iMember: make the most of your memberships

iMember is a new website which encourages users to “remember you’re a member” and make the most of membership benefits. We put it to the test.

iMember claims to make it easier for people to claim benefits to which they’re legally entitled. These include added benefits that are included with bank accounts and phone contracts as well as clubs, societies, unions, motoring organisations and professional bodies.

For example, membership of the AA, the Camping & Caravanning Club, Stoke City FC, the Nationwide Group Staff Union, Gloucestershire University Alumni and the Institute of Chartered Accountants all offer a discount to Alton Towers.

Meanwhile members of the England Rugby Supporters' Club (ERSC) can get travel discounts, and members of The Running Bug can get a 10% discount on shoes at Runaround Sports.

I put iMember to the test to see what I was missing out on.

Financial services

I kicked off my search with my main bank account, the NatWest Advantage Gold. As it’s a packaged account it comes with loads of benefits I already know about, such as travel insurance, phone insurance and car breakdown cover. It also offers discounts at the National Trust and a travel service which offers discounted rates on hotels and holidays.

The trouble is iMember only has the Natwest Silver Select account on its list – not Advantage Gold or any of the other current accounts it offers.

A quick check of the other banks finds that iMember typically has one or two accounts listed, but not all of them.

Telecoms

iMember fares better when I check out what benefits being a Virgin Media customer entitles me to.

Having Virgin Media broadband at home means I’m entitled to free WiFi on the London Underground. iMember directs me to the Virgin Media website page which tells me how to get this benefit. Result.

iMember doesn’t do so well when it comes to finding out what benefits being an O2 customer entitles me to. It doesn’t list any benefits despite the fact that O2 Priority offers customers the chance to book concert tickets at certain venues 48 hours before they go on general release.

However it does direct me to O2 Priority Moments, a smartphone app which directs users to deals in their local area.

Subscriptions

iMember does a lot better when I check out what benefits a subscription to the The Times website offers. It lists two-for-one tickets at the Odeon and Merlin attractions (which includes Thorpe Park, Legoland and Madame Tussauds), half price Picturehouse membership, and various holiday and leisure discounts.

Clicking through to the Times Plus brings up a complete list of benefits I’m entitled to as a subscriber.

Alumni groups

Checking out the benefits I am entitled to for having studied at various higher education institutions comes up with some surprising results.

Being a member of Friends of Coventry University, where I did my degree, entitles me to discounts on AA or RAC membership, a discount on the Gourmet Society annual membership, and special rates at the Ramada hotel in Coventry. There are plenty of other deals too.

The alumni organisation for Goldsmiths University in London, where I did an evening class, just offers a discount on gym membership at Goldsmiths.

Conclusion

iMember is a clever idea and it’s a quick way to check membership benefits you might be entitled to and so hopefully save some money. However, with some many organisations missing or with incomplete information, it’s got a long way to go before it’s the comprehensive list it claims to be.

One clever function it does have though is the facility to search for benefits and it then tells you the organisation to join to reap the awards.  For example, if I want a 7% discount on Mark Warner holidays, then all I have to do is join Mumsnet.

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