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Military Discounts


Guest J10B

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Interesting...you say you've been dicking around since Sep trying to get the $450 reimbursed, yet I had the fee waived (and never even billed to my account to begin with) last month. I'm not saying what you were told isn't correct, BUT the vast difference between my situation and yours seems very strange. I think it's worth another call and talking to somebody different. By the way, I also had a different AMEX card waived in Jan as well. I assume you brought up SCRA (which is the keyword for AMEX).

Exactly. Mention SCRA and it should be a 2 minute call.

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I mentioned the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act, which was the predecessor to the SCRA. I'll reattack, see what I can dig up, and will advise.

FYI, I'm a Reservist. The 2 times I had them open a case (Sept and Nov) were during periods of long term Active Duty orders, so it shouldn't have mattered. Thanks for the responses.

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Did you try the link? You can fill out the form online and boom, you're good to go. I had a customer service rep call me the day after I input my data to verify everything. The day after that my fee was waived.

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Here's another plug for the Amex Platinum and Amex Delta Skymiles Platinum especially for those of you that are new hire airline pilots. Nothing beats waiting for your commute home then being able to go to the Skyclub for some free food and drinks before heading home, and it's sure better than the crew lounge. Since separating from AD both of my cards' fees have been waived, and I've still been receiving the companion tickets. I'll let you know if anything changes, but as far as I know, if you're still a reservist you still qualify for the fees being waived.

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  • 1 month later...

WRT SCRA benefits, they apply any time you are on active duty...not just when you are deployed. It seems many folks don't know this...I didn't! If you haven't applied for SCRA benefits with your credit cards, do it today. Many companies (Citibank, Home Depot, Citibank mortgages, Chase, Capital One, and Discover for sure) will refund you any interest you have paid above the SCRA rates...they did it for us going back 10 years! This includes cards that a dependent may have, even if the active duty person is not on the account. An email that was sent around recently:

A SMSgt from AFPC is deploying and found out some info to pass on...

'As I'm preparing to deploy I decided to call my credit card companies to
ask about the Service-members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and I found out
something you all should know, especially our young Airman. Most military
members believe this only applies to them when or while they're deployed, however I
found that to be untrue.

Discover Card, Capital One, and Citibank all explained it to me this way:

Discover Card rate for active duty members is locked in at 5.90% while on
active duty and this include dependents that carry their own card even if
you are not on their account. If you currently have a Discover Card and the
interest rate is higher than 5.90% they will credit or refund you the
difference to include any annual fees (if you have any), accrued interest
fees on purchases, payment fees, penalty fees, and late fees you have paid
since owning their card while on active duty. This rate is also locked in
for up to 1 year after you leave active duty and applies to all accounts with
Discover Card but you have to apply for the benefit in order to receive it.

To apply for Discover Cards program log on to www.discover.com/scra and
request benefits now, I uploaded a copy of my proof of service letter from
vMPF and sent it on-line. My wife mailed a copy of my proof of service
letter and a copy of our marriage certificate to:

SCRA
P.O. BOX 15185
WILMINGTON DE 19850-5185

**(Include a coversheet with your full name, his/her full name, last 4
digits of his/her account(s), last 4 digits of both member SSN).**

Capital One has the same program however the interest rate for Capital One
is 4.00%. Everything else is the same as with the Discover Card to include
your spouse.

To apply for Capital One program log on to www.capitalone.com and search for
SCRA and request benefits, your spouse should mail the following information
to the address below:

(Your Name & SSN, Proof of Service or LES, Spouse full name & SSN, and
account
number)

To:
CAPITAL ONE Attn: SCRA Request
P.O. Box 30285
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0285

Citibank program has an interest rate of 0% for all military members and
dependents even if the spouse is not on your account, they will also credit
or refund you the difference like Discover Card. Citibank includes BestBuy,
Home Depot, Macy, Sears and Zales to name a few; to request this service
from
Citibank for you and your spouse email a copy of your proof of service
letter, full name, and account numbers to www.militaryorders.com you can
call
1-877-804-1082 if you have questions or need to know of other covered
department store cards.

