Senior Discounts

We have been here almost a year and have not yet taken advantage of the supposed Ecuadorian senior discounts. Therefore, we post this with a grain of salt as getting correct information is hard to verify. There are a number of websites that state that those people over 65 who have residency are entitled to senior discounts that can be quite substantial. We will look into them one by one in the near future and post our experiences. But, in the meantime, the senior discounts we have heard about are the following:

-          50% off public and private transportation within Ecuador including the Galapagos.

-          50% off tickets to most cultural and sporting events including movies

-          50% off electric and water charges

-          50% off airfare for international travel for round trip tickets offered by Taca, Copa, and AeroGal when purchased here and for flights originating in Ecuador.

-          Free domestic landline telephone service

If all of this is true and the companies involved respect the discounts, there is a huge savings available to those who take the time to follow up. All that will probably be required is to present your cedula (identity card) at the particular company and you will be billed far less than the average citizen.

We have recently heard that, after registering with SRI on Avenida Remigio Crispo, you can submit bi-monthly your facturas (official sales receipts) for the previous two months.  Most retailers will ask you if you want a Factura when you go to pay your bill. SRI will give you a 50% discount on the 12% IVA tax imposed on most sales and then deposit it directly into your bank account. You can submit up to $1560.00 refund per year. Again, we have yet to do this but will apply at SRI very soon as this is too good a deal to pass up.