Contributor ⭐⭐

impossible to win instant awards

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
April 8, 2021
217 replies
89148 views

I'm deeply distrustful of the whole Rewards operation.

For one, I've gone through more than 400 consecutive Instant Wins and won nothing. NADA.

And why is that? Anyone explain that?

And what about finding out some general information on who's winning the rewards sweepstakes? Is there any attempt on the part of the provider/operator or AARP Rewards to give out some information that explains there are real people winning the sweeps?

AND why can't the provider of AARP Rewards provide me a running total of my cumulative entries into a sweepstake? It used to do that, provide a running total on all my entries, but now it doesn't do that.

As always, I'm deeply skeptical of the people running this thing...

why can 18 year olds and non members enter sw

Show previous replies

BillD916633

Conversationalist ⭐

HEY EVERYBODY

There back !!
We're back up to 7 Instant Wins again this week 8/19/23

Hope it last 🤪🤪😜

W

wh2708

Contributor ⭐

Used to think that the instant wins had to be entered at exactly midnight, EST. However, there must be an app on the dark web that some AARP users are taking advantage of that enter exactly midnight according to the Atomic clock. And the app is able to circumvent the screen delays, etc that normal users encounter. I would even go so far as to opine that the list of instant winners is almost always the same 50 people who have the DWapp. I really don't care about most of them since there are no PEET coffee shops in my locale, but occasionally, the Amazon $50 gift card comes up and I do use Amazon. However, like you Tom, I may not have tried 400 times, but I know it's been over a hundred and I've never won one either. During my lifetime, I have won some things where a drawing was held, but I knew that they were legitimate to begin with. I've never seen a winners list either. AARP is not really interested in old people I don't think. I think it's all about the bottom line. Been a paying member for at least 29 years now. Not sure how someone like @BillD916633 is up to 7 instant wins in one week. Maybe they only look at instant win entries during certain time frames and not others. Oh well. Maybe next time.

KellytheBelly

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

@wh2708 Actually, there is a Daily Instant Winners List, here: https://community.aarp.org/t5/Redemption/Links-to-Sweepstakes-Winners/m-p/2520366#M8488 | https://winlists.helloworld.com/245438_IW.pdf

08-19-2023 10:34 AM

@BillD916633 wrote: 'We're back up to 7 Instant Wins again this week 8/19/23,' meaning there were (at the time) 7 instant wins available in the AARP Rewards catalog, not that he won 7 instant wins in a week. There had been a fluctuation of available instant wins anywhere from 5 - 6, then there was a surprising 7 instant wins available on the above-mentioned date.

Hope this helps!

@wh2708 wrote:
Used to think that the instant wins had to be entered at exactly midnight, EST. However, there must be an app on the dark web that some AARP users are taking advantage of that enter exactly midnight according to the Atomic clock. And the app is able to circumvent the screen delays, etc that normal users encounter. I would even go so far as to opine that the list of instant winners is almost always the same 50 people who have the DWapp. I really don't care about most of them since there are no PEET coffee shops in my locale, but occasionally, the Amazon $50 gift card comes up and I do use Amazon. However, like you Tom, I may not have tried 400 times, but I know it's been over a hundred and I've never won one either. During my lifetime, I have won some things where a drawing was held, but I knew that they were legitimate to begin with. I've never seen a winners list either. AARP is not really interested in old people I don't think. I think it's all about the bottom line. Been a paying member for at least 29 years now. Not sure how someone like @BillD916633 is up to 7 instant wins in one week. Maybe they only look at instant win entries during certain time frames and not others. Oh well. Maybe next time.

⭑ ๋࣭ ⭑... ⌞What the GLITCH!⌝ ... ⭑ ๋࣭ ⭑(っ ͡ ͡° - ͡ ͡° ς) Made of flesh and bone, not chips and blips.

rednexsrus

Community Champion ⭐

Thanks @KellytheBelly for clearing up that post from @wh2708 concerning @BillD916633 and the 7 Instant Wins in one week. Common sense should tell that is impossible, besides HelloWorld would never stand for that.
Just trying to understand why @wh2708 has only 2 post since 2016 and that was one of them 🤔 🤔

lucyp061351

andrewtoo

Community Champion ⭐⭐

-------------------------------------------------------------

If you want win then just keep entering the Instant Win Games, every day if you can.

