Senior Citizen Discounts Best Lists of Retail Stores, Restaurants, Travel, Online, Services, More

Latest update: November 24, 2024

Although businesses don't advertise it, if you're a senior and you ask for a discount, there may very well be one.

Welcome! This article provides a list and directory of deals and discounts for seniors age 50, 55, 60, 65 and over. Usually, no sort of membership nonsense is required. However, none of these national chains or other places are likely to have any prominent signs advertising any senior discounts or deals. The company websites also usually do not tell you what the policy is. You will have to ask.

The best way to obtain the discount is to just say, “Hi, I understand you have a senior discount?” Note the inflection: a question, instead of a statement or demand. An inquisitive inflection is much more likely to elicit cooperation from the young person behind the counter.

My Experience With Discounts

I walked into Taco Bell and asked what the deal-of-the-century was for this week. They said there was none.

I knew that; they grinned; I grinned. I ordered five tacos. I informed them, "I'm a senior, so I'll take the usual 100% discount."

They said, "That would be nice...." More grinning; they were fine; I was fine; just having fun. I wandered out the door with my tacos. Yep, the discount was there. Of course it wasn't the 100%, but the senior discount had indeed been applied.

Ten Percent Is Worth It

Many seniors may think a 10% discount is not worth the bother, but this is usually just a matter of perception. If instead of the deal being stated as a 10% discount, it had been stated as “Pay No Sales Tax for Life!”, everyone of all ages would be all over it. Yet the 10% discount would almost always be the better deal, leastwise in the US. Europe and Canada are whole different stories. They have what's called a value-added-tax (VAT); that tax is usually way over 10%. Are senior discounts applied to VATs in such cases? I have no idea. No matter; again, wherever you are, always remember to ask concerning senior discounts.

Know of a Senior Discount or Deal?

If you know of a senior deal or discount not listed here, we would like to know about it. Post it in the Comments Section below or drop us a note. We will include it in the next page update.

Sales and marketing is a fluid force; deals and discounts come and go. There is also the situation where many businesses are franchises; in many cases, the franchise owner is the decision maker as to whether a senior discount will be available at a particular location. If you discover a senior discount listed here is no more, please let us know. The good news, what with the continuing population shift, even more companies will probably begin initiating discounts for seniors.

A sad update. Rumor has it that many senior discounts have disappeared since Covid and now the rampant inflation. The only way to find out which ones still exist is to ask. Then again, what with the new Value Deals competition heating up, maybe some of the senior discounts will come back. Who knows?

Restaurants: Senior Discounts and Dining Deals

• Applebee's gives a 10% discount (reduced from 15%) to seniors age 60 and over who have the Applebee's Golden Apple Card.
• Arby's gives 10% off for ages 55+.
• Back Yard Burgers has a 10% senior discount for your order at participating locations, reasonably certain the age is 55 and over..
• Burger King has a 10% discount for ages 60+, and additional discounts on coffee and soft drinks. As of Oct. 2015, though, Burger King may be like Denny's, i.e., some stores give discounts and some don't.
• Chili's is 10% off for ages 55+.
• Denny's gives 10% off for age 55+. They will make it 20% off if you are an AARP member. As of 2014, each franchise owner was making his/her own decisions regarding this, so your results may vary. A menu just for seniors is also offered.
• Dunkin' Donuts does 10% off for ages 55+. Or a free donut (doughnut) when buying coffee.
• Farmer Boys has a 10% discount, age demarcation unknown and franchisee optional.
• Golden Corral senior discounts are reported as random and varied.
• IHOP is 10% off for ages 55+. There maybe even be a second, optional menu for seniors.
• Jack in the Box has a 20% beverage discount for seniors age 55 and over. Though again, as of August 2013, the Jack-in-the-box discount may not be a sure thing.
• KFC will give you a free small drink with a meal if you are 55+, although again, it’s reported some KFC's will and some won’t.
• Long John Silver's has various discounts for 55+. Depends on location, so your results may vary.
• McDonald's has discounts on coffee and soft drinks for the 55+ crowd.
• Old Country Buffet is said to have discounts for seniors, 55+.
• Outback Steakhouse has a 15% senior discount, age demarcation unknown.
• Panda Express is reported to have a senior discount. Unfortunately, there is conflicting information. This is probably a franchisee optional situation.
• Perkins Restaurants may have a special menu for deals for seniors, 55+.
• Roy Rogers Restaurants gives a 10% discount for seniors, age demarcation unknown.
• Sonic gives a choice of free beverage or 10% off for folks 60 and older.
• Subway is 10% off for ages 60+; though at least occasionally, a store owner will deny the discount, either because they are uninformed or because of individual franchise policy.
• Taco Bell is 10% off, apparently up from the former 5%; plus free beverages. Age requirement is 65 and over. Discount may be franchisee specific.
• Wendy's is 10% off for ages 55+, though at least one Wendy’s in Topeka, Kansas gave a free drink in place of the 10% discount. Not known if this is the new policy or a franchisee-specific incident.

