AOA Gold Card
 

Did anyone purchase the AOA Gold Card and use it to get discounts for activities or food? Wondering if it is worth the $30. Seems like a good deal but what do I know, I've never been to Hawaii...any advice would be appreciated.<BR>Thanks<BR>Lara

Lara punch in gold card or AOA and run a search you will get all the info you need.

what is an AOA card? I did an "AOA" search and nothing came up!

Here's some old info traveler.......<BR><BR>Author: Charlie ([email protected])<BR>Date: 07/14/2001, 07:45 pm<BR>Message: Hi J.B., I cheated and copy some info from a previous post that should answer your question. <BR>By the way a Fodors search under Hawaii for "gold card" will yield lots of info. <BR>Author: Charlie ([email protected]) <BR>Date: 2/17/2001, 10:10 am ET <BR><BR>Message: Hi Melisa,the AOA(Activity Owners Association)Gold Card is available for use on Maui only.It is a discount card good for discounts on most activities on Maui and discounts range from 10 to 25%,while in Maui if you call their office you may get even larger discounts as they sometimes have daily specials.The discounts are on mostly everything from Helicopter rides to bicycle tours anf Luaus.The card must be obtained BEFORE one arrives on Maui,the cost is $20 and will cover discounts on up to 4 people.If you are interested in a card the toll free number is 800-398-9698. <BR><BR>

I have been to the official tourism website about the AOA card so I know the details about the card, but I was hoping to hear from anyone who actually bought the discount card.<BR>Thanks.<BR>Lara

If you run a search for gold card you will find my experiences with the gold card in Oct.,2001.I saved a fair amount of money and it would be easier for you to search than me rewrite it from memory.

Marilyn in case you're to busy to do a search I ran a short one and here's some old info form my last trip to Maui.......<BR><BR>Message: Joy I can't answer your specific question but I'm going to Maui in Sept.and have been doing some research on various things to see and do.Every thing that I've found leads me to believe that the Old Lahaina Luau is the top one on the Island and if you have the use of a car you may want to consider that one.Also I've discovered a discount card(not available on the island,get it before you go)that gives you a discount of 10-25% on virtually any activity on Maui.The card is issued by the Maui Activity Owners Association,the cost is $20 and will cover up to 4 people.As an example I've prebooked the Old Lahaina Luau and the Trilogy Discover Lanai snorkle cruise(which is rated as the #1 activity on Maui)with a total savings for 4 of $158.49,not bad for a $20 investment.The Activity Owners Association has a web sight and if you're interested run a search and you can purchase a card on line or call their 800 number.Enjoy your trip !!<BR><BR>

For a detailed list of participating companies on the islands, go to this site. Hope this helps!<BR><BR>http://www.maui.org/goldcard/gold.html

We were able to maximize our savings since we had a party of 4 and purchased one card. We were also able to take advantage of 2 of their half price "owner's tickets" activities. I would estimate that we saved $300 for our $30 investment but it really depends on how many activities you will be doing and how long you are staying. The food discounts are minimal and not a reason to purchase the card. Make sure to check the participating vendor list before you buy since it changes from time to time. Also check the owner's ticket list to see if there's anything listed there that interests you at maui.org/ot

Maybe, just maybe, the reason that the card must be bought BEFORE arriving in Hawaii is that once people get there you will find that you can get similar discounts on virtually anything without paying $30. Coupons and special offers are everywhere.

Ken,<BR><BR>We were able to get 50% off the Atlantis submarine and 50% off Warren and Annabelles for 4 people last year. I didn't see these discounts in any of the coupon books or magazines on Maui. The offers have changed since then, so check before you buy to make sure it's for something you would actually use.

Checking their half price ticket list today, I see they have several tickets for the Na Pali Eco-Adventures snorkel trip on Kauai for $66. To me that would be worth the cost of the card as it's usually hard to find Na Pali snorkel tours for less than $100.