How To Register As A Veteran For Exchange Priveledges

Update: Veterans can now verify their online shopping eligibility at VetVerify.org. The Exchanges are as well accepting some veterans equally beta testers earlier opening the doors to all veterans. See updates below for more information.

Would you like to be able to shop on the online military exchanges and enjoy tax free shopping, military discount pricing, and other benefits? So read on. Your wish is about to come true!

Like all retailers, the Army and Air Force Exchange (AAFES) and the Navy Substitution (NEX) are looking for ways to ameliorate their business organisation model. But different many other retailers, ameliorate business organisation for AAFES and NEX ways ameliorate quality of life for war machine members, as some of the profits are distributed back to the armed forces customs—to the tune of around $300 meg annually.

Due to the changing environment and force reductions, the Defence Section's Executive Resale Board voted to allow online access to honorably-discharged armed forces veterans. The Exchanges opened their virtual doors on Veterans Day 2017. Officials guess the new customer base of operations could render upwards of an additional $100 million to the military communities.

Currently, only active duty service members, members of the Guard and Reserves, military machine retirees, 100-percent disabled veterans, Medal of Honor recipients, and the families of these groups are eligible to shop at AAFES locations, either online or on-base.

Note that this new do good only includes assuasive veterans to shop online, not at the physical stores located on bases. There is no electric current proposal to allow veterans to shop at on-base locations.

AAFES online Exchange access for veterans

Bear on of Allowing Veterans to Store at AAFES Online Stores

AAFES officials approximate there are approximately 13 million veterans with an Honorable Belch who would be allowed to store at AAFES online stores nether this new rule. Allowing these veterans to shop at AAFES online stores would give these veterans access to savings on a variety of products and could provide an additional $100 million for base Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) programs and other quality of life programs. Increased sales could also allow AAFES to negotiate discounts on larger, bulk orders of appurtenances.

This new benefit could an of import role of supporting the armed forces community. AAFES distributes dividends to the MWR programs and other armed forces activities. Over the terminal few years, AAFES sales have decreased substantially equally military members and their families shop at other locations, and as the size of the military continues to decrease. The continued drawdown will accept a dramatic impact on AAFES sales and how much money they can give back to the military community.

AAFES officials estimate their sales could drop to i-third of their electric current levels inside the adjacent few years. Extending the privilege of online shopping to qualified veterans would exist a skillful way to thank veterans for their service, increment sales for AAFES, and increase distributions to base programs.

Exchange Online Shopping for Veterans FAQ'southward

Who volition accept access to the online shopping portal?

Online shopping access will exist available to all honorably discharged veterans of the United States Armed Forces (honorable or general under honorable conditions).

This includes veterans of the United States Air Force, Regular army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard likewise as the Air Force Reserve, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Baby-sit Reserve, and National Baby-sit.

The VetVerify.org website provides this resources for additional data on discharge types.

How practise I become started?

Veterans can at present verify online shopping eligibility at VetVerify.org. This website has been set up to verify veterans eligibility past matching the veteran's service records with the DoD's Defense force Manpower Data Eye's records. More on this beneath.

The Exchanges are as well giving some eligible veterans early on access to the online Substitution shopping privileges so they tin act as beta testers.

How will AAFES check IDs or proof of service?

The Exchange services developed a verification process with the VA and the DoD personnel centers to verify military service and eligibility by matching the veteran's service records with the DoD'due south Defence Manpower Data Centre's records.

Veterans will be required to provide personal data in order to match their records with the Defense Manpower database. This information includes their last 4 digits of their social security number, appointment of birth, and last name.

Almost records accept been digitized, so the verification process should be quick and piece of cake. Notwithstanding, at that place may be delays if the veteran's records take not all the same been transferred to a digital format. In the result a veteran'southward records are not matched right away, the veteran may need to supply discharge paperwork, such equally a DD Form 214, DD Grade 256, or other armed services records. Hither is more info well-nigh replacing a lost DD Form 214.

The VA is also currently developing a Veterans ID Card. It's possible there will be a unique Veteran Identification Number on these cards, once issued (pure speculation on my function, but electric current service members have a unique DoD Identification Number on their CAC Cards).

When should I utilize for online shopping privileges?

It'due south recommended to commencement the verification process now, as not all veterans will be automatically verified. Information technology could have some additional time to verify some veterans. And some veterans may be required to submit boosted documents or other information.

And the best part—you lot may get early on access. The Exchanges demand shoppers to aid them test the platform. Thousands of veterans have already been granted access to the online shopping platform.

How will the Exchange profits be shared to local MWR units?

AAFES Online Shopping Base Exchanges share a portion of their profits with the local MWR units. That keeps the money "in the family" so to speak (local purchases back up local MWR units). As of correct now, the proposal is to allocate spending and profits based on the zip code of where the veteran who made the purchase lives. That is the easiest and most effective way to keep profits in the area where the purchases are made.

Volition on-base Exchange access exist offered to all veterans?

No. That was not included in the proposal, and I don't see that happening someday soon, if ever. In that location are approximately nineteen one thousand thousand military veterans in the The states. It would be impossible to open the doors to that many military veterans. Armed services bases function to serve i need: support military machine operations.

The support structures simply aren't in identify to back up that many more people coming onto military machine installations. Just call up of the lines at the gates, increased need for security guards, checking ID's, parking problems, infrastructure bug, the hassle of preventing unauthorized access from restricted areas, etc. It would exist a nightmare! Good question though.

Will Commissary privileges be open up to all veterans?

No, unfortunately non. The Commissary is run past a dissimilar organization and but offers brick and mortar stores. They practise not offer online shopping. There would be no effective method for providing Commissary admission to all veterans at this time (see above).

Why do you continue to write "Base" Exchange when in that location are besides the Post Exchanges, Marine Corps Exchanges, and the Navy Exchange Service Command? Who is asking these questions anyway?

Another great question from the peanut gallery. I'm using the term "Exchange" interchangeably for all services. The Marine Corps Substitution actually funnels all online shoppers through the Regular army and Air Force Exchange Service (encounter, it fifty-fifty says so hither!). But this benefit will let veterans to shop online at the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy Exchange websites at shopmyexchange.com, shopcgx.com, mymcx.com, and mynavyexchange.com for taxation-costless shopping.

But to answer your questions, I primarily reference AAFES because it is the largest of the Exchanges, and being an Air Force veteran and current member of the Air National Guard, it makes it easier to reference that with which I am near familiar. Thus "AAFES" and the use of the term "Base." Merely you lot can print this commodity out and redline the word Base and replace information technology with Post, Station, NAS, FOB, or annihilation that floats your boat (drives your tank? flies your aeroplane? OK, I'one thousand going now…).

Photograph credit: U.S. Air Forcefulness photograph by Airman 1st Form Desiree Whitney Esposito

Ryan Guina is The War machine Wallet's founder. He is a writer, minor business owner, and entrepreneur. He served over six years on active duty in the USAF and is a current member of the Illinois Air National Baby-sit.

Ryan started The Military Wallet in 2007 afterward separating from active duty military service and has been writing about financial, small business, and military benefits topics since then. He besides writes almost personal finance and investing at Cash Money Life.

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