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The Military Star Card is a store credit card offered exclusively to military personnel and their families that can only be used at shops, stores, and food establishments run by AAFES, NEX, or the MCX.
In this post:
Where Can I Use My Military Star Card
The Military Star Card is restricted to use only at base or post facilities. It can be used at any shops, stores, and food establishments run by AAFES, NEX, or the MCX.
This location restriction makes this credit card extremely weak compared to other credit cards available to military families. For example, you cannot use the Military Star Card online, other than shopmyexchange.com, myNavyExchange.com, and ShopCGX.com.
If you compare the Chase Freedom Flex℠ Credit Card vs. the Military Star Card, you can see how weak the Military Star Card is:
Chase Freedom Flex℠ Credit Card
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- Earn $200 cash back (20,000 Ultimate Reward points) when you spend $500 in 3 months
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through the Chase Travel℠ portal
- 3% on dining at restaurants, takeout, and delivery
- 3% back on drugstore purchases
- 1% back on all other purchases
- 5% on up to $1,500 of purchases in specific bonus categories each quarter
- No annual fee
- Compare the Chase Freedom Flex vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited
Premium travel rewards credit cards such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card waive the annual fees for military servicemembers and military spouses.
Learn more about how to maximize your military credit card benefits granted to you by the Military Lending Act (MLA) and Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course. Over 8,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve, and military spouses have graduated from this 100% free course.
Military Star Card Benefits
There are a few benefits of the Star Card. These include:
- No annual fee
- Earn 2x points per dollar spent and redeem 2000 points for a $20 gift card
- 10% off food court purchases
- 5 cents off per gallon of fuel purchases at exchange
- 0% interest on military clothing purchases
No Annual Fee
The Military Star Card has no annual fee. While this is a decent benefit, all American Express and Chase credit cards also waive the annual fees for military and military spouses.
That means you can get much better cards, like the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express. The annual fee on this card is waived for military and spouses and you can earn 6% cash back on US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year (then 1% after that). Most OCONUS Commissaries also count as US supermarkets.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
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- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95* See more details about American Express protections for you and your spouse
- Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
- 6% cash back on US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year (then 1%), including most OCONUS Commissaries
- 6% cash back on select US streaming services, including Apple Music, Netflix, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Prime Video (full list here)
- 3% cash back on transit like taxis, Uber, Lyft, parking, tolls, trains, buses, etc
- 3% cash back on US gas stations (including OCONUS NEX or AAFES)
- 1% back on other eligible purchases
- Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
- Get $84 Disney Bundle Credit! With your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred Card, spend $9.99 or more each month on an auto-renewing Disney Bundle subscription, to receive a monthly statement credit of $7. Valid only at Disney Plus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.
- Terms Apply
Military Star Card Reward Points
You can earn 2 points per dollar spent and then redeem 2000 points for a $20 Exchange gift card.
Despite the benefits of this card, there are much better credit cards available to military servicemembers and military spouses. Many of these cards charge no annual fee or waive the annual fee for active duty and spouses married to active duty troops.
10% Off Food Court
When you use your Military Star Card at Exchange Restaurants, you get 10% off all purchases.
5¢ Off Per Gallon of Gas at Exchange Gas Stations
Anytime you buy gas on base with your Military Star Card, you can get 5 cents off per gallon. However, when gas costs more than $2 per gallon, you are better off using a 2% cash back credit card like the Citi® Double Cash Card or the Chase Freedom Flex℠ Credit Card, which often offers 5% cash back on gas station purchases.
Citi® Double Cash Card
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- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
- To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
0% Interest on Military Clothing
When you purchase clothing on base at the Military Clothing Shop, you do not need to pay interest as long as you make 12 minimum monthly payments.
All active-duty Soldiers, Airmen and Marines, as well as Guard and Reserve members can now purchase up to $1,000 in qualifying merchandise on their MILITARY STAR® Military Clothing Plan interest free
10% or 15% Off First Day Purchases
All Military Star Card holders can get 10% off on all of your first day purchases. But, every 2-3 months there is a 10-14 day promotion period where new Military Star accounts can save 15% off all first day purchases.
Things to note about the First Day Promotion:
- You can apply for the Star Card any time. Your First Day Promo doesn't start until you make a purchase.
