The Best Cards for Active Duty Military

There are lots of discounts and perks available to members of the military. Of course, some deals are more well-known than others. However, one of the best travel perks of the military is the ability to obtain top-tier credit cards with all of their benefits and not pay any of the annual fees usually associated with them.

If you are new to active duty, have been on active duty for years, or have been recently activated by either the National Guard or Reserves, this information will benefit you. This dedicated page will cover the current best military credit cards and a bit of background on how you can use these benefits.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Who is eligible?
• The Platinum Card from American Express
• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card
• Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express
• Bottom line

The absolute best military travel credit cards you can get are the high-end premium travel cards from American Express and Chase. These cards offer military service members benefits such as waived annual fees, sizeable welcome point bonuses, access to luxury travel experiences, and recurring annual benefits worth thousands of dollars.

The benefits these credits cards offer active-duty military service members are exceptional. These banks can offer these benefits to service members because of the Military Lending Act (MLA) and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

In particular, Chase and American Express have interpreted these laws and offered fee waivers on most of their personal cards. The fees will still apply for business cards but may still be worth it, depending on your particular situation.  Not only will Chase and American Express waive the annual fees on personal cards for military service members, but they will also waive the fee for your spouse. Thus, they allow you to double up on the offers and benefits while keeping the thousands of dollars in annual fees customarily charged in your pocket.

As an active-duty service member, you now have access to all the perks and benefits of these luxury credit cards, all for no annual fee.  These benefits include thousands of dollars worth of travel credits in the form of free checked bags, free seat assignments, direct credit statements, high-end hotel resort credits, Uber and Lyft rides, UberEats and DoorDash perks, airport lounge access, and much more.

You must meet the conditions listed below for these acts to apply, and they must be active when you first open an account with any bank.  Once you no longer meet the below requirements, such as returning to reserve orders or retiring from service, your accounts will not be eligible under these laws, and the annual fees will resume.

So, who is eligible under the SCRA and MLA?

• Active-duty soldiers of all military branches
• Reserve soldiers on federal active duty
• National Guard soldiers on Title 32 (Federal) orders exceeding 30 days
• Coast Guard personnel on Title 14 orders exceeding 30 days

Additionally, any dependent of the above including:

• Spouse
• Children under the age of 21
• Children under the age of 23 who are enrolled full time at an approved institution of higher learning and dependent (or dependent at the time of the member’s or former member’s death) on a covered member for over one-half of their support

Determining whether you are eligible for these benefits can be a bit tricky.  You want to make sure you can receive all of these benefits before applying for a high-end card with several hundred dollars annual fees.  Luckily, there is an easy and free way to figure it out.  Check out the SCRA and MLA websites to verify eligibility.  If recently placed on orders, you might need to check several times before your eligibility shows up in the databases.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

• $695 annual fee waived for U.S. Military, spouses, and authorized users.
• 100,000 Membership Rewards Points earned with $6,000 spent on the card in the first six months of card membership.
• Earn 10x points on the card at restaurants worldwide and when you “Shop Small” in the U.S., on up to $25,000 in combined purchases, during your first six months of Card Membership.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year to book your hotel through American Express Travel.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: $20 statement credits for the following services: Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, The New York Times.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Monthly Walmart+ membership covered with a statement credit.
• Access to the Priority Pass and The Centurion Lounge Network.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees with one selected airline.
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the U.S.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Receive $25 back each month on Equinox memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card.
• $179 CLEAR Credit: Receive $179 back per year on CLEAR membership.
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance, and more

Chase Sapphire Reserve

• $550 annual fee waived for U.S. Military, spouses, and authorized users.
• 50,000 Ultimate Rewards Points earned with $4,000 spent on the card in the first three months of card membership.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit in statement credit as reimbursement for travel purchases. Through December 31, 2021, gas station and grocery store purchases will count towards your travel credit.
• Earn 10x Ultimate Reward points on hotels and car rentals and 5x on air travel purchased through the Chase Travel Portal after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually.
• Earn 3x Ultimate Reward Points on Travel (Airfare, Hotels, Parking) and Dining (Restaurants, Mobile Delivery apps)
• Access to Priority Pass Lounge Network and select airport restaurant credit ($28 per cardholder +1 guest)
• $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
• Earn 10x on Lyft Rides
• 50% more in travel redemption via Chase Travel Portal.
• Earn 10x total points on Chase Dining
• $120 statement credit on Peloton app workouts and 10x points on select Peloton equipment purchases
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance, and more

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card

• $450 annual fee waived for U.S. Military, spouses, and authorized users.
• Earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points and a bonus free night award with $5,000 in the first three months of card membership. Each bonus Free Night Award has a redemption level of up to 85,000 points.
• Automatic Marriott Gold elite status
• $300 annual statement credit for eligible Marriott purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
• Priority Pass Lounge access with enrollment

Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card

• $550 annual fee waived for U.S. Military, spouses, and authorized users.
• Earn 80,000 bonus miles and 20,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new card in your first three months of card membership.
• Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck
• Receive complimentary Delta Sky Club and Centurion Lounge access when flying Delta on the same day.
• Receive a domestic first-class, comfort+, or main cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal.
• Earn 15,000 MQMs after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, up to four times. You are earning your Medallion Status even quicker.
• Upgrade Priority and Access to Complimentary Upgrades
• 20% Back on in-flight purchases in the form of a statement credit.
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance, and more

Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express

• $450 annual fee waived for U.S. Military, spouses, and authorized users.
• 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points earned with $4,000 spent in the first three months of card membership.
• Instant Hilton Honors Diamond elite status
• 1x Weekend Night Reward every year after renewal
• $250 annual airline fee credit for baggage, change fees, in-flight refreshments
• $250 yearly resort credit for eligible purchases made directly with Hilton Resorts
• $100 Property Credit when booking a 2+ night stay at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels
• Unlimited Priority Pass airport lounge access

The Bottom Line

These may be the “best” credit cards for active-duty service members, but they are only a tiny portion of your travel strategy goals. There are other great credit cards that you should consider obtaining that will allow you to travel more for less money out of pocket. However, these cards offer the most significant value individually from being on active duty orders.  I encourage you to continue reading the articles and videos on this site to understand better how to make your travel goals a reality.

The total value of all of these cards combined exceeds tens of thousands of dollars.  So, capitalize on your military travel perks by signing up for these cards if eligible and hitting the minimum spending for the signup bonus.  Remember to pay off your card each statement in total, and soon you’ll be doing the things you only once dreamed you could afford