During my time during active duty, I’ve tried to take advantage of all of the financial perks of being in the military. Here are my three favorite benefits:
Credit Card Benefits for Military Members
Most credit card companies waive annual fees for military members. I think all military members should have the following three credit cards as a must:
American Express Platinum
- $600 welcome bonus.
- Free yearly $200 in annual Uber credits
- Free yearly $200 airline credit
- Sign up here
American Express Hilton Aspire
- 100,000 point sign up bonus
- One free weekend annual night.
- Free yearly $250 airline credit
- Free yearly $250 resort credit
- Sign up here
Chase Sapphire Reserve
- 50,000k welcome bonus (worth $750 in travel). Free annual $300 travel credit
- Sign up here
Investment Opportunities for the Military Community
You can contribute to BOTH the Roth IRA and the Roth TSP. Both of these allow your money to grow tax-free so that you can keep all your money when you retire.
Roth IRA – up to $5500 every year – I would recommend opening an account with Vanguard and looking to keep things simple just investing in the S&P500.
Roth TSP – up to $18,500 every year
Manage your finances with Personal Capital: I like to use Personal Capital to manage my finances. Personal Capital is similar to Mint.com, but better.
- Right now they have a cool promotion going on where if you sign up and link one investment account they will give you a Free $20 Amazon Gift Card.
Exclusive Deals for Military Members & Veterans
10% Discount at Home Improvements Stores
Both Home Depot and Lowe’s offer a 10% discount for current and retired military members and their families, as well as for veterans. Learn more about these offers here:
Save Big on Microsoft Office 365 and other Microsoft Products
Microsoft Office is one of the most powerful and ubiquitous software suites for on-the-job productivity. And if you’re a current military member, you can save big on your annual Microsoft Office 365 subscription.
You can also save 10% (or more) on purchases from the Microsoft Store, including savings on computers, games, hardware, accessories, and more.
Disneyland and Disney World Military Discounts
Both Disneyland and Disney World offer excellent military discounts, shaving several hundred dollars off the price of a multi-day pass. You can learn more here.