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Hundreds of retailers now offer military discounts to online shoppers. However, retailers want to ensure their “military discount” is, in fact, exclusive to the military community (for obvious reasons). Most retailers have a process in place to verify military status before offering a promotional code or automatically applying a discount to your cart. These include:
Many retailers partner with companies that verify your military status in a matter of minutes, allowing you to complete your discounted purchase in virtually no time at all. Once verified, you will typically receive a unique one-time use promotional code to apply to your cart at check-out. Some retailers will even remember your military status and automatically apply your discount to future purchases . They also help retailers cut down on fraud while increasing reach within the military community. The most commonly used ID verification companies include ID.Me, SheerID, GovX, and VerifyPass.
Click the box below for our guide on the corresponding ID software
Some retailers will ask you to apply for the military discount by completing a form on their website. These application forms typically take about 1-2 minutes to complete and may require additional information or documentation to verify your military status. In most cases, the company will reach out with further instructions once their customer service team has had an opportunity to review and approve your information.
In many cases, you may have to call or email the company's customer service team to access their military discount. This is, of course, the least convenient and most time consuming, but is usually worth it. You may be asked to present additional information to verify your military status.
Some retailers, of course, don’t provide access to military discounts online. In these cases, you’re required to come into the store, theater, park, etc. to redeem your discount. Some retailers only offer a military discount on a specific day of the week or month or at specific locations, so read the fine print! Always be prepared to present some form of identification (e.g., Military ID, Veteran ID, DD214, etc.) to verify your military status.
Many retailers sell their products at a discount through marketplaces that exclusively serve the military community. Examples include the Exchange, GovX, and Provengo.
Pro deals are a great way to score a deep discount on outdoor brands that don’t explicitly offer a “military discount”. Military members often qualify for the discounts these brands offer to outdoor professionals and influencers. In these instances, you must apply for the pro deal through the retailer’s website or with companies that specialize in pro deals such as Outdoor Prolink, ExpertVoice, and Outdoorly.
Some amusement parks and other live entertainment events only provide discounted tickets at U.S. military base ticket offices. Make sure to read the fine print and be prepared when planning a trip to these locations as they do not provide the discount at the gate in most cases.
Some subscription-based services, such as Veteran's Advantage, provide access to discounts that are offered exclusively to their members. However, it's important to note that these exclusive discounts are not offered to the military community for free. Members pay a monthly or annual subscription fee. Before signing up, we urge you to do your research and make sure purchasing a membership makes financial sense for you and your family. Please note that it is our strong belief that you have already paid for "military discounts" with your service to our country. All discounts advertised on Semper Save are freely available to you. We will never ask you to pay for access to military discounts or promote companies that do.
Finally, always check the retailer’s website or contact their customer service team for the most up-to-date information and instructions on how to get the best military pricing for their products. Never send a photocopy of your military and government IDs or common access card (CAC) to verify your military status. Doing so is illegal! (See 18 U.S. Code Section 701). Instead, consider offering to send a copy of recent LES or DD214, .mil email address, APO, FPO, or DPO address, etc. to verify status. Make sure to redact any unnecessary private information before sending photocopies of forms that contain sensitive information.