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Military servicemembers and military spouses enjoy one of the most lucrative credit card protections available: they can receive relief on annual fees on the best travel credit cards and cash back credit cards.
There are over 30 credit cards that may offer annual fee relief to military families.
This means cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card are more accessible to military families!
In this post:
Credit Card Companies that Offer Special Military Protections
Chase
Chase adjusts annual fees on all of their personal cards for active duty military servicemembers and spouses. Note that this does not include business cards.
There are 15 Chase credit cards with a military benefits
- Chase Sapphire Preferred®
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card – Southwest Airlines credit card review
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card – review
- Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card – review
- United Club Infinite Card
- United Explorer Card
- British Airways Visa Signature® card
- Aer Lingus Visa Signature® card
- Iberia Visa Signature® card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card – Hyatt credit card review
- Disney® Premier Visa® Card
- IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card – IHG credit card review
- Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card review
You can read more about the Chase Military Lending Act policy in this article.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining (includes takeout, delivery, and dine-in), select streaming services and online groceries
- 2x points on all other travel purchases
- 1x points on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost – each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year
- No foreign transaction fees, great for overseas OCONUS assignments, TDY, and PCS
- Primary rental car insurance coverage & trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and more.
- DashPass is complimentary which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Upgrade to a Chase Sapphire Reserve after 1 year (compare Reserve vs Preferred)
- $95 annual fee adjusted for military and spouses with Chase Military Lending Act
- Member FDIC
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Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- $795 annual fee adjusted to $0 for US military + spouses with Chase policy
- bonus_miles_full
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠ including The Edit℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
- Get a $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Live the lounge life at over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.
- Up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years which saves you a ton of time
- Up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 – a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
- Learn more in the Chase Sapphire Reserve review
Citi
Citi credit cards adjust annual fees for military personnel and military spouses to $0 to comply with the Citi Military Lending Act.
There are several Citi cards that have annual fees for military:
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou(R) Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 10 points per $1 spent on hotels, car rentals, and attractions through CitiTravel.com
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent at at restaurants and supermarkets
- Earn 3 points per $1 spent on Gas Stations, Air Travel, and Hotels
- 1 point per $1 on everything else
- $100 Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee reduced to $0 for military with Citi military policy
- Citi® Premier Card military benefits
- Citi® Prestige Card
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
- Expedia® Rewards Voyager Card from Citi
U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank adjusts annual fees for active duty military and spouses under SCRA and MLA. This includes the US Bank Altitude Reserve card.
There are 2 U.S. Bank credit cards that adjust annual fees for military:
- U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
- U.S. Bank Flex Perks
Capital One
Capital One will adjust annual fees for active duty military under SCRA only. If you want the annual fee adjustment, you must open the credit card account while you are NOT on active duty, and then apply for SCRA benefits after your active duty orders start.
Check the SCRA database before applying for Capital One SCRA benefits to ensure your fees will be adjusted.
Capital One does NOT adjust annual fees under Military Lending Act. If you open a Capital One card while you are active duty, your annual fees will not be adjusted.
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Learn how to apply at our partner's secure site
- Welcome Bonus Offer: bonus_miles_full
- $300 annual travel credit for hotels, airfare, rental cars, and other travel booked through Capital One Travel portal
- 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary (at least $100 of travel)
- 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. 5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
- Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Receive up to a $120 credit for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
- $395 annual fee, terms apply
- No foreign transaction fees, good for OCONUS military families or TDY servicemembers
- $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- Top rated mobile app
- Read the full Capital One Venture X Rewards card review
Bank of America
Recent data points in 2024 suggest Bank of America is waiving annual fees for military servicemembers under Military Lending Act. The most recent card reported was a Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card with an annual fee adjustment in February 2024.
If you have any more data point on Bank of America MLA fee adjustments, please let us know in the comments.
Credit Card Companies That DO NOT Adjust Active Duty Military Annual Fees
Here are the banks, credit unions, and credit card companies that DO NOT adjust annual fees for military servicemembers for accounts opened AFTER joining active duty military service.
- Barclays
- BBVA
- Discover
- PenFed
- Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU)
- Synchrony Bank
- USAA
- Wells Fargo (Wells Fargo credit card application rules)
All of these companies must comply with SCRA and MLA. However, these companies have decided their policy is to not to adjust annual fees for military servicemembers or spouses.
I'm not a lawyer, but from my reading of the relevant laws it seems that annual fee adjustment is not a requirement. The MLA states that “bona fide and reasonable” fees may be charged. Therefore the companies that do adjust all annual fees for servicemembers and their spouses are going above and beyond.
Why Credit Card Companies Off Special Military Protections
The two relevant laws to this issue are the SCRA or MLA. The SCRA, or Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, is designed to protect SMs from civil suits and financial issues arising from their active duty military service.
The Military Lending Act, or MLA, is a recent law that is designed to prevent predatory lending practices from targeting military servicemembers. It caps the interest rate that any lender can charge military servicemembers at 36% per year.
