In my article about the library I was amazed at some of the benefits I found that were offered for free and all it took was a few minutes of playing around on the library website to discover them. The great thing though, is that many companies offer perks that, at least for me, I would never have associated with the company that will also help you save money.
This article was inspired by a friend of mine who is currently planning a trip to Europe and has gone through AAA to book a lot of the travel and tours. I have been a AAA member for 13 years and would have never thought of going through them to plan a trip. Thinking back, I can remember as a child going to a AAA location with my family and getting multiple state maps where the agents would highlight the route we should drive, and alternate routes in case of construction, but once we got phones with GPS capabilities we have never returned. In my mind I think of AAA as the company for roadside assistance and sometimes discounts on hotels when you check in and show your card.
With my friend booking a trip through them I decided to pop online and see all the perks that come with my AAA membership. As with the library, I discovered that with my AAA membership I have access to a free notary. Never once in my 13 years of membership have I thought about going to AAA to get something notarized. I discovered that I can sign up for free identity theft protection and can get 20% off of Carfax reports. With my current membership level, I can get passport photos taken for $8, a few dollars cheaper than going to CVS which is what I have done in the past. With my membership level I also have access to free international maps, and I believe some sort of guidebook, which would come in handy if I decide to not get an international cellphone plan on a trip. All of this learned from about two minutes of online searching.
One of my favorite money saving perks, that I discovered by accident, are Chase Offers through my Chase credit cards. In my Chase mobile app at the bottom, there is a section labeled Chase Offers that lists numerous different companies and an amount of cash back I am entitled to if I use that offer. So far I have earned $81 through these offers, with a lot of that coming from Airbnb bookings I have made for work. My favorite thing about these offers is that I can check them when waiting in line, sitting on the toilet, or anytime I have a spare minute. All I have to do is open the app, find an offer I think I will use and click the add button. If I use the offer the money is taken off my statement, and if I do not it just expires. These offers are great because the companies are constantly changing and include everything from restaurants, hotels, home security companies, food delivery companies, and everything in between. Another great benefit of Chase cards, that I often forget about and need to check more, is shopping through the Chase portal. As I mentioned with purchasing my computer, shopping though the portal can allow you to earn numerous more credit card reward points than you would without going through the portal, at no cost to you. While I have personally not used them, I know many credit cards also offer extended warranties, travel interruption benefits, and many other perks with the potential to save you hundreds.
While I love these perks and they are amazing, one thing to remember is that nothing in life is free. One other membership that has brought value to my life is having a Landry’s Select Club card. This is a card that I paid $25 for and $25 was immediately put on the card for me to use. The major benefit of this card is that in your birthday month they load your card with $25 for you to use. Last year I was actually near a Landry’s Select Restaurant, McCormick & Schmick’s, and decided to take advantage of their great happy hour specials and use my $25, planning on spending around $5-$10 out of pocket after the bonus was applied. Instead, I got carried away with the great happy hour specials and next thing you know I had spent $25-$30 out of pocket. Even being well aware that the reason companies provide these benefits is to entice you in the door to spend more than the bonus they give, I was still sucked in. I highly encourage you you to look into these perks, but encourage you to remain vigilant, go in with a plan, and stick to it!!!
Have you found any “hidden” perks with memberships you have?
