American Forces Travel: The Complete Guide for Military Members, Veterans, and Families
Something interesting happened recently: searches for American Forces Travel spiked by an extraordinary margin, signaling that a huge wave of veterans and service members are just now discovering a benefit they may have had access to for years. If you’ve served, you might be sitting on a travel perk that most civilians would envy. American Forces Travel is a Department of Defense-sponsored booking platform that gives military members, veterans, and their families access to discounted rates on hotels, flights, rental cars, cruises, and vacation packages. Think of it as having a private travel agent in your corner, except the deals are actually good, and you’ve already earned them.
What Is American Forces Travel and How Does It Work?
American Forces Travel (AFT) is the only official U.S. Joint Services’ MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) online vacation travel site. It exists specifically to deliver travel benefits to the military and government community, and it does so through a partnership with Priceline, one of the largest travel booking platforms in the world. That relationship matters: it means the inventory is vast and the technology behind the site is robust, but the pricing and access are tailored exclusively for eligible users.
The platform covers the full range of travel needs. You can book hotel rooms, domestic and international flights, rental cars, vacation packages, and cruises, all from a single portal. Rates are discounted compared to what the general public can access through standard booking channels, and in some cases the savings are significant, particularly on hotel stays.
Access works through the DEERS (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) database, which verifies your eligibility before you can browse or book. This verification step keeps the platform exclusive and ensures the deals stay available for the people they’re intended for. If you’re already in DEERS, the process is relatively straightforward. For more detail on navigating MWR programs alongside your travel planning, see our guide to military leisure benefits and MWR programs.
Who Is Eligible for American Forces Travel?
The eligibility list is broader than many people realize, and it expanded significantly in recent years. Here’s who currently qualifies:
Active Duty and Reserve Components
All active duty service members across every branch are eligible, as are National Guard members and reservists. Eligible family members can also access the platform, which makes it a useful tool for planning family vacations, not just solo trips or work-adjacent travel.
Retired Military
If you’ve retired from military service, you retain access to AFT. This is one of those quieter benefits that retirees sometimes don’t realize persists after leaving active service, so it’s worth bookmarking if you haven’t already.
Veterans (A Major Expansion)
As of July 2021, all veterans with an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions became eligible to use American Forces Travel. That change opened the platform to approximately 16 million additional veterans, joining the roughly 10 million active duty, Guard, reserve, family members, and DoD civilians who were already using it. If you separated from service with an honorable record, you qualify.
Department of Defense and Government Civilians
DoD civilians serving within the United States are eligible, and the platform has also extended access to Coast Guard civilians and Department of Homeland Security civilians who are registered in DEERS. If you’re a federal civilian employee connected to the defense community, it’s worth checking whether you’re covered. See the official American Forces Travel eligibility page for the most current criteria before you register.
What Can You Book Through American Forces Travel?
The platform functions as a full-service leisure travel booking site, not a limited discount portal. Here’s what’s available:
Hotels
Hotel bookings are where many users find the most consistent value. The inventory pulls from Priceline’s global database, so you’re not limited to on-base lodging or a narrow selection of approved properties. You can book everything from budget chain hotels to mid-range and upscale properties, with rates that are generally below public pricing.
Flights
Airfare is available for both domestic and international routes. As with hotels, the flight inventory is extensive given the Priceline partnership. The discounts on flights can vary more than on hotels depending on route and timing, so it’s worth comparing against other options for expensive international routes.
Rental Cars, Cruises, and Vacation Packages
Rental cars are available through major providers. Cruises are also bookable through the platform, which is less commonly known and worth exploring if that’s your style of travel. Vacation packages that bundle flights and hotels together are an option as well, and bundling often produces better overall savings than booking each component separately. For tips on getting the most out of bundled travel deals, check out how to save money booking vacation packages.
How to Get Started: Creating Your Account
The registration process runs through DEERS verification, so you’ll need your relevant identification information on hand. Veterans will use their discharge documentation to confirm their status. The site walks you through the verification steps during signup, and once your eligibility is confirmed, you get full access to search and book.
A few practical notes before you start booking: always check the cancellation policy on any rate you’re considering, since discounted military rates sometimes come with different terms than standard refundable rates on commercial platforms. Read the fine print the way you would on any booking site, and if you’re planning a trip that requires flexibility, specifically look for refundable options.
It also helps to have a sense of what rates look like elsewhere before you book. The savings are often real, but comparison shopping on at least one other platform takes about two minutes and gives you confidence you’re actually getting a good deal. The Priceline military travel partnership overview can also give you context on how the backend pricing works.
Is American Forces Travel Actually Worth Using?
For most eligible travelers, yes, and the reason is simple: you’ve already earned access to it, so the cost to try it is zero. The platform works best for hotel bookings, where the discounts are most consistently noticeable. Flights can be a mixed bag depending on timing and route, so treat the flight search as one option among several rather than your only stop.
The veteran eligibility expansion in 2021 is genuinely significant. Millions of people who separated from service and assumed their military travel benefits were behind them now have access to a legitimate discount platform backed by DoD and powered by one of the largest travel companies in the world. That’s not a small thing.
The platform isn’t perfect. Like any booking site, it has moments where rates aren’t the lowest available, and the interface may not be as polished as some commercial competitors. But as a starting point for any leisure trip, especially for hotel searches, it belongs in your rotation.
Frequently Asked Questions About American Forces Travel
Do veterans qualify for American Forces Travel?
Yes. As of July 2021, all veterans with an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions are eligible to use American Forces Travel. This change added approximately 16 million veterans to the pool of eligible users. You’ll need to verify your status through the DEERS database during registration.
Is American Forces Travel free to use?
There is no membership fee to access American Forces Travel. The platform is sponsored by the Department of Defense as an MWR benefit, so eligible users can register and browse at no cost. You only pay when you actually book travel, and the rates you see are discounted compared to standard public pricing.
How does American Forces Travel compare to booking directly through Priceline?
American Forces Travel is powered by Priceline but offers rates and access exclusive to the military community that aren’t available on the standard Priceline platform. In practice, the hotel discounts in particular tend to be better through AFT than what you’d find through the public-facing Priceline site for the same property.
Can family members use American Forces Travel?
Yes. Eligible family members of active duty service members, National Guard, reservists, and retired military can access American Forces Travel. This makes it a practical option for booking family vacations, not just travel for the service member alone. Family eligibility follows the same MWR program rules that apply to other military benefits.
Final Thoughts
American Forces Travel is one of those benefits that quietly delivers real value for the people who know about it and actually use it. Whether you’re active duty planning a family vacation, a retiree looking for a hotel deal on a road trip, or a veteran who had no idea this benefit was available to you, the platform is worth adding to your travel planning toolkit. The combination of DoD backing, Priceline’s inventory, and eligibility that now covers tens of millions of veterans makes it genuinely useful. Pull up the site, verify your eligibility, and start comparing rates before your next trip. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you’ve had access to all along. For more ways to stretch your travel budget as a service member or veteran, explore our guide to military travel discounts and benefits.
