Not A Member? You May Be Missing Out.

EL PASO, TX — Times are tough. But that does not mean you have to drop your vacation plans or cut back on that shopping excursion. That is, if you pay membership dues.

The website “Perkspot,” which handles discount programs for hundreds of corporations nationwide, estimates only 25-35% of those eligible take advantage of discounts available through their employer or association membership.

“Sometimes people forget that they do get great discounts,” says Ginny Fischer, an insurance agent with AAA Texas. AAA is one association that offers members slashed prices on a range of products and services, from airline tickets to rental cars to tickets to the major amusement parks. “That’s why it’s good to go online and see, because sometimes you just realize that, oh my gosh, I could have gotten a discount there.”

Memberships for AAA start around $70. If you are a recent graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, you can pay $20 to become a member of the alumni association.

“It’s an advantage for you to become a member of the association, to take advantage of all these benefits we have,” says UTEP Alumni Association President Henry Quintana.

Quintana says benefits range from discounts at area retail stores to various apartment complexes. One of the perks, says the association president, is not something you can buy.

“The association provides scholarships to students and it takes part in other activities within the university. It’s a great organization to become a member of if you were a graduate of UTEP.”

For information on memberships to AAA or the UTEP Alumni Association, click the links provided.

Written for kvia.com by Anchor/Reporter Stephanie Valle