If you own other credit cards you should definitely give them a call to
begin receiving a lower rate and also to possibly receive your credit or
refund, even if you currently have a zero balance you get refunded the
interest you
have paid.'

Chase offers a 4% interest cap while on active duty, $0 fees and late payments, and THEY WILL REFUND past interest that you have paid like the other companies. They want a copy of orders to verify eligibility. Contact their military concierge department at 1-877-469-0110 to apply.

Hope this helps someone!

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Here's another plug for the Amex Platinum and Amex Delta Skymiles Platinum especially for those of you that are new hire airline pilots. Nothing beats waiting for your commute home then being able to go to the Skyclub for some free food and drinks before heading home, and it's sure better than the crew lounge. Since separating from AD both of my cards' fees have been waived, and I've still been receiving the companion tickets. I'll let you know if anything changes, but as far as I know, if you're still a reservist you still qualify for the fees being waived.

I like the way you think. Reading about the card it says to enter the lounge you need the platinum card, and ID and a ticket showing travel that day. What do you do for the ticket?

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Citi only offers SCRA benefits if the account was open before entering Active Duty. Can't speak to Discover. In my opinion, Barclaycard, Capital One, and American Express are your best bets. All waive fees, Barclay gives you 0% APR, and Cap One gives you 4%.

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I like the way you think. Reading about the card it says to enter the lounge you need the platinum card, and ID and a ticket showing travel that day. What do you do for the ticket?

If you're a commuter, the standby ticket works like a charm!

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If you're a commuter, the standby ticket works like a charm!

seriously? I was under the impression they only accept a confirmed ticket, not a standby ticket...especially a NRSA

Edited by tunes
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seriously? I was under the impression they only accept a confirmed ticket, not a standby ticket...especially a NRSA

I'm a NRSA and have never had a problem using Delta's Sky Lounge with my standby seat request. i don't have a card that allows free access (retired, not going to pay the annual fee) but I have bought day passes and just showed my seat request, no issue.

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In response to your search for discounts, US Military Endurance Sports strives to offer current and former members of the armed forces discounts, among other benefits, on a wide array of gear for endurance sports to include bikes, apparel, race reimbursement, coaching etc. But more than the discounts offered is the benefit of being on a team with great camaraderie.

US Military Endurance Sports is currently doing a membership drive to educate like minded individuals on the benefits of endurance sports. We have recently changed our motto to "Fit for Duty, Fit for Life," something every member takes seriously and attempts to embody on a daily basis. Please try to help me get the word out about this remarkable organization that has changed so many lives in the short amount of time since its inception. We currently host fully funded training camps for wounded veterans, and have a diverse team of athletes that support one another on a daily basis. see USMES.org for membership benefits (to include an array of discounts worldwide) and to apply today (open to current and separated members of the military; active, guard and reserve). Tell them Bart sent you.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Based on a friend's recommendation, I took the kids to Johnny Rocket's the other day and got a 50% military discount on all food and beverages. Not sure if it was just my local restaurant, but it might be worth a try at any JRs restaurant. Instead of paying almost $20 for an overpriced, dried out kid's burger meal and two milkshakes, the total was only like $10 instead.

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  • 8 months later...
On April 30, 2015 at 4:07 PM, ihtfp06 said:

Citi only offers SCRA benefits if the account was open before entering Active Duty. Can't speak to Discover. In my opinion, Barclaycard, Capital One, and American Express are your best bets. All waive fees, Barclay gives you 0% APR, and Cap One gives you 4%.

 

 

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Can anyone confirm this? Was thinking about trying for the citi prestige, and probably won't try if I have to pay the annual... Thanks!

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Well where's the fun in that!!

Thanks, I probably will... my Google Kunfu was lacking tonight and I found some places that said yes, most said no.

