Way back when I worked for the American Automobile Association, we had launched a campaign to tout to members all the benefits of being a AAA member and the savings available to them. It was called, “Show your card & save,” and, if I recall correctly, it was reasonably successful then, and continues to this day.
I bring this up not as a reminiscence, but as a parallel to all the benefits included in a NASA membership. You can, indeed, show your card and save. Of course, we can’t use that phrase, but it certainly applies.
You will read about NASA’s latest Member Benefits program elsewhere in this week’s Speed News, but I also wanted to highlight it here. NASA has partnered with Summit Racing for its latest member benefits program, which rewards racing and TT drivers with “Summit Bucks” good toward merchandise at SummitRacing.com. Not only that, but the new program also rewards HPDE drivers when they advance from one level to the next. In addition, active NASA Members can enjoy the Summit Pro Shop membership for exclusive discount pricing.
I don’t know about you, but my credit card bill usually has charges for racecar parts, so being able to save on things I’m already purchasing is pretty exciting. This program is in addition to the discounts all NASA members get at the NASA Racing Gear Store Operated by OG Racing.
But even that isn’t everything you can save money on just by being a NASA member. There’s TrackDayTire.com, which offers preferred pricing and shipping from depots around the country. VP Racing, ASC Canopies and Midland Radios offer NASA members discounts. Likewise, ECS Tuning is a great source for BMW parts, but I was also able to get a discount on a new water pump kit for my wife’s Audi.
The benefits don’t stop there. Not even close. There’s MOMO, with a 15 percent discount, Daredevil Coffee with a 20 percent discount to NASA members, Hagerty Motorsports, Speed Italia Racing and Motorsport Hardware. But wait! There’s more! Race Louvers, Sampson Racing Communications, Motion Control Suspension, Fuel Safe, Konig Wheels all offer discounts to NASA members. If you’re reading this, that means you.
It’s not just racecar stuff, either. NASA members get discounts at Choice Hotels, Motel 6, Avis and Budget rental cars. One of the best discounts might be one of the least known. Lenovo, a global leader in the PC marketplace, offers NASA members up to 30 percent off the everyday public web price of Lenovo laptops, tablets, desktops, servers and more. If you need a cheap laptop to take to the track to break down your data, Lenovo is the place to go.
These aren’t contingency prizes, although NASA has a bevy of those, too. You don’t have to race or TT or stand on any podium to get these benefits. They’re included with your NASA membership.
I don’t really have a nifty bow to wrap around all this, but suffice it to say it is entirely possible to recoup the cost of a NASA membership several times over by taking advantage of all the savings plans and discounts available to you through the Member Benefits program.
In AAA speak, it is “show your card and save.” In the vernacular of American Express, it’s “membership has its privileges.” In other credit card lexicon, “it pays to discover” all the discounts available to the NASA member.
Of course, we can’t actually use any of those phrases as part of any NASA campaigns, but you get the idea.
