Planning a getaway can be exciting, but for members of the armed forces, it can also come with unique opportunities for savings. Armed Forces Travel Discounts are a fantastic way for military personnel, veterans, and their families to make their travel dreams a reality without breaking the bank. Among the various options available, American Forces Travel (AFT) stands out as the official online leisure travel platform dedicated to the U.S. military community. This guide dives deep into the world of armed forces travel discounts, with a special focus on how AFT can help you secure the best deals.
What is American Forces Travel and Why is it Your Go-To for Military Discounts?
American Forces Travel (AFT) is not just another travel discount website. It’s the official joint service-owned online leisure travel platform specifically created for the military community. Powered by Priceline, a leader in online travel for over two decades, AFT was established through a partnership between five branches of the U.S. military and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. This collaboration ensures that AFT is uniquely positioned to understand and serve the travel needs of military personnel and their families.
Before AFT, military members often relied on base ticket and tour offices for non-official leisure travel arrangements. AFT modernizes this process, providing a user-friendly online platform where eligible individuals can easily search and book travel deals tailored for them. While numerous websites claim to offer military discounts, AFT’s official status and partnership with Priceline give it a distinct edge in providing genuine and substantial savings.
Key Advantages of Using American Forces Travel for Your Armed Forces Travel Discounts
AFT offers several compelling benefits that make it a preferred choice for armed forces travel discounts:
- Significant Savings: AFT advertises savings of up to 60% on a vast selection of over a million hotel deals across more than 76,000 destinations globally. This extensive network ensures that you have access to discounts wherever your travels may take you.
- Flexible Booking Policies: Understanding that travel plans can change, AFT offers reduced fees for reservation modifications. Flights booked through AFT are cancellable within 24 hours, and post-paid car rentals come with free cancellation. Even pre-paid car rates benefit from cancellation discounts, providing added flexibility and peace of mind.
- Dedicated 24/7 Customer Support: Travel planning and unforeseen issues can arise at any time. AFT provides round-the-clock customer support to assist you with any queries or concerns, ensuring a smooth and stress-free booking experience.
- Supporting Military Morale and Welfare: A portion of the commission from each transaction made on AFT directly contributes to military Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) services and military quality of life programs. By booking through AFT, you are not only saving on your travel but also giving back to the military community.
- Priceline Expertise, Military Focus: While Priceline.com offers deals to the general public, AFT benefits from a dedicated Priceline team that specifically focuses on sourcing the best possible prices for military members. This specialized approach ensures that the discounts offered on AFT are truly optimized for the military community.
- Lowest Price Guarantee: AFT, backed by Priceline’s guarantee, ensures you are getting the best deal. If you find a better price for the same travel arrangements within 24 hours of booking on AFT, Priceline will refund 100% of the price difference. This guarantee provides confidence that you are securing the most competitive rate available.
Who is Eligible to Access Armed Forces Travel Discounts?
Eligibility for American Forces Travel discounts extends to a broad spectrum of the military community, including:
- Active Duty Military and their Dependents: This includes all active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their eligible family members.
- Full-Benefit Retirees and their Dependents: Military retirees receiving full benefits and their dependents are entitled to utilize AFT discounts.
- 100% Disabled Veterans and their Dependents: Veterans with a 100% disability rating and their dependents are included in the eligibility.
- Medal of Honor Recipients and their Dependents: Recipients of the Medal of Honor and their dependents are also eligible for AFT discounts.
- American Red Cross and USA-paid Personnel Serving Outside of the US and their Dependents: This extends to American Red Cross and USA-paid personnel serving overseas, along with their dependents.
- Department of Defense (DOD) Civilians and Non-Appropriated Fund Employees: DOD civilians and non-appropriated fund employees are also granted access to AFT’s discounted travel services.
How to Sign Up and Start Saving with Armed Forces Travel
Getting started with American Forces Travel and accessing your discounts is a straightforward process:
- Visit the American Forces Travel Website: Go to the official American Forces Travel website.
- Click “Get Started”: Locate and select the “Get Started” link on the homepage.
- Verify Military Status: You will be prompted to verify your military affiliation. This involves providing your last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
- DOD Database Verification: The information you provide is securely verified against a Department of Defense database. Importantly, this verification process is handled securely, and your login information is not captured or retained by Priceline or AFT.
- Start Booking and Saving: Once your status is verified, you can begin exploring the wide range of travel discounts and start planning your next trip.
What Types of Travel Discounts Can You Expect from American Forces Travel?
American Forces Travel offers discounts across a variety of travel categories to cater to diverse needs:
- Hotels: Access discounted rates at a vast network of hotels worldwide, with savings potentially reaching up to 60%.
- Flights: Find reduced prices on flights, with the added benefit of 24-hour cancellation flexibility.
- Car Rentals: Secure deals on car rentals, benefiting from free cancellation on post-paid options and discounts on pre-paid rates.
- Travel Packages: Combine flights, hotels, and car rentals into discounted packages for even greater savings and convenience.
- Cruises: Explore cruise options at reduced rates, making dream cruises more affordable.
AFT also has plans to expand its offerings to include discounts on theme parks and other attractions in the future, further enhancing its value to the military community.
Are Armed Forces Travel Discounts on AFT Truly Competitive?
While American Forces Travel offers a compelling platform for military discounts, it’s wise to understand the landscape of travel deals. A review by Military.com in 2019 provided some insights into the competitiveness of AFT’s discounts.
The review indicated that for travel to San Diego, hotel deals on AFT were notably cheaper, ranging from $20 to $50 less than prices found on general travel discount sites. Vehicle rentals also showed savings of $10 to $18 per day. In one specific flight comparison, a round-trip Alaska Airlines flight from Washington, D.C. to San Diego was cheaper on AFT ($323) compared to other sites ($354). However, the review also pointed out that non-stop flights on United Airlines for the same route were found cheaper on other discount travel sites, highlighting the importance of comparison shopping.
The level of hotel discounts can vary depending on the season and room type. A cursory search for Seattle hotels in August showed that AFT prices could be sometimes $10-$20 higher or $10-$30 lower than other discount sites. Interestingly, better discounts seemed to be available for double occupancy rooms compared to rooms for larger groups, suggesting potentially greater savings for couples or smaller travel parties.
Similarly, discounts on car rentals and cruises can fluctuate based on factors like car type, rental duration, season, and cabin type.
The Bottom Line: American Forces Travel is a valuable tool for military personnel seeking travel discounts, but it’s not a guaranteed source of the absolute lowest price in every situation. Like any travel booking, conducting thorough research and comparing prices across multiple platforms, including AFT, remains a prudent approach to ensure you secure the best possible deal.
However, the unique benefits of AFT, including its official status, contribution to MWR, dedicated military focus, and potential for significant savings, make it an essential resource for anyone in the armed forces community planning leisure travel. As AFT continues to grow and expand its services, it is poised to become an even more indispensable platform for armed forces travel discounts. Start exploring American Forces Travel today and unlock the savings you deserve!