Senior Discount Transportation and Motel Deals

• Alamo Car Rental has discounts and deals ranging up to 25% for AARP members.
• Alaska Airlines has 10% off for seniors, ages 65+. It is now reported to be 50% off. Other fees, however, are unknown. Airlines like to wiggle out of things; call first to ask about the discount and fees before making plans or booking.
• American Airlines has discounts and deals for seniors 62 and up. Various discounts can reach up to 50% for non-peak periods (Tuesdays through Thursdays). Other fees, however, are unknown. Airlines like to wiggle out of things; call before booking.
• Amtrak have a 10% to 15% discount for seniors. But they have a whole bunch of restrictions to go along with it.
• Avis car rental company has discounts and deals ranging up to 25% for AARP members.
• Best Western motels have a 10% discount for seniors age 55 and over. Unfortunately, it is not a discount one can count on. The Best Western website says, "Not available at all Best Western® Hotels and Resorts and is subject to availability at the time of the request."
• Choice Hotels owns Sleep Inn, Comfort Inn, and a bunch of others. The Choice Hotels website claims an "up to" 10% discount for seniors. However, one must make a reservation in advance through their Choice Hotels website or via their Choice Hotels phone number and specifically mention the senior discount for folks who are 60 or older. Also, beware of their use of the phrase: "up to.".
• Southwest Airlines is reported to have various discounts for ages 65 and up. But the usual warnings apply: call first, find out about other fees, etc.
• United Airlines does provide discounts for seniors 65 and over. The amounts, locations, and other restrictions are all over the map (pun intended). A reminder to meticulously read their online menus and/or ask their customer representatives pointed questions.
• U-Haul doesn't appear to have senior discounts. However, their website has a bunch of hoops you can jump through to get dozens of other discounts.

Note: Look for special senior menu options on their websites. Unlike other industries, travel and hospitality companies are actually prone to advertise their senior discounts.

Retail Store Discounts and Deals

Glasses

Glasses are expensive and serious business. When selecting a store, it wouldn't hurt to do a "StoreNameHere review scam" search to see what complaints there are about them. And it could be unwise to have the exam done at one place and the glasses made at another; if there is a problem, each will point to the other as being the cause.

LensCrafters is reported to have a 30% discount for AARP members. Frankly, I'd find out the prices for everything first before mentioning the discount. Then spring the AARP card on them before taking the exam and see what happens. It wouldn't hurt to check frames and lenses prices at Walmart and Sears first for comparison.

I had an unprofessional experience at Pearle Vision a couple decades ago; I was verbally assaulted the second I walked in the door and asked about their prices. I immediately realized the franchisee or store manager was extremely defensive about something. I cleared out after about 30 seconds and never did find out what his problem was (in retrospect, maybe it was because they had the highest prices in town, not sure).

Interestingly, both Pearle Vision and LensCrafters Franchises are owned by an Italian eyewear conglomerate called Luxottica Group S.p.A.

Clothes

• Goodwill gives 10% off one day a week (your day may vary). A 2015 report states for at least one store the age is 55 and the day is Wednesday.
• Kohl's does 15% off on Wednesdays for folks 60 and over.
• Ross Dress For Less, also known as Ross Stores, has an Every Tuesday Club for customers age 55 and older. Just sign up at the customer service desk to receive a discount card. Folks with the discount card receive a 10% discount for in-person purchases made on Tuesdays.
• The Salvation Army thrift stores give up to 50% off for folks 55 and over.

Grocery Stores

Grocery stores appear somewhat resistant, but it is worthwhile to ask. Your results will definitely vary.

• Albertsons is said to be 10% off, but you will have to work for it. If the first employee you ask doesn't know the answer, ask the store manager as to days and dates, and whether the discount applies when 55, 60, etc.
• Farm Fresh has a 5% discount on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These are probably their slowest shopping days, thus the discounts. Ages 55 and over.
• Fry's Food is reported as requiring a VIP card to qualify for any discounts, card valid only the first Wednesday of the month.
• Grocery Outlet (western states plus Pennsylvania) gives a 10% discount to people 55+ on Tuesdays and/or Thursday mornings, at least some stores.
• Hy-Vee (Midwestern states) offers a 5% discount on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Definitely varies by location and the age demarcation may be 65.
• New Seasons Market, located in parts Washington, Oregon, California. Wednesdays have a 10% discount, no doubt the slow shopping days thing.
• Piggly Wiggly. Each store is independent. It is rumored some locations may have senior discounts. Availability, types, age requirements, percentages, other parameters are unknown and probably constantly vary.

