There are all kinds of memberships and subscriptions that we can sign up for, from streaming services to private memberships to major grocery stores to VIP perks.
But as more options roll out and our bills increase, many of us are left to wonder if all of these services are really worth it...
Or if they're just serving to increase our expenses each month.
Eager to hear about the elite few, Redditor CamHalf asked:
"What membership is 100% worth every penny you pay for it?"
Like AAA But For Scuba Diving
"I’m a scuba diver. For $75 per year, I get extra insurance in case I have an accident while diving."
"They pay for medical evacuation, they have a dive doctor speak to the ER doctor if they don’t know how to treat me, and they help coordinate getting me into a decompression chamber if I need it. My health insurance won’t cover any of that."
"Plus, I can call them anytime with medical scuba questions."
- sweetawakening
The Biggest of No-Brainers
"I live on an island in Alaska with limited healthcare. An emergency flight to a more capable hospital will cost $50,000."
"For $100 a year, I save $49,900 if I ever need their services. That $100 covers everyone living under my roof. There is no limit on the number of flights. And seniors pay $75."
"Of course, the flight isn't a guarantee. Bad weather or the donated jet needing repairs can, and does, prevent you from being flown out."
- Ksan_of_Tongass
Great for Lifelong Learners
"The Great Courses. It’s now under the umbrella of Wondrium (and they have a bunch of other stuff, but I look for the Great Courses stuff). They have hundreds of courses. Each one has roughly 26 to 40 lectures. They’re the best professors in the world, the ones that students report as their favorite teachers."
"My boyfriend and I always have four on Thursdays: a science, an art, a philosophy (or wild card), and a history. We’ve done classes like botany, the analects of Confucius, The Medicis, the physics of time, early humans, and the history of food."
"I’ve got a good deal with them at $10 per month all I can stream. Great for lifelong learners."
- Shaydie
"That’s pretty cool that you and your partner both enjoy watching courses together."
- i_know_nothingg101
"For real! I'm going to see if my hubby wants to 'Confucius and Chill' later."
- madtryketohell
The Finer Attractions of New York
"When my ex and I had first moved to New York, we bought family memberships to the MET and the Natural History Museum during the first week. Seriously, the best decision ever. They have ALL kinds of year-round events and things to do that you can bring family and friends."
"The MET has a members-only rooftop bar and mezzanine, members-only music events like we watched the philharmonic play Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' in the Temple of Dendur. There are also members-only gallery viewings, curator talks, talks by archaeologists, and various things you could volunteer for. It was like having an 'In' into the city."
"The Natural History Museum had a monthly 'Jazz Under the Stars' night with free food, drinks, and music under the planetarium. I met Bill Nye and Neil Degrasse Tyson (when he was working there) and a bunch of other minor celebrities."
"These are not expensive memberships, either."
- joeldg
A Unique Perspective
"About 10 years ago, I was a member of the nudist resort that was near me. For giggles, I brought in my college ID. About 160 a year for 24-hour access to the resort and grounds."
"For me, it was my country club. Pool, big hot tub, gym, sauna."
"By my math at the time, all I had to do was visit 5 times a year to pay for it. I was there two to five times a week. Since it was a very rural area and not much to do, going there saved me money as anything decently worth doing was an hour or more away."
"Also since it was a nudist resort, most of the people that annoyed me were not apt to bother me. Perfect privacy to detach from the world."
- Pyreknight
AAA for Life
"I can't say for sure if it's 'worth every penny,' but there have definitely been occasional times my car broke down on the road that I was glad I'm a AAA member!"
"On a side note, back in the day, AAA TripTiks were the 'Google Map' if you wanted to take a road trip. You could go in, tell the AAA person the trip you were planning to take, and they'd put together a personalized flippable roadmap for you including highlighting expected construction and tolls, etc."
"Nowadays of course Google Maps and such does all that in real time on your phone so the TripTik is obsolete, but it was still pretty neat how they assembled them!"
- bodyknock
"I’ve had a AAA membership from the day I became a licensed driver. I’ve never regretted it."
"At least where I live, they offer DMV services. License renewal without going to the DMV is priceless."
