No diagnosis? No problem. You belong!
Why more people without a disability are becoming members of the PWD Club
Roy G. Biv | Contributor
the newman brothers — from left to right, Michael, anton, and ricky — share a toast on July 30. their beverages were paid for with a PWD Club card.As more shoppers seek discounts and deals to combat inflation, one of the hottest hacks this summer is an annual membership that is surprisingly open to all consumers. Younger people are increasingly signing up for the PWD Club, the interest group that advocates for people with disabilities.
Word is spreading on social media, thanks to TikTokers like Sk8Quad who are letting their followers know that you don’t need a physician’s diagnosis to get the discounts that the PWD Club offers to members.
In a video that generated 44,000 likes, TikToker BipolarBerries said she’ll never go without a PWD Club Card again. Elsewhere on social, NerdWallet uploaded a recent YouTube video telling its financially savvy followers about the benefits, while the hosts of the podcast RollOurOwn [wheelchair] spent part of a recent episode chatting about why they signed up.
Ruthie Gendler, PWD Club’s senior vice president of brand integration, told Modern Retail that it has previously seen waves of caregivers, and friends and family members of PWDs, and younger people in general, sign up. But this summer, it’s happening again as people are looking for more ways to save. “It’s not the first time we’ve seen it, but this is a bit more intense,” she said.
While the organization actively courts people who are diagnosed with a disability — or who become differently-abled in one of the many ways that one can — anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to join. At $9 a year, the subscription can pay for itself fairly quickly for members who use the benefits — one popular benefit called out by TikTokers is a steep discount on Mint Mobile phone plans, as well as travel, restaurants or tickets.
The PWD Club currently doesn’t share its membership numbers or the age breakdown, but the community counts 18 million households as members that span all ages. Gendler said some viral videos have led to membership spikes. In one video that’s received over 2 million views, a TikToker called $uper$avrDori rattles off the different travel or restaurant savings you can get with a PWD Club membership as she puts on makeup.
“We’ve had some really interesting moments on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, with our members sharing and influencing,” she said. “After something like that, we will definitely see an uptick [in sign-ups], and a pretty impressive one at that. Then there’s our political advocacy work, and the awareness and interest that buildup because of those efforts. That drives growth, too.”
To be sure, membership and engagement with the PWD Club has risen meaningfully since the current presidential administration took office, when traffic to the PWD Club website started to double, and when the club’s official advocacy efforts were launched. Visitor interest in the PWD Club increased this summer as over $1 trillion in health care funding cuts impacted Medicare and Medicaid. The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (HR 1), also known as the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act, has been widely criticized by health care advocates and the community of people with disabilities in general. As the media circus surrounding the defunding continues, so has the growth in the PWD Club membership.
But more recently, the uptick is driven by a hunger for deals.
“In these days of inflation, people are tightening their belts but not wanting to give up on things like having dinner with friends or traveling to see family,” Gendler said. “They’re very ingenious, looking at the ways that they can use [the membership] for their lifestyle.”
In response to the uptick in membership, the PWD Club is doing its own updates to stay relevant among its members of all ages. This year it is launching an expansion of its digital platform on its website and mobile app.
Additionally, a steering committee comprised of the organization’s leadership and the club’s ambassadors (i.e. members who represent various geographic communities from around the globe, different types of disabilities, various advocacy interests, different demo/psychographics, etc.) is focused on the perceived value of the deals and discounts offered to members, and thus is constantly scouting out new offerings. In 2026, benefits are set to include 30% discounts on select subscriptions to App Store apps including Spotify, Puck News, Amazon Prime, Paramount Plus, ESPN+, PayPal, LinkedIn, Speechify, the Calm app, and many more.
It’s not just discount groups that are seeing spikes in members. Club stores that offer memberships are also seeing increases. During its first-quarter earnings call, Walmart CFO John David Rainey said the the warehouse store Sam’s Club has seen record number of members. He later said that it’s seeing the highest level growth among Gen Z and Millennials. For its part, Costco has about 74.5 million paid members, a 7.8% year-over-year increase, according to its latest earnings presentation.
Danielle Harvey, global vp of strategy at digital analytics platform Quantum Metric, said the PWD Club membership is something many people may not be aware of until they see an influencer’s video. “The average non-disabled person would never know you can sign up for PWD Club membership,” she said. “I think the club’s outreach and messaging efforts are changing that perception in our modern culture and society. Certainly amongst younger people.”
Once aware, the value exchange may be hard to resist as people tend to feel inclined to spend when they know they’re getting a discount; Quantum Metric has found that around 52% of people will prefer to shop at a retailer that provides regular discounts rather than lower prices. “In the face of tighter budgets and higher prices, there is an interest in ‘What can I do to save money, find savings, and make shopping pay off a little bit better?'” Harvey said. “Loyalty programs and subscription programs are becoming more popular as a way to do that right now, as long as there’s a clear, perceived benefit.”
It’s not just younger and non-disabled consumers who are taking note of the PWD Club these days. Tim Glomb, vp of digital, content and AI at performance marketing company Wunderkind signed up in March shortly after turning 50. He had noticed Billie Eilish on a recent PWD Club magazine cover, and had previously checked out an interview the club conducted with Ben Stiller. “The messaging finally got me,” he said. “The brand is fresh and new.” So far, it’s more than paid for itself. Glomb used the membership when renting a car and received a 35% discount that amounted to roughly $300 in savings.
In a more macro sense, Glomb said the PWD membership spike squares with overall demand for good value exchanges. Discounts on travel and phone plans are likely to appeal to shoppers of all stripes, shapes, or sizes, due to the squeeze of inflation — regardless of any stigma the brand may carry. But beyond that, people are becoming used to the idea of subscriptions thanks to services like Netflix. ”Membership is one of those trends that’s increased,” he said.
Looking ahead, Gendler said that the PWD Club isn’t going to exclude anyone as popularity swells. And that’s by design. Beyond the discount program, the group’s main mission is advocacy for programs intended to support PWDs, but ultimately benefit all of society. The club’s advocacy programs affect many more people than today’s disabled population, like its defense of the Social Security system, or the push for more familial support for unpaid caregivers. “The work we do is ageless and universal,” Gendler said.