Haircuts

• Great Clips has $3 off for haircuts. Ages 60 and up.
• Super Cuts has $2 off for haircuts. Ages 60 and over.

Pharmacies

• CVS doesn't have any senior discounts per se. But you do want to get their Extracare Card. If you run the card through the red machine at the front of the store, a great deal sometimes shows up now and then. And do give them your email address; they will rain all sorts of worthwhile discounts on you; sometimes the emails become excessive, but you can always unsubscribe.
• Costco pharmacies are exempt from store membership requirements in most states.
• Rite-Aid has 10% off on Tuesdays. And there is 10% off on prescriptions. Age requirements unknown.
• Walgreens generally charges the highest prices in town for everything, especially in the pharmacy department.
• Walmart pharmacies are always worth checking out.
• Most all pharmacies will deliver.

Phones

If you don't happen to know what Lifeline is, you definitely want to check that out no matter who your phone company is. If you qualify, you will save between $200 to $300 a year on your phone bill. You qualify based on income, not age.

• AT&T has a $30/month cell phone plan for seniors ages 65+, currently called the Senior Nation Plan.
• Jitterbug has a $15-a-month cell phone plan for users 50+. However, I'm not sure about these guys. Their phones seem expensive and there are complaints as to their quality.
• T-Mobile has recently added senior discounts, details vary as to types and amount of service.
• Verizon Wireless has a $30/month plan for seniors ages 65 and over. However, if you have a Lifeline landline (Verizon or Frontier), and want to use it to get on the Internet, it could be well worth your while to drop by the Verizon or Frontier website and see what DSL deals they are offering; no age restrictions, and DSL is plenty good enough for most situations, including streaming videos (depending how close the substation is to your residence).
• Burner Phones. Inexpensive and free cell phones and cell phone plans are one complicated mess to research; especially when federal and state subsidies are mixed in. If your situation doesn't qualify or is not feasible for the federal/state free cell phone and plan program(s) and you only want the cell phone for occasional use; perhaps simply going to Walmart or wherever and getting a prepaid, pay-as-you-go burner phone is the answer. Needless to say, read and understand everything on the packaging first. Actually, why not just shop for the critter online? First find what looks like the best deal on whatever retail store website, then go to that brand's website and see what they have to say. Once you've found what you want, buy from whichever site is best.

Movie Theaters

• AMC Theaters gives up to 30% off for ages 60 or older. AMC specifically says, "If you're at least 60 years old, you've probably seen a lot of great movies in your lifetime. And if you haven't, get started now with discounted tickets on Senior Day." I underlined that phrase because it makes me wonder if they only show old movies on that day.
• Landmark Theaters have discounts for folks 62 and older. I do believe this is the first senior discount I've seen anywhere that wasn't rounded to a 5 or 10 age increment . The amount of the discount is unknown.
• Marcus Theaters have $5 admissions for Friday matinees, seniors age 60 and older.
• Regal Theaters/Cinemas 30% discount for seniors ages 60 and over may be a thing of the past and was only available for some performances; ask. There may be some senior discounts when buying certain snacks and drinks.
• Showcase Cinemas. Turns out that Showcase Cinemas (also known as UCI Cinemas) is an international company theater chain. $7 Admissions to seniors beginning at age 60.

Local Area Discounts

Many local area senior discounts are mentioned in the Comments Section. Try a browser search (Ctrl-F) for your state, town, or establishment; you might get lucky. And if you happen to know of a local area senior citizen discount, by all means comment about it. You never know who you might be giving a helping hand.

More Financial Tips for Seniors

Some of the savings here could actually run into the hundreds of dollars. And not just for seniors.

Utility Company Discounts

It is imperative to drop by your utility companies' websites, particularly your gas, electric, and phone companies. They almost certainly have various discounts available, some examples:

• low income assistance discounts
• energy savings discounts
• energy efficiency discounts
• seasonal discounts
• time-of-day discounts
• medical discounts

There could be other discounts. Once you are signed up, you get significant savings month after month without any additional work on your part.

If the discount info is not readily available via the website menus, use their search box and enter the bulleted phrases above. If that doesn't work, then do the searches directly from your favorite search engine, for example type in: "low income assistance" YourUtilityCompanyName.

About Cable TV Companies and Their So-Called Senior Discounts

Most cable companies claim to have senior discounts, but won't specify the details. You have to call and ask; probably not much or an outright scam. Frankly, I ditched cable years ago and get everything for free or next to free on the internet. There's even the technology to have it display on your TV screen.

And a Browser Tip

Desktop typing "Ctrl" and "+" together will increase the text size in your browser's window on your screen. You can do Ctrl+ more than once to keep making the text larger. Doing Ctrl- will shrink it back down. Doing Ctrl0 (zero) will reset everything back to "normal." For mobile, there is scaling.