"The best part is that, as a member, it doesn’t matter whose car is in trouble. I was visiting my cousin across the country and his battery died. I called AAA and they sent someone to assist."
"They still have the TripTiks app, but I haven’t used it yet. They also will send you free paper maps. I had to request one recently because I have to take a road trip soon and don’t want to cross into Canada. Google maps keeps trying to route me into Canada, so I wanted the paper map to be able to memorize the highways."
- Left-Star2240
Long Live Movie Theater Passes
"This made me remember MoviePass and now I'm sad."
"$10 per month to see one free movie per day!? Abso-f**kin-lutely, lol (laughing out loud)."
"It wasn’t supposed to work at all but before they changed the policies and cracked down you could even use it to get 75% off 3D/imax/4DX screenings. That s**t was amazing."
- slothman137
"The Regal and AMC subscriptions are basically MoviePass without all the bulls**t. I've got Regal and it pays for itself on the second movie every month. 100% worth it."
- SPEK2120
It's Fun To Stay At The...
"YMCA! I pay $70 a month for a family of four and that includes our use of the pool, gym, sauna, and up to four hours of childcare a day."
"I go nearly every day and have lost 60 pounds over the last six months. It’s also my only childcare as a stay-at-home mom so it keeps me sane."
- neopolitandynomite
The Public Library, Period!
"Some libraries offer tool rentals and others offer culture passes that allow two people to attend attractions. Absolutely worth the price of free."
- Lemonbear63
"We got all sorts of cool stuff. Trail cam, bird-watching kit, telescope, tools, Roku with subscriptions, Nintendo Switch, toys, yard games, night vision goggles, and more on the way! Libraries are the best!"
- SlippidySlappity
"Most have digital media checkouts, too. You can rent movies to stream."
"I usually rent games from them if I'm unsure if I want to buy them. In my city, if they don't have a copy at your library, they will bring it in from one of the others from throughout the city."
- ZeroOneenOoreZz
Executive Is Where It's At
"Costco Executive. If you shop strategically and often enough, you gain back all the membership money through direct cash rewards, not to mention the amount of money you saved by buying everything you needed at a cheaper per-unit cost."
- prettyfly4sciguy
Never Forget Again!
"I have a subscription for air filters for the home (FilterEasy). It's one of those things you always forget to replace, and then when you see them at the store, you forget what size you need. With the subscription, the correct ones come in the mail, every three months, like clockwork."
- The_Kentwood_Farms
Hate To Say It, But...
"A gym membership you actually use."
- Makeitmelt
"Worth paying extra to join a gym you go to then save money on a gym you don't visit."
- pm_me_your_bidets
"This 100%. I hate running on a treadmill and don’t live in a walkable area but I do enjoy walking, so I’m willing to pay a bit more for the one gym with an indoor track. Whatever gets me to actually exercise is worth it to me."
- thisismyworkreddit
Create Spaces at Universities Are Unbeatable
"My university makerspace."
"3D printing, 3d scanners, laser cutting, sewing machines, cricut machines, vacuum molding, you name it."
"It doesn't have to be for uni-related work."
"And it's completely free."
"95% of the time, the materials are supplied for you. If you want to use your own material, you can (for example, they only supply 3mm plywood for the laser cutter. If you want 5mm, you need to source it yourself)."
- Reverse_Psycho_1509
A Good Fitness App
"The FitBod fitness app has been a game changer for me. As someone who struggled with knowing what to do at the gym for years, this has been a game changer."
"Also, I travel quite a bit for work and being able to adjust exercises to the equipment available is extremely important. It’s almost like having a personal trainer with you at all times. 100% worth the money."
- chickawowwowww
Great UK Entertainment
"PBS Passport. Local TV shows, award-winning documentaries, NOVA, and foreign TV for $5 and NO ads! All other streaming services get more expensive each year and the content is usually crappy reality TV or lame romantic comedies."
"If you live in the UK, PBS is kind of like our version of the BBC without the licensing fees and we get British imported TV shows."
- blueberry_pancakes14
These entries were a wonderful example of money well spent. Services that genuinely make your life better and more convenient, and are things that you actually use instead of forgetting that you have them, become essentially priceless over time.