This $10 Home Depot Instant Win game that I won today has 450 potential winners (they are showing it as a "Super Play!") and it really seems to make a difference when they offer more than the standard 125 wins. I don't know how many of my wins were from the Super Play games but the chance of winning seems higher and I recall a couple of other times I won a gift card from games like this one.

AndrewToo

B

BeachGirl23

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

Congrats on winning! Like many others, for years now I have been playing the Instant Wins for places near me every day including the Super Play ones. I may win an Instant Win every 4 to 6 months, sometimes longer between wins. I have never won a Super Play though, as you say, the chances are better for winning one. I am glad somebody is winning them though.

K

k380494p

Contributor ⭐⭐

After months of no luck, I finally won an instant win! CVS gift card. I was starting to think that the instant win games didn’t work.

S

shamit

Community Champion ⭐

Very strange. After months of no Instant Wins I won a LL Bean gift card today.

K

k380494p

Contributor ⭐⭐

Congrats!!!

T

TomsowaAuthor

Contributor ⭐⭐

I still think the whole rewards program is crap. It’s not rigged; it’s just full of fluff and poor odds for most people. Consider how many days/weeks/years most of us submit entries. And what do you get? Not much. The rewards have gotten truly lame (especially the instants). And why have they added that ridiculous slot machine animation for the instants? Just tell us we didn’t win and get it over with. The animation is, to quote myself, crap.

Moreover, some of the reward-earning quizzes are questionably dishonest. I ran into one that involved questions all aimed at promoting the AARP sponsor American Home Care. Every question was essentially an ad for AHC. That’s unnecessary and close to sleazy.

So good to all those who keep toiling away thinking this will be their lucky day. I continue to assert that the AARP organization has turned their rewards program over to an outfit that runs a system that couldn’t be less fun or rewarding.

Tom G. Sowa

KellytheBelly

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

Bravo! 👏 Well-said, @Tomsowa!

You are so right, it's no fun. More like work, work, work! I've seen some improvement(s), however. Now, we have $10.00 gift cards, with exception of the $5.00 Extra Credit, at least there's that! For years, people here have been expressing that there should be $10.00 gift cards, and it seems those concerns were addressed.

As far as the instant win slot machine, I am having trouble trusting the whole shebang. Um, you know, there are some questionable things that AARP does...it's as if the joke's 'me,' sort of thing. Such as, the times points only redemptions are put into the catalog...while everyone is sleeping. What's up with that? Seems like a game to me.

Anyway, thank you so much for your post. 🙂

@AARPConsumerCare -- No need for assistance. Thank you.

⭑ ๋࣭ ⭑... ⌞What the GLITCH!⌝ ... ⭑ ๋࣭ ⭑(っ ͡ ͡° - ͡ ͡° ς) Made of flesh and bone, not chips and blips.

T

TomsowaAuthor

Contributor ⭐⭐

And yes, totally correct. It IS WORK, not even close to fun to go through these reward challenges.😗

Tom G. Sowa

S

SandraP40568

Contributor ⭐

Before they changed the way the games was being played a few years ago. I won 2 gift cards but since they have changed I haven’t been able to win anything in 5 years so I completely understand. The odds are terrible now.

L

lp7754

Contributor ⭐

I have won 4 times Not a scam!

L

lp7754

Contributor ⭐

I have won 3 or 4 times…

SummerOnTheWay1

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

[Friday 7/17/26]

I just asked the Google AI "how to win the AARP Instant Wins"./lol 😂

There were many tips but one I AGREE on is the one about playing during the SLOW PERIOD. AI says that time is "early" mornings in ET & "late" night also in ET.

An AARP friend of mine has won SEVERAL & CONSISTENTLY in the early mornings (ET).

I have NOT "won" any so far for 2026. 😞 Won 2 last year May 2025 when I "joined" the AARP Rewards Program.

Any thoughts on what the Google AI said about the SLOW PERIOD? Has this worked for you?

Meanwhile I plan to keep playing either EARLY or LATE in ET time which is my timezone here in Virginia. Lol, maybe I will win at least 1 this year 2026.

Yes, this is an OLD thread but has alot of old-timer feedback. They KNOW stuff! 👍

GOOD luck All,

Nicole 🤞

B

BeachGirl23

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

I am in the EST, I have tried playing in the wee hours of the morning, before 4AM EST and late at night, after 11PM EST and won nothing. When I do win, and this is somewhat consistent, is when I go to this community page and complain. Coincidence? Perhaps.

