American Airlines Military Discount Flights – Active, Veterans 10%

American Airlines offers up to a 10% military discount through the Veterans Advantage subscription program. American Airlines also may offer a “military fare” in some markets. You will need to call the reservation line at 800-433-7300 in order to receive the discount.

I recommend skipping Veterans Advantage as you cannot book directly with the airline through that service. Instead, 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.

I have yet to meet anyone who saved more than $50 on an American Airlines flight by calling the reservation line and booking a military fare ticket. If you have an AA military discount success story, please let me know in the comments.

Military discount flights are also offered by United Airlines discount and Delta Airlines discount.

American 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 10% off American Airlines flights and 5% off United Airlines flights.

American Airlines, through Veterans Advantage, offers military discounts of up to 10% on qualifying domestic and international flights as a token of gratitude for service. This discount applies to active-duty members, military retirees, veterans, National Guard members, reservists, and their families if they have a primary VetRewards account.

VetRewards subscribers can buy an unlimited number of discounted tickets for travel on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines. To use the discount, you need to sign up for VetRewards, verify your military eligibility, and use the issued Member ID when booking the flight. The savings are applied automatically, without any need for a government ID card, promo code, or coupon code.

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

The American Airlines / Veterans Advantage discount applies to Premium Economy, First & Business, and Main Cabin flights within the U.S. and from the U.S. to other regions, excluding Basic Economy flights. The savings are applied to the published airfare portion of the ticket, excluding government taxes, fees, or carrier-imposed international surcharges.

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 Credit Cards

Rather than try to score a 10% military discount on your American Airlines flights, I recommend you learn more about military credit card benefits.

For instance, if you book a $1,000 American Airlines flight and get 10% off, you're still spending $900. But with a Military Lending Act annual fee waived credit card, after meeting the minimum spend requirements to earn a welcome bonus, you can book that same $1,000 for 50,000 points + $11 in taxes in fees.

You can earn enough AAdvantage miles or Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book a nearly free flight by opening the right travel rewards credit card.

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

Learn more about your credit card benefits as a “covered borrower” of the Military Lending Act in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course. Over 11,000 graduates have received over $5 million in premium luxury travel card annual fee waivers.

You can get your annual fees waived on high annual fee cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® or The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

The annual fee waiver includes cards like the Citi^® AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^®, which can help you earn enough American Airlines AAdvantage miles to book a free or nearly free flight.

Citi^® AAdvantage^® Executive World Elite Mastercard^®
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• Earn 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage^® bonus miles after making $7,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
• Admirals Club^® membership for you and access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
• Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage^® mile earned from purchases
• First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation

Who is Eligible for the American Airlines Military Discount?

The American Airlines military discount 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 have a valid military ID or dependent ID. Additionally, the discount is applicable not just for the military personnel but also for their family members. This includes spouses and children, provided they have a dependent ID.

What Does the AA Military Discount Include?

Active duty military on orders can get up to 5 free checked bags on American Airlines flights. Even if you are on leave, show your CAC and leave orders and you'll get the free checked bags.

Like most US carriers, American honors US military servicemembers by offering preferred boarding. This can be a nice perk to let you get on early and secure some overhead space for your carry on bag.

For more information on the American Airlines military discount, check out AA.com.