American Forces Travel (AFT) is a leisure travel booking website sponsored by the Department of Defense and intended for servicemembers and veterans across all military branches. Through American Forces Travel, eligible users are able to find steeply discounted rates on airfare, cruises, hotels, rental cars, vacation packages, and event tickets (concert, sporting, theatre).
Launched in 2019, AFT is a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) program that enables servicemembers and veterans to easily search for and view leisure travel discounts and benefits exclusively available to military members, those affiliated with the Department of Defense, and eligible family members.
Why Should I Try American Forces Travel?
Convenience
American Forces Travel offers an attractive and convenient alternative to in-person MWR facilities and Information Tickets & Travel (ITT) offices located on military installations because it can be reached 24/7 online and offers around-the-clock military traveler support. Additionally, AFT has broader eligibility criteria than in-person MWR sites; therefore, some groups who may not be eligible to benefit from MWR services on-site may be eligible to avail themselves of AFT instead.
Helps to Fund Other MWR Programs
Booking through American Forces Travel also helps to fund other MWR programs, since commissions from each booking are reinvested at no cost to users.
Lower Booking Fees
American Forces Travel has lower booking fees than other commercial travel websites and offers a “best price guarantee.” For cruises, they even offer a 110% best price guarantee, meaning that if you find a cheaper cruise within 48-hours of booking with American Forces Travel, they will refund 110% of the difference.
Exclusive Offers and Military Rates
Unlike other discount travel sites, American Forces Travel has exclusive offers and military rates, which means less time spent calling airlines and hotels inquiring about military offers.
Greater Global Reach
Users can book domestic and international travel to over 71,000 locations courtesy of American Forces Travel.
How Does It Work?
The American Forces Travel website is extremely user-friendly, owed largely in part to its partner — Priceline. Priceline.com has been a long-time leader in online travel services — which acts as the service provider. However, not all of the deals offered commercially through Priceline are identical to those on AFT, since Priceline has a specific team in place to negotiate additional deals for military members and affiliates.
In order to book leisure travel through the online platform, users will first have to verify their eligibility, which requires some personal information (last name, birth date, and the last four digits of the user’s Social Security number).
The website will search the DEERS database in order to verify eligibility, so be sure to keep your information in DEERS up to date prior to using the AFT page. After eligibility is established, you’re free to access AFT to search for discounted travel and leisure options.
Am I Eligible to Use American Forces Travel?
Currently, AFT is available to military servicemembers and those affiliated with the Department of Defense, including:
- Active duty servicemembers (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, and Coast Guard Auxiliary Active Duty)
- Members of Reserve components and National Guard
- Retired military (including retirement-eligible Reservists and Guardsmen)
- Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipients; former prisoners of war
- Veterans with service-connected disabilities
- Department of Defense civilians serving outside the United States
- Active duty and retired U.S. Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees
- Full-time, paid employees of the American Red Cross and United Service Organizations (USO) serving at overseas U.S. DoD installations
- Officially sponsored, eligible family members (ID card holders)
- Approved primary family caregivers of eligible veterans
However, eligibility criteria are expanding and AFT will soon (specific dates still unknown) be available to all Department of Defense civilians serving within the United States as well as all Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) civilians registered in DEERS.
American Forces Travel should not be confused with Armed Forces Vacation Club, another discount travel option for military members and veterans. AFVC offers discounted hotel and resort stays.