Discounted gift cards?

[lennythenose]

I have previously used AARP Rewards to purchase Princess gift cards at a discount, first 10% then 8% off. I now see they are Members Only. 
 

I know it is only $12 to join and understand the other benefits. For personal reasons we choose not to. 
 

Is there any other source for discounted cards?  I know NewEgg and a few other places have Carnival cards sometimes but I’ve never seen Princess cards anywhere else. 

[startedwithamouse]

20 minutes ago, lennythenose said:

I have previously used AARP Rewards to purchase Princess gift cards at a discount, first 10% then 8% off. I now see they are Members Only. 
 

I know it is only $12 to join and understand the other benefits. For personal reasons we choose not to. 
 

Is there any other source for discounted cards?  I know NewEgg and a few other places have Carnival cards sometimes but I’ve never seen Princess cards anywhere else. 

It's a dollar a month for AARP. 

[lennythenose]

3 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

It's a dollar a month for AARP. 

Yes, I understand. As I said it is just a personal choice for us. Not saying for others it is not a good financial choice. 

[Charles4515]

2 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

It's a dollar a month for AARP. 

I definitely have gotten more than $12 in savings from being a AARP member. OP says they choose not to join for a personal reason. 🤷‍♂️ I have not seen any other discounted offerings but I sometimes buy gift cards with my Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Not discounted and not the best way to use points but I have a lot of points. 

[startedwithamouse]

Just now, Charles4515 said:

I definitely have gotten more than $12 in savings from being a AARP member. OP says they choose not to join for a personal reason. 🤷‍♂️ I have not seen any other discounted offerings but I sometimes buy gift cards with my Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Not discounted and not the best way to use points but I have a lot of points. 

 

Seems to be penny wise and pound foolish. 

[startedwithamouse]

6 minutes ago, lennythenose said:

Yes, I understand. As I said it is just a personal choice for us. Not saying for others it is not a good financial choice. 

Paying a dollar a month to save hundreds on cruising is a good financial choice for everyone.

[lennythenose]

4 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Paying a dollar a month to save hundreds on cruising is a good financial choice for everyone.

I appreciate your point. And agree. We are both very good with numbers and understand. But not every choice is strictly about saving money and, for us, this is one of them. Not trying to convince anyone else not to join. I was just asking if anyone knew of another source for cards. 

[Charles4515]

21 minutes ago, lennythenose said:

Yes, I understand. As I said it is just a personal choice for us. Not saying for others it is not a good financial choice. 

You don’t have to go into details as to why and it is most likely off topic. I checked Chase and they have some gift cards at discount but not Chase at the moment but they do change it up. Apple gift cards for example are discounted right now and I might buy one. Other credit cards have rewards programs that can be redeemed for gift cards. AMEX for example. If you have any CC cards with rewards you might check those but you probably have. I have never seen Princess cards discounted but there are many rewards programs. 

Edited August 17 by Charles4515

[beg3yrs]

3 hours ago, lennythenose said:

I have previously used AARP Rewards to purchase Princess gift cards at a discount, first 10% then 8% off. I now see they are Members Only. 
 

I know it is only $12 to join and understand the other benefits. For personal reasons we choose not to. 
 

Is there any other source for discounted cards?  I know NewEgg and a few other places have Carnival cards sometimes but I’ve never seen Princess cards anywhere else. 

If I wasn't using up my allotment for GCs I'd offer to sell you some at 7% off!  - Just kidding.

 

I completely respect your choice not to join AARP. I've had second thoughts too but a multi-year membership deal we accepted a couple of years ago hasn't expired... if only the alternative retired persons organization sold these GCs!

[jlawrence01]

Krogers offers gas points on the purchase of gift certificates for Carnival, Princess, and HAL. As well as Delta and Southwest Airlines.  I recommend stocking up when they have a 4x promotion.

[sfaaa]

4 hours ago, lennythenose said:

 

Is there any other source for discounted cards?  I know NewEgg and a few other places have Carnival cards sometimes but I’ve never seen Princess cards anywhere else. 

You just missed it. Newegg had a Princess gift card sale 2 days ago. 8% off + another 2% if you paid with Amex.

[lennythenose]

4 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

You just missed it. Newegg had a Princess gift card sale 2 days ago. 8% off + another 2% if you paid with Amex.

Good to know!  I’m not in a particular hurry so I’ll keep a watch for them. I had only seen them discount Carnival do um happy to hear they even do others at times. 

[Thunderbird19]

Don’t blame you for not wanting to sign up for AARP.  A friend who works in IT said the amount of junk e-mail one gets from being an AARP member, even if you turn on their meager privacy options, is big.   No one needs even more junk mail and spam sent to their email address.😂

[Thrak]

Capital One is offering a 3% discount on Princess cruises but it's not a gift card. I was surprised when AARP changed their offer to member's only. I bought a ton of cards at 10% off and then when they went to "only" 8% off I bought another ton of them. I have 3 cruises booked and plan to pay for all of them - including the EZ Air fee - using gift cards. Even an 8% discount can really add up.