A Karma Note

Please share this page so as to help others. The more people who are knowledgeable, the better off we all are.

And a sincere thank you to all who have previously contributed to this article in the past.

Suggestions from Comments Section

[An Update. Due to a website hosting platform change, the 84 comments that previously accompanied this article on the other site were lost. However, I am retrieving them from archive and incorporating most of them directly into the new version. Many are quite useful. Edited for punctuation and grammar. Do be advised that the comments are not vetted. As always, the secret is to ask.]

The Newer Comments

• We have indeed received one.

The Older Comments

•  Multiple commenters state that Big Lots does not give discounts.
  
• Commenter, Andrea, said Back Yard Burgers' senior discount is 10% your purchase at participating locations.
• Commenter, Susan, said Outback gives 15% and Roy Rogers 10%, but you have to ask.
• Commenter, Cheryl, said: Bealls of Florida offers a 55+ senior discount on Monday of every week both in store and online.
• Commenter. Carolyn said: Kroger does not give 10% any longer.
• Commenter, Mary, said: I Had No Idea There Were So Many Places That Gave Seniors Discounts!?? Thank You So Much For Giving Me The Tools To Make My Life and The Lives Of Others So Much Better. Thank You - Mary Sutton
• Commenter, Cathy Decker, said: Love the companies whom realize our retirement income needs to be respected, AWESOME.
• Commenter, rickwhaley, said: Good info, thanks! Village Inn does senior discounts, but you have to ask now. At least in Nebraska.
• Commenter, Glenn Stok, said: This is awesome! I'm eligible for many of these discounts already and I didn't even know it! Thanks for writing about it.
• Commenter, Christina said: Walgreens does offer 20% off on first Tuesday of each month unless it’s a holiday, then it’s the second Tuesday.
• Commenter, Sarah, said: You know, I finally got used to the idea that I'll be 50 in a couple of weeks and WOW would be eligible for senior discounts. Then, just to find out, the age has raised for most of the discounts that my Mom was eligible for at 50! grrrrrrrrrr.
• Commenter, Theresa Ast, said: Great Hub with great information for people. Thanks! I have found that Good Will Stores (used books, clothing, housewares, furniture, toys) gives a good senior discount (over 55). Check with your local store, because each store chooses a particular day of the week - Mon, Tues, Wed., etc.
• Commenter, HolyTerror57, said: Awesome, awesome, awesome. I just found the Jitterbug cell phone plan! And I just signed up for their e-mail subscription. Thank You So Much!
• Commenter, Julie Baldwin, said: It's amazing being 55+ and the discounts that comes your way.
• Commenter, Debbie McCoy, said: If a chain offers a senior discount, but the franchise is not; call or write the chain to see if the franchises must offer the senior discount as part of their franchise contract. Many have to follow franchise guidelines set by the chain and could lose their franchise if not. It's worth it.
• Commenter, Brenda Areledge, said: Your article is very informative, I use discounts daily. I have a Golden Buckeye Card which is for Ohio residents; this card gives many discounts. I get 5% off at Ace Hardware. Then the usual 10% at restaurants. DQ dairy queen, Pizza Hut, Ranchers Roast Beef, plus most of the ones you already listed. I always ask, sometimes embarrassing the people I am with. I can afford to skip the discount, but to me, if the discount is there, then one should take it. Nice write.
• Commenter, Natalie Frank, said: Great article! I'm not there quite yet but will be soon enough and have bookmarked this page for future reference.
• Commenter, Angie, said: Lakes Entrance Airbnb, Australia. Gives Seniors Discounts and free dog stay for 3-day stay or longer.. Price on booking, but don't forget to ask. Water views, private gardens, wheelchair accessible, parking outside your accommodation. Sleeps up to 7 adults. Onsite massage. Call 0413669071; Victoria, Australia. Place to stay.
• Commenter, Christine, said: I was asked at Taco Bell yesterday if I am over 55 because that is when their senior discount kicks in (I am 60).
• Commenter, Cindy, said: TJ Maxx in Florida only, 10% off on Mondays for 55+.
• Commenter, Liz Pacheco, said: Coppi's Organic Restaurant offers 25% off all night every Monday for seniors 60 and up. They're located at 3321 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008.
• Commenter, Stacie L, said: Good info. Kroger used to give senior discounts on Thursday every week, but cut down to the first week in the month where I lived in Kentucky. My local grocer gives senior discounts on Wednesdays. As you stated, a customer must ask. I found out my AAA membership gives many discounts as well. The companies never ask if you are a member.
• More comments from the previous site are still being retrieved.

*** Money saved is worth more than money earned. Money saved is tax free. ***

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