The United Airlines Military Discount is offered through Veterans Advantage and is 5% off a full priced fare. On a $1,000 ticket, you'll save $50. That's nice to have, but I think it doesn't go far enough.

Rather than saving just 5%, I recommend focusing on earning free flights with points and miles through annual fee waived premium travel rewards credit cards. You can learn more about this strategy in my free Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course.

For instance, the annual fee is waived on the United Club^℠ Infinite Card for active duty, guard and reserve on 30 day or longer orders, and military spouses of any of the above.

These folks are known as “covered borrowers” of the Military Lending Act and receive special handling from the credit card companies, including annual fee waivers on all personal cards.

United Club^℠ Infinite Card
Learn how to apply at our partner's secure site

• Earn 80,000 bonus miles +1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases including tickets, Economy Plus®, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United charges.
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining including eligible delivery services
• Earn 500 Premier qualifying points for every $12K you spend on purchases, up to 8,000 PQP in a calendar year.
• Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® fee credit
• Free first and second checked bags – a savings of up to $320 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
• Member FDIC

Learn more about the American Airlines Military Discount, the Delta military discount, or military discount flights in general.

United Airlines Veterans Advantage

Veterans Advantage is a subscription service that negotiates military discounts with corporations. They charge $9.99 per month or $59.95 per year for the VetRewards program, which offers 5% off United Airlines flights.

United Airlines is offering a 5% discount to Veterans Advantage members enrolled in VetRewards. The discount is applicable to Economy, First, Business, and Premium Economy Class tickets on United-operated flights. There are no blackout dates, and members can redeem an unlimited number of discounted tickets throughout the year.

The discount is valid for travel within the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe. To use the discount, members need to use their VetRewards Travel Code when purchasing tickets on United.com.

Additionally, members can earn MileagePlus points by enrolling in United's loyalty program and traveling with their discounted tickets. The discount applies to the published base fare and not to taxes, fees, or surcharges.

If you are active-duty personnel traveling on official government orders, you might qualify for additional United Airlines military perks like free bags.

Enroll with Veterans Advantage and you will immediately receive a 10-digit travel discount code that can be used to book your United travel. You can enter your unique 10-digit code in the “Offer Code” section whenever you book at united.com.

Family members traveling together need to book separate reservations using their unique Member IDs to get the discounted fare. American Airlines will link the tickets of family members traveling on the same itinerary if needed. Currently, family members must be 16 years or older to book a discounted ticket, with the inclusion of those under 16 years of age coming soon.

Military Travel Hacking

Rather than chasing a minor military discount on your United Airlines flights, I suggest you delve into the sphere of military travel hacking. By choosing the right travel rewards credit card, you can accumulate enough MileagePlus miles or Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book a free flight.

If you are an active duty, Guard or Reserve on orders for 30 days or longer, or a military spouse listed in the Military Lending Act database, you can have your annual fees waived on all personal credit cards from major providers like American Express, Citi, US Bank, and Chase.

You can learn more about your credit card benefits as a “covered borrower” under the Military Lending Act in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course. Over 11,000 graduates have benefitted from more than $5 million in premium travel card annual fee waivers.

Annual fees can be waived on high fee cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® or The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

This waiver includes cards like the United Club^℠ Infinite Card, which can help you accumulate enough United MileagePlus miles for a free or nearly free flight.

United Club^℠ Infinite Card
Learn how to apply at our partner's secure site

• Earn 80,000 bonus miles +1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases including tickets, Economy Plus®, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United charges.
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining including eligible delivery services
• Earn 500 Premier qualifying points for every $12K you spend on purchases, up to 8,000 PQP in a calendar year.
• Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® fee credit
• Free first and second checked bags – a savings of up to $320 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
• Member FDIC

Who is Eligible for the United Airlines Military Discount?

The United Airlines military discount, while not commonly used, is available to active-duty members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard. This discount also extends to military veterans, retirees, and dependents of active military personnel.

To qualify, you must hold a valid military ID or dependent ID. In addition, the discount is applicable not only for the military personnel but also for their family members, including spouses and children, as long as they have a dependent ID.

What Does the United Military Discount Include?

Active duty military personnel on orders can get up to 5 free checked bags on United Airlines flights. Even if you're on leave, just present your CAC and leave orders, and you'll be granted the free checked bags.

For more information on the United Airlines military discount, you can check out United.com.

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