Your Benefits – Shopping

In addition to a rewarding career and competitive salary, you are eligible to receive insurance, as well as food and housing allowances. Here are just some of the benefits of being a Guard member.

Shopping

Commissary and Exchange Privileges
Commissaries, or military grocery stores, are a benefit for active duty military, Guard and Reserve members, retirees and their families.

Authorized shoppers purchase groceries at cost plus a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the cost of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. Shoppers save an average of more than 30 percent on their purchases compared to commercial grocery stores – savings worth about $2,700 annually for a family of four. Guard and Reserve members and authorized family members need only show proper military ID to use the commissary. For more information about the commissary benefit, go to http://www.commissaries.com.

Base Exchange
Better known as the “BX”. The BX offers goods at a tremendous savings to their customers, the military members and their dependents. No tax is charged and they offer a lay-away plan, which is difficult to match at civilian stores.

Commissary
Is the grocery store for the military community. The commissary is large scale and offers the military consumer high-level savings on quality products. The commissaries worldwide sell their goods at cost. Outstanding prices are seen on paper products, cereal, meats, soft drinks, and snack foods, just to name a few. Truck-load or case sales are another popular event.

Exchange Credit Card
A credit card offered to military members who want to purchase goods or services at base facilities. When approved, use the Deferred Payment Plan (DPP) charge card to shop at such establishments as the BX or the Military Clothing Store.

Excellent avenue to establish credit.

Convenient way to make purchases at Army & Air Force Base Exchanges worldwide.

Offers a low, competitive interest rate.

To apply pick up an Exchange Credit Program Application, AAFES Form 6450-26, at the BX or other base stores.