[Charles4515]

10 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Capital One is offering a 3% discount on Princess cruises but it's not a gift card. 

.Amex has offers on Princess and other cruise lines from time to time. I have been able to get $500 applied if I book a cruise with the card. Of course the timing has to be right. 

[startedwithamouse]

5 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

If I wasn't using up my allotment for GCs I'd offer to sell you some at 7% off!  - Just kidding.

 

I completely respect your choice not to join AARP. I've had second thoughts too but a multi-year membership deal we accepted a couple of years ago hasn't expired... if only the alternative retired persons organization sold these GCs!

Honest question here, what is the beef with AARP?  Why don't people want to join?

 

[Charles4515]

27 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Honest question here, what is the beef with AARP?  Why don't people want to join?

 

If you google you can find various controversies some real and some imagined. You shouldn’t question someone’s reasons. 

[lennythenose]

33 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Honest question here, what is the beef with AARP?  Why don't people want to join?

 

Our reasons have nothing to do with cruising or gift cards so I choose not to discuss them here.  I only mentioned it to explain why I was looking for different options. 

[startedwithamouse]

6 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

If you google you can find various controversies some real and some imagined. You shouldn’t question someone’s reasons. 

Genuinely curious. 

 

I've only recently heard of AARP, here on CC, due to their Princess gift card sales.

[Sudoku]

6 hours ago, jlawrence01 said:

Krogers offers gas points on the purchase of gift certificates for Carnival, Princess, and HAL. As well as Delta and Southwest Airlines.  I recommend stocking up when they have a 4x promotion.

This is absolutely what we do. Save a dollar a gallon for gas every month for both our vehicles.  

[bladerunner6]

6 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

If you google you can find various controversies some real and some imagined. You shouldn’t question someone’s reasons. 

I say they are all imagined except for the ones involving licensing.

 

And it is okay to question someone’s reasons if you think they are not rational ones.

 

That aside, if someone doesn’t want to join and insists on paying more for cruises, car rentals, pizza, books, clothes, cosmetics, pancakes, etc. that is certainly their choice.

 

Edited August 18 by bladerunner6

[Thunderbird19]

6 hours ago, bladerunner6 said:

That aside, if someone doesn’t want to join and insists on paying more for cruises, car rentals, pizza, books, clothes, cosmetics, pancakes, etc. that is certainly their choice.

Oh, there are lots of ways to get discounts on these items without joining AARP…just saying.

[Charles4515]

42 minutes ago, Thunderbird19 said:

Oh, there are lots of ways to get discounts on these items without joining AARP…just saying.

That is true. A lot of the places will offer Senior Rates that are the same as AARP or even give AARP rates without checking for AARP membership but some do ask for your AARP number. Apparently the discounted AARP gift cards do now require membership. 

[bladerunner6]

On 8/18/2024 at 12:39 PM, Charles4515 said:

That is true. A lot of the places will offer Senior Rates that are the same as AARP or even give AARP rates without checking for AARP membership but some do ask for your AARP number. Apparently the discounted AARP gift cards do now require membership. 

Please provide me with someplace else that gives:

8-10% off cruise line gift cards on a regular basis instead of a odd sale at Newegg

8% off Walgreens gift cards 

30% off Barnes and Noble gift cards

30% off Macy’s gift cards

20% off IHOP gift cards

20% off Michael’s gift cards

etc, etc

 

Remember, you can use these gift cards in conjunction with other discounts.  

For example you can buy the senior meals at IHOP with these gift cards.  

 

Certainly,I paid for my cruise at a travel agency that gave me perks, so I combined discounts.

 

I used a Macy’s gift card for part of a purchase and another part was purchased using a Citi bonus offer.

 

And I get rewards on my credit card for buying these gift cards, so there are three layers of discounts and savings.

 

The same things apply to buying Logan’s gift cards from Costco. I get rewards buying the gift cards, I buy the gift cards at 25% off, I use the gift cards when there is a coupon or an offer and I earn Logan’s rewards points. That gives me four layers of discounts and rewards.

 

I get a fabulous return on my AARP membership.  Yes, there are for some other ways some times to save and I use those too.   But no doubt about it, AARP is a powerful money saving tool. 

 

On 8/18/2024 at 11:51 AM, Thunderbird19 said:

Oh, there are lots of ways to get discounts on these items without joining AARP…just saying.

 

[Derbie]

I have difficulty locating the gift cards on AARP, and I have been a member for a long time.  Now, I will say, I don't always hunt down their deals either.  Anyone direct me to the area of the website that offers the gift cards?  Thanks!