MLA Database – Military Lending Act 2023

The Military Lending Act or MLA database is a Department of Defense Manpower website that allows consumers, banks, credit card companies, and other lenders to verify if a consumer is a “covered borrower” as defined by the Military Lending Act of 2006.

You can access the Military Lending Act website at https://mla.dmdc.osd.mil/mla/

The Military Lending Act protects servicemembers, spouses, and dependents from certain lending practices, such as charging more than 36% annual interest on loans.

Some credit card companies and banks waive annual fees on their credit cards to comply with the strict rules of the MLA law.

Learn more about getting your annual fee waivers on Chase and American Express cards in the podcast episode below or in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course.

You may use the MLA database to look up your record, a spouse's record, or a dependent's record.

The Defense Manpower Data Center will verify an individual's covered borrower status by verifying if the social security number provided is on active duty, a spouse of an active duty servicemember, or a dependent of an active duty servicemember.

For National Guard and Reservists, if you are on 30+ day active duty orders you should be in the MLA database and should be covered borrowers. Your spouses should also be covered borrowers while you are on active duty orders.

The text you want to see when you pull an MLA report is:

“Based on the information you provided, DMDC does possess information indicating that the individual is either on active duty for more than 30 days or a family member of a service member on active duty for more than 30 days based on the Status Inquiry Date.”

Military Lending Act Credit Cards

Many banks and companies choose to waive annual fees for MLA covered borrowers. This makes compliance with the law easier for them. There are many credit cards that waive annual fees for military. I listed some of the best below.

Amex MLA Database

American Express waives annual fees on their cards for covered borrowers such as military servicemembers members on active duty orders and their spouses.

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

• Annual fee of $695 waived for US military personnel and spouses
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $6,000 on 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 Hotel Credit: Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card^®.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 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: Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM, The New York Times, and other participating providers. Enrollment required.
• $200 Uber Cash: Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on Uber Eats and rides
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at 1 qualifying airline
• $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, can be used for gift cards, enrollment required
• 40 Centurion Lounges and 1200+ Priority Pass airport lounge access for free
• $189 CLEAR® Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR® lanes available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your membership when you use your Card.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back each year on an Equinox+ subscription, or any Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card. Enrollment required. Learn more.
• $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.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Heavy metal card that looks and feels really cool. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card^®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express – learn how to apply
• Read my full review of the Amex Platinum card for military, terms apply

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

• $250 Annual Fee waived for US military and spouses
• Earn 60,000 Membership Reward^® Points after spending $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card in the first 6 months of Card Membership
• Earn 4x points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the US
• Earn 4x points on US supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1x points) – includes OCONUS Commissaries
• Earn 3x points on flights booked directly with the airline or on amextravel.com
• No foreign transaction fees – great for the 4x on restaurants when travelling 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.
• $120 per year Dining Credit: Earn up to $10 per month in statement credits when you use your Amex Gold at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Molk Bar, and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Choose between the Gold or Rose Gold version when you apply.
• Read my full review of the Amex Gold card for military, terms apply

Chase MLA Database

Chase also waives annual fees for covered borrowers like active duty military servicemembers and their spouses.

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

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards^®
• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal
• 3x points on dining (includes takeout, delivery, and dine-in)
• 2x points on all other travel purchases
• Points can also be redeemed with “Pay Yourself Back” for 1.25 cents each on eligible purchases in select, rotating categories
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards(R). For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• No foreign transaction fees, great for overseas OCONUS assignments, TDY, and PCS
• Primary rental car insurance coverage & trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• 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, 2024.
• Upgrade to a Chase Sapphire Reserve after 1 year (compare Reserve vs Preferred)
• $95 annual fee waived for military and spouses with Chase Military Lending Act
• Member FDIC

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. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards portal
• $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 Chase Ultimate Rewards^® 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 the Chase travel portal are worth 1.5 cents, a 50% bonus.
• 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
• Learn more in the Chase Sapphire Reserve review

How to Use the MLA Database

You can run a search for you or your spouse by selecting “single record request.” You will need to create a free account.

You will need your Social Security Number (SSN), birthday, and at least your last name.

If you are having issues with the MLA database, make sure your information is correct in DEERS. Double check birthdays, SSNs, and spelling of names.

FAQ