How to Find out if Your Favorite Retailers or Resturants Offer AAA Discounts

AAA

Instant discounts are one of the most awesome features of a AAA membership. With instant discounts, you get to take a little bit off of purchases you make at more than 160,000 locations all over the world. That’s a lot of places that offer discounts to AAA members; and most of them are places you go to on a regular basis. In fact, you probably never in your imagination could use your discount at all of these locations across the county. You can certainly try, though.

What is an instant discount? It’s simple; go somewhere, ask if they offer AAA discounts to members and then offer them your card as proof and you will get a discount. We can’t tell you how much, because each location across the country is different. We can tell you, however, that most of the places you visit on a regular basis offer discounts. And we can also tell you in which categories you can get a discount, and we can give you a few examples of some of the most well-known vendors in each category.

Restaurants

Whether you like a more upscale meal at the Chart House or something a bit more relaxed, such as a family breakfast at Denny’s, you can use your AAA card to save money on your meals. Most restaurants that participate in the AAA savings program offer 10% off of your meal. However, many of them do not include alcoholic beverages in this deal. You’ll save this amount at places such as Landry’s Seafood, McDonalds, the Hard Rock Café, and even Charley’s. The savings may not amount to much at places such as McDonalds, but any savings is considered welcome in most homes. And if you eat there a few times a week and spend an average of $10 each time, you’ll save $1. If you eat there three times a week all year and save $3 a week with your AAA membership, you’ll save more than $150 per year.

Automotive

With automotive discounts, you can save money on all things vehicle related. Whether you need new tires or a new battery for your vehicle, a rental car or a repair on a vehicle, AAA has you covered. Aside from roadside assistance and help with common car-related issues, you can save money with great discounts. Hertz offers rental discounts to AAA members. If you’re buying car accessories or parts or looking for original gas pump globes for sale at Napa, they’re going to offer you a 10% discount on your purchase. Did you know you can even save at some car washes across the country?

Shopping

We all shop, whether we enjoy it, hate it or want to. Shopping is a life necessity, because you have to do things like feed your family and provide them with clothing to wear throughout the year. Shopping trips add up, but you can also have the savings add up if you use your membership to save with instant savings. Sears, New Balance, Gap, FTD, 1800Flowers, Dell and Premium Outlet Mall locations are just a few of the many places you can present your AAA card to receive freebies, coupons and other forms of saving that will help to make your shopping trip a bit less overwhelming and expensive. All you have to do is ask around to see if retailers offer specials to AAA members and present your card if they do. It’s not difficult, it takes less than 30 seconds and it could mean big savings.

Attractions

The best part is that you can save significantly on theme park tickets and attraction tickets, which are pretty expensive. Imagine heading to Busch Gardens and spending $70 per ticket on a family of six. Now imagine using your AAA card and getting an impressive 10% off the price your tickets. That’s $7 off each ticket; and while it doesn’t sound like much, it’s a $42 savings. You can get discounts at theme parks and attractions all over the country, including Sea World locations, Six Flags and even the Grand Canyon. What’s better is that you also have the opportunity to save on home entertainment, such as DirecTV.

Travel

We’ve saved the best for last. There’s a quote that circulates the internet with frequency, “Travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer,” and it’s the truth. It will make you smarter, worldlier, and it will provide you with experience that can change your life for the better. Immersing yourself in different cultures is enough to teach you things no book or stories ever could hope to accomplish.

AAA offers members a lot of great deals when it comes to travel. Hotels, rental car agencies and even some airlines will offer you a great discount when you present your card to them, which can make your vacation a little less stressful and a little more enjoyable. Starwood Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt and even Best Western locations everywhere in the country and even out of the country accept AAA and offer special rates such as a 10% discount to members. This is big savings when you think about it.

Many airport locations across the country offer off-site parking, and you can save 10% on the cost of parking in many locations. Additionally, Amtrak and the Grand Canyon Railway also offer discounts for those who present their AAA membership card when booking tickets.

These savings might not seem like much when you first see the numbers, but they add up across the board. Savings, no matter how obsolete or small, are big across the board when you make the effort to try. Sure, a $1 here or $5 there doesn’t seem like much, but when you add it up over the course of the year, you can save hundreds of dollars. Depending on how much you shop, dine out and travel, you might even save thousands. It’s worth a shot. Try it for one year to see how much you save, and then see for yourself how beneficial it is to provide your AAA card to merchants when you are out.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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