NORWALK, Conn., July 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the
United States Department of Defense (DoD) officially announced the
expansion of American Forces Travel, a leisure travel site created
with Priceline, for current and retired members of all six branches
of the U.S. military, the National Guard, and their families, along
with DoD civilians. The program's expansion extends benefits to all
Veterans of the United States Armed Forces with a discharge status
of honorable or general under honorable conditions, allowing an
additional 16 million users access to the full-service
travel booking platform.
Introduced in 2019 to thank the military community for their
service, American Forces Travel is a unique and unprecedented
travel platform: a global collection of exceptional deals,
assembled in a single place exclusively for those who have served
on behalf of our nation. The site is the result of a joint service
initiative among the six branches of the United States Armed
Forces—the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and
Coast Guard—and the National Guard, along with the Office of the
Secretary of Defense and Priceline, which operates the platform at
no cost to the DoD.
In addition to improving access to Armed Forces' Morale, Welfare
and Recreation (MWR) benefits, every booking on American Forces
Travel generates revenue used to support critical quality of life
programs for Service members and families.
The platform features privately negotiated deals on the world's
most popular hotel, flight and car rental brands with over a
million deals in more than 71,000 destinations globally, providing
fast, easy access to a broad selection of deeply discounted leisure
travel for the military community and their families. Eligible
users can save up to 40% - 60% on leisure travel.
"Priceline is proud to support American Forces Travel by
providing the best travel deals the industry has to offer for the
brave Americans who support our country through military service,"
said Brett Keller, Priceline's CEO.
"We are pleased to expand this program to an additional 16 million
Veterans who have served in the United
States Military."
MILITARY STAR Card
As part of the expansion, the
MILITARY STAR card is now available as a payment method on
thousands of deeply discounted hotels. The MILITARY STAR card is
part of The Exchange Credit Program under the Army & Air Force
Exchange Service and offers exclusive credit benefits to military
personnel and their families, including a competitive APR
regardless of credit score and interest reduction during
deployment.
Eligibility Verification
American Forces Travel is
open to all military and military affiliated personnel who are
eligible to use Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs. First-time
users will be asked to verify their eligibility with the Department
of Defense through the site. Once verified, they are free to use
the site to book discounted travel around the world. The
verification process is secure and requested information will not
be retained.
Under the expansion, 22 million personnel will now have
access to the site, including:
- All current active duty military who serve in the Army, Marine
Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard
- All members of the Reserve components and National Guard
- Coast Guard Auxiliary Active Duty
- All current active duty and retired National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- All current active duty and retired US Public Health Service
(USPHS)
- All retired military, including those in the Reserves and
National Guard who are retirement eligible
- Eligible family members who are officially sponsored (ID card
holder) by authorized patrons in the above categories
- All Medal of Honor recipients
- All Veterans of the United States Armed Forces with a discharge
status of honorable or general under honorable conditions
- All Veterans with service-connected disabilities, all Veterans
who are Purple Heart recipients, all Veterans who are former
prisoners of war, all individuals approved and designated as the
primary family caregivers of eligible Veterans under the Department
of Veterans Affairs Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family
Caregivers.
- All Department of Defense and Coast Guard civilians, including
appropriated funds (APF) employees and nonappropriated funds (NAF)
employees
- Full-time, paid employees of the American Red Cross and United
Service Organizations (USO) hired in the
United States and serving at U.S. DoD installations
overseas
Eligible patrons can sign up, book travel, and find more
information by visiting AmericanForcesTravel.com.
Connect with Priceline on:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
About American Forces Travel℠
American Forces Travel℠ is a new Morale, Welfare and Recreation
(MWR) program arising out of a joint service initiative combining
the efforts of each of the six branches of service (Army, Marine
Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard), the National
Guard and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Military Community & Family Policy. American Forces Travel℠
is transforming the way MWR provides online leisure services to our
Service members and families, empowering them to revitalize,
reconnect, be well, and most importantly, be mission-ready. In
addition to dramatically enhancing quality of life for the military
community, American Forces Travel℠ will inject critical revenue
into MWR programs by providing commissions from every booking
made.
About Priceline
Priceline, part of Booking Holdings
Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), is a world leader in travel deals. Priceline
offers exclusive discounts on hotels, flights, alternative
accommodations, rental cars, cruises and packages. We offer more
than a million lodging properties, helping travelers find the right
accommodation at the right price. We negotiate great deals every
day, and put our best pricing on the Priceline app. Our deep
discounts on hotels, flights, rental cars and more are also
distributed through our partnership brand, Priceline Partner
Network. With free cancellation for many rates, 24-hour customer
assistance and the option for both pre-paid and pay upon arrival
reservations, Priceline helps millions of travelers be there for
the moments that matter. For us, and for our customers, every trip
is a big deal.
For further information, please contact:
Christina Bennett,
christina.bennett@priceline.com
Stephanie Perry,
priceline@mbooth.com
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SOURCE Priceline