points only cards would be nice compared to

$10,000 in sweeps.  There would be tons of "winners" if gift cards

were offered in that amount, not just 5 winners of $2,000.

Thanks,

[tinasinge]

Please let us know when more points only items will post.
Thank you