Big one that said no, http://www.doctorofcredit.com/credit-card-annual-fee-waivers-other-benefits-for-those-on-active-duty/

But I have read that not only will they refund the annual fee (if you take out the account before AD), but they'll cap the interest at 0%... that's a pretty spot on deal if someone can take advantage of it.

Capital One/Chase caps interest at %4

Barclay offers 0% too

 

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I can confirm that it has worked a few times with Amex.  You are supposed to be on active duty to get it, but I periodically get emails from them saying that they did another review of my account and have waived annual fees.  Most of the time I was not on AD but was a Reservist instead.  

Not sure where the section about the account has to have been opened before AD came from.  An AD friend opened an Amex Platinum while on AD and then 4 years later wrote Amex and was given like $2K back in fees.  

Also, Amex has a special section in their Contact Us section specifically for SCRA.  So you don't have to mention it or ask any questions like that web link says.  Basically, under the "reasons why you are contacting us" section, there is a specific dropdown for SCRA relief request.  The only thing is that sometimes it is hard to find that part of the website when you are logged into your Amex account.  It shows up differently for me and for my friend, but you should be able to find the section in the Site Map.  Much easier than calling in.  

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The part about having the account open prior to AD is for citi only I believe...

And chase, but I've heard and am going to test the theory that if you get new PCS orders dated after account opening, they'll accept that.

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The part about having the account open prior to AD is for citi only I believe...

And chase, but I've heard and am going to test the theory that if you get new PCS orders dated after account opening, they'll accept that.

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For citi or chase?

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The part about having the account open prior to AD is for citi only I believe...

And chase, but I've heard and am going to test the theory that if you get new PCS orders dated after account opening, they'll accept that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For citi or chase?

Chase

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On 2/4/2016 at 7:14 AM, JS said:

I can confirm that it has worked a few times with Amex.  You are supposed to be on active duty to get it, but I periodically get emails from them saying that they did another review of my account and have waived annual fees.  Most of the time I was not on AD but was a Reservist instead.  

Not sure where the section about the account has to have been opened before AD came from.  An AD friend opened an Amex Platinum while on AD and then 4 years later wrote Amex and was given like $2K back in fees.  

Also, Amex has a special section in their Contact Us section specifically for SCRA.  So you don't have to mention it or ask any questions like that web link says.  Basically, under the "reasons why you are contacting us" section, there is a specific dropdown for SCRA relief request.  The only thing is that sometimes it is hard to find that part of the website when you are logged into your Amex account.  It shows up differently for me and for my friend, but you should be able to find the section in the Site Map.  Much easier than calling in.  

lucky. I've been trying the past year as a reservist to keep my SCRA stuff with them and it gets denied every time. 

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On 2/3/2016 at 6:27 AM, Tonka said:

Can anyone confirm this? Was thinking about trying for the citi prestige, and probably won't try if I have to pay the annual... Thanks!

Confirmed. Multiple Citi accounts AA exec, plats, premier and prestige. They won't budge.

On 2/5/2016 at 3:48 PM, ihtfp06 said:

And chase, but I've heard and am going to test the theory that if you get new PCS orders dated after account opening, they'll accept that.

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Never thought of this, please follow up and let us know.

8 hours ago, ARIs 'R' Us said:

I'm probably late on this, but in addition to AmEx, I just got the Barclays Southwest Card with 50000 points as the bonus. Barclay was almost as easy as AmEx to waive all fees.

Barclays has a Southwest card? I thought all SWA cards were Chase branded. I can confirm Barclays and Amex waiving annual fees for AD. Barclays goes the extra mile and waives all fees and APR to 0%.

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On ‎2‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 0:55 AM, Tonka said:

Barclay offers 0% too

 

So is this an indefinite 0% APR while on AD or just an intro rate for some period?  I recently got offers from Citi and Bank of America offering 0% for 21 months.  Would think that's hard to beat.

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