The 53 Best Senior Discounts to Use in 2021

Senior discounts are one of the few truly great perks that come with growing older. You can even start collecting senior discounts at age 50 from some stores, so you could save big long before you even qualify for retirement benefits!

To help you keep track of all the deals on entertainment, dining, travel, and more, we've compiled four handy senior citizen discount lists. Plus, we share some fascinating senior trends from a recent survey we conducted.

Location Matters for Senior Discounts

Be aware that for many businesses, the senior citizen discount varies by location; brands may let individual franchisees decide whether to provide senior perks. As a result, one of your local restaurants might give you a higher percentage off than the same chain would across town.

Before heading out on a shopping spree, check with your local store about the discounts for seniors on offer. (This can be a helpful strategy when it comes to birthday freebies and military discounts, too.)

Senior Citizen Benefits Are Disappearing

Senior savings have been around for decades, but it seems like retailers are slowly phasing them out. In some cases — such as the Publix grocery chain — stores are allegedly changing tactics to provide better savings all around. However, other retailers — like Gap and some of its brands — have simply dropped their senior discounts altogether.

One industry where senior discounts still thrive is travel. Many major airlines, hotel chains, cruise lines, and rental car companies offer senior discounts of up to 30% off, which can make vacationing much more affordable. Still, these deals aren't always obvious: you may have to hunt for senior rates on business websites or simply call and ask directly.

The Best Senior Discounts in 2021

The Best Entertainment Senior Discounts

The Best Dining Senior Discounts

The Best Travel Senior Discounts

The Best Miscellaneous Senior Discounts

Key Stats About Senior Shopping Habits

Like any other age group, senior citizens have their own shopping habits. We've highlighted some of the most fascinating senior statistics we uncovered when we conducted a recent survey of more than 1,100 U.S. adults. (To learn more about the survey results, check out our articles on consumer buying behavior and shopping habits.)

Seniors Are More Likely to Shop Online

Seniors are sometimes seen as a less tech-savvy generation, and while that might be true to some extent, it's not the case for all of those folks. For instance, we found that 58% of our survey respondents over 60 are more likely to shop online, compared to about 42% who say they're more likely to shop in-store.

Additionally, we learned that out of the major online storefronts, seniors overwhelmingly prefer to shop at Amazon, with 94% of those respondents saying they shop there. For reference, the other retailers we asked about in our survey included Walmart, eBay, Apple, Home Depot, Wayfair, Best Buy, Target, and Costco.

Interestingly, although more seniors may shop at Amazon than other stores online, they're also the age group that's least likely to have a Prime membership. In fact, only 65% of respondents over 60 affirmed that they were Prime members, compared to as much as 79% in other age groups.

They Don't Wait for Shopping Holidays

Many consumers are used to waiting for holidays like Black Friday to roll around before making purchases, but a lot of senior citizens don't seem to practice that. In fact, 89% of our senior survey respondents said they mostly shop whenever they need something beyond their day-to-day necessities; only 56% of respondents in the 18-29 age group said the same. That may prove especially useful in 2021, as 62% of seniors stated that they plan to avoid stores that look crowded now.

Most Don't Get Groceries Delivered

During 2020, plenty of consumers jumped on the grocery delivery bandwagon. However, not everyone was so keen. When we conducted our survey, we found that 71% of senior respondents hadn't had groceries delivered.

SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Buying Guide for 2021

This could be due to a few factors. For one, seniors are often on a fixed income and might not want to spend already limited funds on higher-priced groceries. Also, many discounts must be redeemed in person — especially those related to groceries; this could be another reason why seniors have opted out of delivery.

Speaking of delivery, the 60-plus crowd isn't totally opposed to it. We found that 55% of the seniors that responded to our survey have ordered food or restaurant delivery in the last year. Unfortunately, this is a bad way to receive senior discounts, as those are often available for dine-in or pickup orders only.

They're More Likely to Be Prepared

2020 had many of us questioning the future and how we can be prepared for uncertain situations like global pandemics. Out of all the age groups that responded to our survey, seniors are the ones most likely to keep a 1-month supply of personal protective equipment and emergency goods on hand at all times. Additionally, they're the group that's most likely to have an emergency fund — but also the least likely to plan to increase it.

Readers, what are your favorite stores for senior discounts? Did we leave a retailer off our list? Let us know in the comments!