Let us know what you win! 😃

SummerOnTheWay1

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

[7/17/26] Lol @BeachGirl23 , I was "giggling" so hard at what you wrote!!! 🤣 Okay, I will try complaining - lol. Thanks for stopping by.

➡️[*** BEACHGIRL @BeachGirl23 wrote:
I am in the EST, I have tried playing in the wee hours of the morning, before 4AM EST and late at night, after 11PM EST and won nothing. When I do win, and this is somewhat consistent, is when I go to this community page and complain. Coincidence? Perhaps.
Let us know what you win! 😃

andrewtoo

Community Champion ⭐⭐

I won a $10 IHOP less than a week ago.

Even used the free method.

It was shortly after 9 PM Eastern time and I don’t consider that late or a period of necessarily low activity. It’s prime time for goodness sake.

I have found that I have won more when I enter all of the Instant win games every day.

AndrewToo

SummerOnTheWay1

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

[7/17/26] Glad you stopped by Andrew @andrewtoo & CONGRATS on your win!!! 🎉

➡️[*** ANDREW @andrewtoo wrote:
I won a $10 IHOP less than a week ago.
Even used the free method.
It was shortly after 9 PM Eastern time and I don’t consider that late or a period of necessarily low activity. It’s prime time for goodness sake.
I have found that I have won more when I enter all of the Instant win games every day.

andrewtoo

Community Champion ⭐⭐

I have to admit that it seems like playing IW games at times when other members of the rewards program are not as active would be the best time to enter an instant win for a day.

One of the official rules states, as an example: "There will be 200 random,
computer-generated winning times during the Promotion Period. If you are the first player to play the
Instant Win Game at or after one of the randomly-generated times, you will be a potential instant winner of the prize offered for this calendar day."

Ok, so there are random times that are likely going to be available throughout the 7 day window, and throughout the days of the promotion period. There will not be more wins available at peak usage times; after all, the times are random.

My Copilot AI stated that times of 2AM to 6AM EST were the best time to enter. Also, Holiday's. I remember holidays that I was too busy to enter at all, so the logic seems to hold water. Another time mentioned is late Sunday night. I don't know what late is but after 10PM (ET?), I assume. And, lastly during big news events or sports finals are mentioned as good times to enter.

As for the worst time to play, Copilot mentions from 9AM to 10PM as the possible worst times to win by entering an IW game.

Like @SereneSeagull I do believe that the result of an AI search involving AARP Rewards would consider the opinions posted here in the community. However, the results from my AI search mentioned above seem reasonable.

AndrewToo

SummerOnTheWay1

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

[7/17/26] Excellent post as usual Andrew @andrewtoo !!! Lol, I guess starting TONIGHT "after" 12 midnight ET - I can "try" something different. 😉 I will be sure to post IF I win & time. Now to hope one of those times works. 🤞 Anyone else up for "experimenting" & letting us know IF you win? 🤔 It would FUN to see what happens!!! Thanks again Andrew for taking the time to post these times. Everyone have a GREAT night, Nicole 🤗💛

➡️[*** ANDREW @andrewtoo wrote:
I have to admit that it seems like playing IW games at times when other members of the rewards program are not as active would be the best time to enter an instant win for a day.

One of the official rules states, as an example: "There will be 200 random,
computer-generated winning times during the Promotion Period. If you are the first player to play the
Instant Win Game at or after one of the randomly-generated times, you will be a potential instant winner of the prize offered for this calendar day."

Ok, so there are random times that are likely going to be available throughout the 7 day window, and throughout the days of the promotion period. There will not be more wins available at peak usage times; after all, the times are random.

My Copilot AI stated that times of 2AM to 6AM EST were the best time to enter. Also, Holiday's. I remember holidays that I was too busy to enter at all, so the logic seems to hold water. Another time mentioned is late Sunday night. I don't know what late is but after 10PM (ET?), I assume. And, lastly during big news events or sports finals are mentioned as good times to enter.

As for the worst time to play, Copilot mentions from 9AM to 10PM as the possible worst times to win by entering an IW game.

Like @SereneSeagull I do believe that the result of an AI search involving AARP Rewards would consider the opinions posted here in the community. However, the results from my AI search mentioned above seem reasonable.

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