Most medium and large employers run a perks platform that almost nobody opens. It typically carries discounted phone plans, gym memberships, car rental, theme parks and insurance, and it is usually reached through the HR or benefits portal rather than advertised.
The genuinely valuable items are rarely the retail discounts. Tuition assistance, employer retirement matching, commuter benefits taken from pre-tax pay, and an employee assistance programme offering free counselling and legal advice are all worth more than a cinema ticket, and all commonly go unclaimed.
Ask HR for the current benefits summary once a year. Programmes are added quietly and nobody is told twice.
Where to look
- Your HR or benefits portal Start here; the US Labor Department explains the common categories
- Commuter benefits explained IRS guidance on pre-tax commuting and education benefits
Well-known places people commonly use, chosen editorially, not sponsored, no affiliate relationships. Offers, eligibility and amounts change often, so check the current terms on the site itself before counting on one.
How to play it
Most mid-size employers run discount marketplaces: phones, gyms, travel, tickets, insurance. Ten minutes of scrolling finds recurring wins.
Carrier discounts of 10-25% for employees of enrolled companies, checkable with your work email in two minutes.
Insurance-linked wellness money expires unclaimed every December. Ask HR what exists.
Pre-tax transit and parking dollars cut commute cost by your tax rate. Enrollment windows matter.