Note that when I refer to “active duty military servicemembers,” that means anyone on active duty military orders 30 days or greater. So National Guard and Reservists are eligible for these benefits if activated. Save a copy of your orders to provide to the respective company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chase, Capital One, Citi, and U.S. Bank all adjust their personal credit card annual fees for US military servicemembers and their spouses.
There are 2 laws Congress passed to help protect military servicemembers and their families: The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and the Military Lending Act (MLA). The SCRA primarily provides protections for accounts opened before active duty starts. The MLA primarily protects military families for accounts opened while on active duty. Both laws restrict the interest and fees credit card companies may charge military families.
Active duty military servicemembers are protected by the SCRA and MLA laws. The SCRA restricts any debt acquired prior to active duty to 6% interest. The MLA requires no more than a 36% interest rate on all debt acquired during military service.
Yes, Chase adjusts annual fees on all of their personal credit card for active duty military and military spouses to $0.
Citi adjusts the annual fees on all of their personal credit cards for active duty military personnel and their spouses, This includes the Citi Prestige card.
Yes, US Bank adjust annual fees on their credit cards for US military servicemembers and their spouses. This includes the US Bank Altitude Reserve credit card.
Any idea if the Bilt card from Cardless falls in SCRA?
We need some data points. So far, Bilt is saying no annual fee waivers under SCRA or MLA.
Does Bank of America waive fees for military?
If the fee is over $100, yes, Bank of America waives fees for MLA covered borrowers.
If I incur the cards during military service (Chase, US Bank, Citi, or Amex.) Am I still eligible as an active duty member to waive the fees once approved?
Yes under Military Lending Act rules, fees are waived if cards are opened while on active duty.
I am writing to inquire whose responsibility it is to notify of leaving the service. In my case retire. I know people who have retired from the military and are still not being charged an annual fee for the platinum card. I also called and AMEX told me(not sure how official this is) that it would be there responsibility to start charging the fee and no need to notify them. Maybe once retired you stay in the database that they reference to determine military service in the first place?
Any insight or experience you can share is very much appreciated. 8 months out!!
Let them figure it out. They will check MLA and SCRA database. Not your responsibility. Here’s the article I wrote on what to do with your credit cards when you leave the military. Short answer:
1. Keep the card open if you get value from it.
2. Downgrade to lower fee or no fee version
3. close the account. Make sure you keep an older, no annual fee account open so as to not affect your credit score too much
Hello, Can you get the welcome bonus for both the chase preferred and reserve ? Or are they the same family of cards?
Same family, can’t double dip bonus.
Not quite true. You can double dip, you just have to wait the five years as stated in their policy before you can receive the welcome bonus from the second card.
Hello. I am curious how you are receiving all the card sign up bonuses. I received an initial bonus when I opened my AMEX Platinum card and when I later, maybe a year later, opened the AMEX bonvoy and delta cards they said I was not eligible for the sign up bonus and I simply assumed it was because I had another AMEX card and had received a bonus already.
It sounds like you’re stuck in the Amex pop up jail. You are eligible for bonuses on each card. Just wait until you get out of jail before finalizing the application. You don’t want to miss out on these welcome bonuses! Welcome bonuses are the most valuable part of credit cards. See our recent podcast episode #70 for more info.
As a heads-up, you have Capital One Venture X listed as both a card that gets the annual fee waived and one that doesn’t get the fee waived; I imagine that you mean if you got the card before active service it would be waived, but it reads rather confusing.
Capital One is tricky because the annual fee is waived for active duty military servicemembers if you open the account before active duty starts and then apply for SCRA benefits.
The annual fee is not waived under MLA, so if you are already on active duty and you apply for the card the fee will not be waived. The Capital One Venture X Card can still be worth having.
Will Amex waive the Annual fee and initiation fee for the Centurion Black card for Active Duty and spouses?
I have no data points on this but I would love to get one!
My guess is that Amex would waive the annual fee on the Centurion Card for a covered borrower, aka active duty servicemember orb military spouse. But it would be a rare scenario where an MLA covered borrower would qualify for an Amex Centurion Card.
Is it just active duty member or Reservist as well?
Active duty, spouses and dependents of active duty, Guard and Reservists on active duty orders of 30 days or more all qualify for Military Lending Act benefits as covered borrowers. Benefits include annual fee waivers on top cards from Chase, American Express, Citi, U.S. Bank. Check your status in the MLA database before applying.
Lots of Reservists will apply for cards when they are on active orders for 30 days straight after confirming the MLA database has been updated by the personnel office of your respective branch to reflect that you are on active duty and eligible for the MLA benefits.
For a while AMEX was waiving interest on their Personal Loans for AD Military. Do you know if they still are?
No, they are not doing that anymore. See the Amex personal loan for military article.
I don’t think you can use the SAKS credit on gift card unfortunately. I wonder if that is a recent change?
Do you have a recent data point? Recent ones I’ve seen say you still can. I will test it this month at Saks Fifth Avenue NYC.
Does a reservist get any fee waivers?