Military discount thread (MERGED) Please post all discounts here!

momm · 1 July 2008 at 3:10PM

We've just come back from Florida and the number of military discounts available are unbelievable. Seaworld offer free admission to serving personnel and their families - this is a huge amount of money considering it costs about £35 per person for a day ticket. Nike stores give discount, Calvin Klein and lots more but not many display the fact they offer discount so do not be afraid to ask. We always book everything seperately and not through Forces Discount book as it is possible to find cheaper yourself.

SCRIBES · 2 July 2008 at 4:53PM

What ID did you take with you? I'm ex Matelot and don't

have any veteran cards etc??

donaldson803 wrote: »

Am ex military and have visited florida a number of times. Be sure to take your ID. You can get 1 free entry for you and 3 family members to SEAWORLD in any year, by going to the special forces gate to the left of the main entrance.

In addition the US forces have their own hotel on Disney called Shades of Green, they have a recreation office there where they can get discounted tickets. I have used this in the past but it has been a while ago.
You may be better to just use the internet to see who is the cheapest attraction ticket provider.

Many shops in the US will give military discount on showing a valid id, always ask.

As for the flight, some of the operators offering military discounts still work out dearer. Try using travelsupermarket.com site to compare. Also Travelcitydirect have competitive prices.
Have a great time

cammysmum · 3 July 2008 at 9:01PM

We're just back from Disneyworld last week. My dh is posted in the States just now so we both have American military ID cards and were pretty pleased with the discounts we got.

We didn't stay at Shades of Green because it was way more expensive than so many good hotels that were not on Disney property. We stayed at the Best Western Lakeside in Kissimmee - 10 minutes drive from Disney, it was a nice hotel booked through www.skoosh.com (which is American but I don't see why anyone couldn't use it, I think they have a European site too) and it cost us $400 for a week. That 200 quid for a family of 4! It was nothing luxurious, but perfectly nice, (no 3 favourite hotel on Trip Advisor), a good bargain.

We went to get our Disney tickets at SOG, and paid $591 for a 4 day/4 park ticket. That meant we could visit a park a day, come and go as we pleased - you can get any number of days and the price only increases slighty the more days you want. You can also go back to their office and pay the difference to get extra days. I don't think the savings were all that monumental, maybe about $60 all in, but everything helps when you're there!

We got into Seaworld for free but TBH I don't know if that's down to our American IDs. Eating out is cheap , there are tons of all-you-can-eat buffets - Sizzler for instance is $10 each and it's a pretty good selection. Their breakfasts were only $5 each and great! You can pick up discount books everywhere which give you plenty of vouchers (Americans love vouchers and everywhere expects them so don't be too proud to use them!) for discount eating.

Try www.mousesavers.com - it's pretty comprehensive and has a section for military discounts.

Oh, and bring cagouls - it pours down every day like you wouldn't believe!

fruitbat_2 · 9 July 2008 at 9:31AM

Marker wrote: »

What about a Dependencies card, do they work in the same way?

If you mean a dependents card, yes mine does - in Blacks and Millets, the cinema (ours was a Vue last time I went). I think if you look as though you're expecting it to be accepted, it will be, as a lot of staff won't know what they're looking for.

fruitbat_2 · 9 July 2008 at 9:44AM

We've got discounted car hire from Hertz in Australia twice. The first time was fairly straightforward, perhaps because one of our ships was in Sydney and I think the embassy had set some things up in advance (special hotel rates etc.) Earlier this year in Brisbane they weren't too sure whether we were eligible (Aus forces have their own discount) but they put in some code or other which massively reduced the daily excess charge, which was fine by us. So it's always worth asking!

purplepixi · 9 July 2008 at 9:59AM

My appologies if this has already been posted.

However, the forces discount brochure doesn't contain all the people that do military discount, it's only generally the companies that have paid to be included.

My advice would be to take you're ID everywhere you do, and just ask. This applies for dependates and civilians with military ids (the ones for on site workers).

The worse that's going to happen is they'll say no and look at you kind of funny. If you don't ask, you won't know.

The burtons group (Dorothy Perkins, Burtons mens wear etc), do military discount, just like the student discount, just present your card. As do Pizza Hut.

If you stop at a MOTO service station, in your uniform and you're a duty driver, you are entitled to a free meal (best bet is to go into Burger King in the Moto services, but the Cafe will give you free food too).

There are many things that you can get that are often not talked about, or are kept very close to the belt (I used to be a military clerk, and we used to be told in training, not to disclose financial benefits unless the person came and asked about it - although I don't think they do that any more:eek: ).

With reference to the orginal poster and their holiday, I have heard of people using the Hotel Booking Service to get discounted entrance fees for American attractions, I haven't got the number, but you're station admin section should have the number, as they use it to book dets that need extra accomodation etc.

And just a quicky, free stuff - if you're in the military, people love to sponsor you. If you're in a team, going on an exped, or just doing a charity event, contact local businesses, and even big businesses and ask for sponsorship, you'll have free t-shirts, hats, stationery and all sorts coming out of your ears!!

dazzywazzy · 9 July 2008 at 1:08PM

I'm off to Hawaii in October, and rather than pay the mad fees thru expedia or travel agents, contacted the hotel directly, and made a massive saving. On top of that, if you inform them you are HM Forces, you get further discounts, and or room upgrades, so find the hotel you want, then contact them directly is my advice.

SCRIBES · 23 July 2008 at 3:15PM

Hi, I'm ex matelot and want to book flights with Thomas Cook to Florida. I know that Virgin give discounts to ex-service/Veterans quoting "MOD". Do Thomas Cook do the same for ex-service? I've found out that TC will give 6% off if you have a British Veterans Card (£27.50). As someone else on the forum previously said "why should we have to pay to prove we are a veteran".

cocksy_boy wrote: »

Yeah - we got a 10% discount from Virgin, which is great!

Originally Posted by Shined!!!2

We're looking to go to Florida over Christmas.

Thomas Cook offer between 5-8% forces discount, but we found the best deals from Virgin Holidays. If you quote 'MOD' I think you can get up to 10%.....

..... I'll let you know how we get on when we book ours

Angiep_2 · 28 July 2008 at 4:32PM

10% discount on our site www.lanzarotelates.com for renting villas in Lanzarote, same discount applies to Police, Firefighters, Nurses

barrybuden · 31 July 2008 at 12:56PM

Cotswold on Boucher Road Belfast will give you a 20% discount if your in the forces.

Military discount thread (MERGED) Please post all discounts here!

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