As travelers reach a certain age, they may be eligible for “senior” rates that they couldn’t get when they were younger. A few bucks off an admission rate, or a certain percent off a tour or hotel bill, just because you’ve celebrated a few more birthdays than someone else certainly isn’t a bad thing. And over time, a few dollars here and a couple of dollars there starts to add up.
In the United States, you’re eligible for full membership in AARP (American Association of Retired People) at age 50 (although AARP offers associate membership for those who wish to join and are under the age of 50). AARP describes itself as, “the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age.” With such a large size come power and members are eligible for a plethora of discounts on everything from rental cars to restaurants and everything in between.
AARP membership isn’t the only way to get senior discounts, though. Airlines, for example, may offer a discount to their older travels simply because of their age, not any particular membership. Although not as many airlines give senior discounts are previously, these airlines still do:
Air France
Air France offers something called a Senior Pass, which costs €59 per year. With a Senior Pass, you get discounts up to 30% off flights in metropolitan France. More info is available on this page of Air France’s website.
American Airlines
American offers discounted tickets on select international flights for passengers over the age of 65.
To find out what discounts are out there, go to the AA.com home page and click on the words “Advanced/Multi-city search” just below the blue “Search” button.
On the next page, fill in your flight preferences and then look for the drop-down menus in the “Passengers” section. From there, choose the “Senior (65+)” passenger age option in the drop-down box to let them know the number of passengers who are eligible for any senior discounts that may apply to your itinerary.
British Airways
British Airways doesn’t offer discounts to all seniors but they have a deal with AARP so that members can get:
- $65* off for travel in economy Standard* fares only (World Traveller).
- $65* off for travel in premium economy (World Traveller Plus).
- $200* off for travel in business (Club World).
More info, including terms & conditions, is on this page of British Airways’ website.
Delta Air Lines
Delta says on their website that they may offer discounts for older travelers in certain markets, but they’ve not available on delta.com.
Instead, you need to call their general sales and service department at (800) 221-1212. The number is manned 24/7.
United Airlines
This page of United’s website says:
United offers senior fares to selected travel destinations for passengers who are 65 and older. Ask for more details on these great fares when you make your reservation or select the seniors (age 65 and older) category when you make your booking on united.com.
If you book through United.com, select the number of “Seniors (65+)” under the “Travelers” drop-down menu to indicate how many people in your party are eligible for any available senior discounts.
Keep in mind that just because an airline offers a rate or discount for senior citizens doesn’t mean it’s the best rate out there. So do your homework.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
