Finding easy ways for military families to save money.
Saving money can be a challenge in today’s economy—particularly for military families. But military families have a secret weapon that the average American family doesn’t have--a U.S. military ID card. More than just an identification document, it's also a great way to save money on shopping, travel, entertainment, education, personal financial help and more according to Military Money® magazine. And Military.com lists over 700 companies that thank the military for serving our country by offering discounts on products and services ranging from computers and airline tickets to jewelry, clothing and books.
Here’s just a few of the many ways military families can make their money worth more by using their military status and military ID card.
Movie, Concert, Zoo, Sport, Theme Park and Museum Discounts: Visit the Information Office before paying full price at the ticket counter. Many entertainment venues offer discounted tickets with a military ID card.
Hotel Accommodations/Car Rental: When making reservations, always ask the hotel representative if they offer military discounts or Government Rates for Federal Employees. Also, seek out Military Lodges and temporary housing that offer rooms for less than $100 per night to military service men and women and their families. Many of the rooms include kitchen facilities that can help save money on meals. Many car rental companies offer special rates to military personnel at the time a car rental reservation is made – some may also offer additional savings for those military personnel being or returning from deployments.
Income Tax Assistance: Visit your base, post Staff Judge Advocate’s Office (JAG) or your local VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) office, which may be able to prepare and electronically submit taxes for military personnel at no charge. For military families who use public tax preparation services, be sure to ask about military discounts.
College Education: Many colleges and universities offer Military Tuition Scholarships, which discount the credit hour cost for its courses to the same amount that is reimbursed through the Military Tuition Assistance Program. This allows undergraduate students with a military record the ability to obtain a bachelor's degree with no out-of-pocket cost.
Deployment-Related Expenses: Mobilization or deployment can create a variety of unexpected expenses. For the first time, the U.S. Postal Service is offering discounted postage to FPO and APO addresses. The new Priority Mail Flat Rate Box (12" X 12" X 5.5") can be sent domestically for $12.95. When sent to an FPO or APO address, the cost is $10.95 regardless of weight. Communicating with family and friends can get expensive, so consider e-mail rather than phone calls or try a VoIP service such as Skype to avoid costly long-distance and international calls.
Retail Stores Off Base: When shopping off base, make sure you ask if they offer military discounts. National retail chains like Home Depot, Lowe’s, McDonald's, Kmart, Walgreen's and Apple offer various discounts to military personnel and their families when a Military ID is shown.
Shop at Military Exchanges and Commissaries*: According to MilitaryMoney.com, single service members save an average of $1,000 each year, while a family of four saves at least $3,000 just by shopping at the commissary.
Take advantage of a free Discover® Card Military Promotion
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, Discover Cardmembers will automatically receive double cash rewards (Cashback Bonus) or double Miles when they use their Discover Credit Card at worldwide military base commissaries or exchanges and online exchange stores for product and service purchases, including:
- Clothes, shoes, accessories, computers, electronics, furniture, appliances, jewelry, music, books, video rental and movies, sporting goods, baby items and toys, cosmetics, perfume and beauty supplies
- Telecommunications, dental, optical, hair care, barber shops, laundry, dry cleaning, photography, film developing, car repair, gas stations and auto parts
- Fast food and restaurants, hotels and lodging, tickets and travel, entertainment, theme parks and activities
- Grocery and convenience stores
Discover Card believes that consumers should be armed with the information they need to make informed financial decisions.
Click here for more information about the Discover Card Military Promotion
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*Access to U.S. Military Bases is at the discretion of each base individually where Discover Cards are accepted. Base Exchanges (BX) on Air Force bases, and Post Exchanges (PX) on Army posts are operated by the Army and Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) and include the catalog and online store at aafes.com.
Navy Exchanges (NEX) on Navy installations are operated by the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) and includes the catalog and online store at www.Navy-nex.comm.
Marine Corps Exchanges (MCX) on Marine Corps installations are operated by the Marine Corps Community Service (MCCS) and includes the catalog and online store at www.usmc-mccs.org.
Coast Guard Exchanges (CGX) include the DHS Exchange Online at cg-exchange.com.
