The Benefits (and More) of Being a SAG-AFTRA Member

"Did you know that you can get discounts with your SAG-AFTRA card?

"Let’s face it: Building and maintaining an acting career can be an expensive commitment, even with those end-of-year annual tax breaks. It all adds up over time. 

"The good news is SAG-AFTRA offers a lot of great benefits for the working actor. I’ve spoken to other actors on set about this, and it always surprises people that these options exist for eligible union members.

"SAG-AFTRA has partnered with other organizations to give its members access to discounts through Working Advantage Union Plus and others  to provide great new membership discounts.

"There are discounts for industry services and publications like IMDBPro and Backstage.com to provide actors current and up-to-date information about industry news and promoting their own career. There's also my personal favorite, discounts by AT&T that can save 15 percent on wireless services.

"Other great discounts include saving money for beauty and grooming, fitness, spas and well-being. There are also travel benefits such as car rental and parking, and travel discounts for hotels and rentals.

"For actors that wish to further their craft, there are options for business training and education such as such career builders and scholarships.

"There are even benefits and discounts that can be helpful in your personal life, notably for clothing and accessories, entertainment, food and dining, housing assistance, insurance products and even professional services like UPS shipping.

"Of course, there are limits, meaning that you can't expect to pull out your union card to discover benefits at every place that you go. The SAG-AFTRA website gives a helpful and comprehensive list of its available services (note that you have to be a current member of SAG-AFTRA and use your login account's ID to be able to access this information).

"As one can see, SAG-AFTRA does much more than simply offer fair and equal treatment on set or the opportunity to collect residuals. It really does pay (and save) to be union!"

All deals and discounts are administered by entities independent of SAG-AFTRA. Questions about each offer must be handled by the providers. SAG-AFTRA does not endorse any of these services.

This item was originally featured in the March 2015 local newsletter.