- Your First Day Promotion starts the day you make your first purchase of any kind, and ends at 2400 the same day.
- If you open your SC in anticipation of a 15% First Day Promo, make sure you do not use it for anything until you are within the specified dates for the 15% off First Day Promo.
Is the Military Star Card Worth It?
In general, no, the Military Star Card is not worth it. There are much better credit cards available to military servicemembers and military spouses.
If you are considering opening a Military Star Card, I recommend you first check out the best credit cards for military servicemembers and military spouses. Don't waste a credit card application on a less than useful card like the Military Star Card!
You should also check out the best credit card bonuses available this month. There are usually some fantastic deals available that allow you to earn an effective 20% or more cash back on purchases after you meet the required minimum spend.
How to Apply for Military Star Card
The MILITARY STAR card and its benefits are exclusively available to military personnel and their families, DoD Civilians, Purple Heart recipients and Disabled Veterans and Veterans who received an Honorable or general under Honorable conditions discharge have online shopping privileges.
You can apply for a Military Star Card at the myECP website.
Military Star Card Credit Limit Increase
If you want to request a Military Star Card credit limit increase, I recommend you call the toll free number at 1-877-891-7827. You may need to have your credit checked before you are approved for a credit limit increase.
Military Star Card Login
You can find the Military Star Card login at the myECP website.
Military Star Card Phone Numbers
Exchange Credit Call Center Telephone Numbers
| CONUS (includes Alaska & Hawaii) | 1-877-891-7827 |
Toll Free Numbers
| BELGIUM | 0800-1-6374 |
| CRETE | 00-800-18092003452 |
| GERMANY | 0800-812-4690 |
| GUAM | 1-800-546-7195 |
| ITALY | 8008-72683 |
| JAPAN | 00531-11-4239 |
| KOREA | 00308-130663 |
| NETHERLANDS | 0800-022-9614 |
| NORWAY | 800-14-199 |
| SPAIN | 900-971-394 |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 0800-96-1843 |
Collect Numbers
| ICELAND | 214-465-6030 |
| SAUDI ARABIA | 214-465-6030 |
| TURKEY | 214-465-6030 |
Fax: 214-465-2997
The Military Star Card address is:
Exchange Credit Program
P.O. Box 650410
Dallas, Texas 75265-0410
www.MyECP.com
Military Star FAQ
No, the Military Star Card is not really worth it. There are much better credit cards out there that offer better rewards, benefits, and welcome bonuses after you sign up for the card and meet the minimum spending requirement.
You can use your Military Star Card at any AAFES, MCX, NEX store like the PX, BX, NEX, Class Six, mini-marts, food courts, and uniform shops. You can also use the card online at shopmyexchange.com and mynavyexchange.com.
The Military Star Card is a store credit card. It is NOT a debit card. You must make payments on the card from your checking account like a credit card.
The Military Star Card phone number is 1-877-891-7827 from the US.
You can call the Military Star Card phone number at 1-877-891-7827 to request a credit limit increase.
There was a trick years ago where you could get the 2x points for on-base purchases and then use the USAA Amex card to pay off the balance for 5% back, making base purchases effectively 7%. I am unsure if it still works; I have been out for a while now.
I just realized that there is no way to get an itemized list of what you bought with the Military Star Card. I even called and asked for them to print out one purchase of a set of headphones that had a short in it. I had saved the receipt but couldn’t find it. They told me they would email it to me and then emailed that they couldn’t find it. If I had used Discover, I could have proven that I had bought them at the PX.
The military star card. Was the worst card company I ever dealt with in my entire life. I canceled my account two months after receiving it because of their screw ups.
Concur with Thomas’ comments. The “military” or who ever owns this has no business being in the credit card business. In 40 years of having credit cards I have spent more time unscrewing my Military Star Card account in 30 days than I have had to do with other cards in my life. The website is horrible. The accounting is horrible. Even the automated recordings you get on the phone when calling them are incorrect. I disputed a charge with all documentation required to explain the mistake and still ended up paying for the product because they have 90 days to answer your request. The fact that the military exchanges advertise this card is a huge mistake. I can not imagine the issues some young service person has with this pain in a$$ card.