Groucho Marx once said that he would not want to be a member of any club that would have him for a member. He might not have been so hasty if he had been offered some of the deals that club members get these days.

We are going to take a look at a few club or club-type memberships, how much they cost and how much members might expect to save.

Among the options for Americans over the age of 50 are AARP and the less well-known Association of Mature American Citizens, the American Seniors Association and the 60+ Association. Annual membership dues are low and members receive discounts on a variety of items, including insurance, cell phones, rental cars and other benefits.

AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired People, is the oldest, best-known and largest of the senior organizations, with some 37 million members. An annual membership costs $16 a year and includes the member’s spouse. The sheer size of AARP adds up to discounts on nearly anything a person could need or want: save 15% on a steak dinner at Outback, get a free doughnut at Dunkin’ Donuts when you buy a large coffee, or get 25% off a car rental from Budget Rent a Car.

ALSO READ: Iconic Car Prices Then and Now

And AARP truly is a big business: the company reported royalty revenue for AARP-branded products and services offered by third-party providers totaling $799.3 million in 2014, up 4.7% year over year.

The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) and the American Seniors Association (ASA) are considered to be politically more conservative than AARP. The split either began or widened when AARP endorsed Obamacare in 2009. Membership fees in AMAC and ASA are $15 annually and both offer insurance products and other benefits as well. Benefits are more limited because neither group approaches the size of AARP.

Club stores such as Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) and Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), are other organizations that use the club analogy, with the chief differences from AARP and the other senior groups being their size and their profits. Both Costco and Sam’s Club offer different levels of membership, with a basic membership at Costco going for $55 a year and a Sam’s Club membership costing $45. The main benefit at each store is the low pricing on thousands of items.

Both club stores also offer premium memberships: Costco’s Executive members pay $110 a year and get a 2% rebate on all purchases up to a maximum total rebate of $750 for a year. Sam’s Club’s Plus memberships cost $100 and rebate 2% of all purchases up to an annual maximum of $500.

ALSO READ: How Obamacare Increased Insurance Coverage in Every State

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.