Military Academy MLA Benefits Explained | Cadets + Midshipmen

Military academy cadets and midshipman are eligible to have Military Lending Act or MLA benefits applied to their credit card accounts. This is a recent change to American Express and Chase MLA rules based on a Federal Register notice of database update published in February 2022.

I have received multiple datapoints confirming that West Point, Air Force Academy, Annapolis Naval Academy, and Coast Guard Academy cadets and midshipmen are getting their annual fees waived on cards such as The Platinum Card^® from American Express, American Express^® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® Card.

You should check the MLA database to confirm you are eligible for the benefits as a “covered borrower.” Always check the MLA database before applying for a credit card if you are a military cadet or midshipmen to confirm you are correctly listed as eligible for MLA benefits. If you are not listed in the MLA benefits, correct the issue with your personnel office before applying for the card.

American Express, Chase, Citi, and US Bank interpret the MLA laws the same for all covered borrowers. Academy cadets and midshipmen receive the same military annual fee waiver benefits as active duty military personnel and military spouses.

I recommend starting with my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, which will walk you through step by step on how to maximize your military credit card benefits. You can earn free flights, free hotel and resort stays, and pay no annual fees. We have had over 9,000 graduates of the course since 2018.

When your ready to open up credit cards, you can start with my optimal order of cards to open in the best credit cards for military article. Or check out the best credit cards for military academy cadets and midshipmen.

You can't go wrong with The Platinum Card® from American Express or Chase Sapphire Reserve^® Card. Both cards waive the annual fee for active duty military and military spouses.

The Platinum Card^® from American Express
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• $695 annual fee.* See more details about military protections for you and your spouse 
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
• Earn 5x points on airfare booked directly with airline or on amextravel.com up to $500,000 per calendar year
• Earn 5x points on prepaid hotels at amextravel.com
• $200 Annual Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. Note that The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month when you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card^® at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $200 Uber Cash: Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on Uber Eats and rides every year. Only available to the basic card member, Terms Apply
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at 1 qualifying airline
• $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• This is a MAJOR time saver–$100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA PreCheck® official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®! Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Complimentary access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection® lets you visit more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting. You can love the lounge life with more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax.
• Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, enrollment required
• No foreign transaction fees
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express – learn how to apply
• Read my full review of the Amex Platinum card for military, terms apply

Chase Sapphire Reserve^® Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• $550 annual fee waived to $0 for US military + spouses with Chase MLA policy
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually.
• 3x Points on other Travel (airfare, hotels) after earning the $300 travel credit
• 3x Dining restaurants, takeouts, delivery
• Chase Ultimate Reward Points redeemed through Chase Travel℠ are worth 1.5 cents, a 50% bonus.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
• Priority Pass lounge and restaurant access with over 1300+ airport lounges worldwide
• Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry every 4 years
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Primary coverage with Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• No foreign transaction fees, Member FDIC
• Learn more in the Chase Sapphire Reserve review

Cadets and midshipmen at all the military academies are eligible for MLA benefits now:

• United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York
• United States Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland
• United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in New London, Connecticut
• United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York
• United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Military Lending Act for Academy Cadets and Midshipmen

The Military Lending Act is a federal law that provides certain consumer credit protections to members of the armed forces and their dependents. These members and dependents are labeled as “covered borrowers.”

The MLA was enacted by Congress in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in Fiscal Year 2013. The law limits the amount of interest that can be charged to covered borrowers to 36% per year.

The practical implications of the law is that, if you are correctly listed in the MLA database as as covered borrower, then your annual fees will be waived on certain credit cards.

These cards include all personal cards from American Express, Chase, Citi, and US Bank. Note that you must be in the MLA database and listed as covered borrower at the time of your application for a line of credit or you will not get your annual fees waived. Here is a list of the best credit cards for military servicemembers and military spouses.

Military Academy MLA Update 2023

This MLA update is a recent change: it was published in the Federal Register Dec 27, 2021 and implemented in 2022.

This update adds cadets and midshipmen attending Military Service Academies of the Armed Forces, who are covered borrowers under the MLA, to the population of covered borrowers identified in the MLA database, thereby correcting an error in the database's original development.

Document Number 2021-28034

American Express^® Gold Card
Learn how to apply on our partner's secure site

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
• 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year- includes OCONUS Commissaries
• 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
• 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
• 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees – great for the 4x on restaurants when traveling for fun, OCONUS TDY, or PCS!
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Amex Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 annually.
• $84 Dunkin' Credit: You can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.
• $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment required.
• Go explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property.
• Read my full review of the Amex Gold card for military, terms apply
• $325 Annual Fee* See more details about American Express protections for you and your spouse 

Bottom Line

Now confirmed by multiple data points, this MLA update is real. Military academy cadets and midshipmen can open premium travel rewards and cash back credit cards with no annual fees.

I recommend starting with my list of the best credit cards for military and working through that list. You can sign up for my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course. I've trained over 10,000 military and military spouse graduates how to maximize their military credit card benefits and earn free airfare, hotels, and lots of other goodies.

The big catch here if being able to meet the minimum spend requirements in the allotted time. If your natural spending is lower than the minimum spend requirement, then wait until you commission to open up these premium cards.

A good time to potentially open the credit cards would be right before or after commissioning. The cards could provide travel rewards points to travel the world before reporting to active duty. You could also use the expenses of your first PCS to meet the minimum spending on the card.

Before you go, check out the best credit cards for cadets and midshipman.