These days many retail stores like Target, Home Depot and Verizon have some pretty solid military and veteran discounts. So it made me wonder if the biggest online retailer, Amazon, offers the same. Here’s everything I discovered about the Amazon military discount…unfortunately it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

Amazon’s Military Discount Is a Little Different

As of this writing, Amazon does not offer a “standard” military discount that gives vets and active military a percentage discount on all their purchases.

But fortunately, not all hope is lost as they do offer two ways for service members to save some money.

1. Veteran’s Day – Back in 2019, Amazon offered a 6-day $40 annual discount on Amazon Prime for vets and active military right around Veteran’s Day.

While they haven’t done it since, there’s a great chance Amazon will offer a Veteran’s Day discount in the future so it’s good to keep a lookout for it.

2. Free Shipping to APO/FPO boxes – This discount is pretty cool and worth breaking down…

How To Take Advantage of the Free Shipping Discount

Just add your APO or FPO address to your Amazon account as your mailing address, and you’ll automatically qualify for free shipping.

No Prime membership required.

See Also: 90+ Places Where Heroes Get a Veteran or Military Discount

Some Items Are Exempt From the Free Shipping Discount

Because Amazon, and 3rd party sellers, won’t ship certain items to Alaska, Hawaii, or overseas, it reduces the amount of eligible items for this discount.

Specifically, most liquids, chemicals, and really heavy (or bulky) items aren’t eligible to be shipped to APO and FPO boxes.

Once you add items to your virtual cart on Amazon, it will tell you if it’s actually eligible for free shipping.

See Also: Best Buy Military Discount: All the Info So You Cave Save

Family Members and Spouses Are Eligible

To be eligible for the free shipping offer they need to be stationed with you overseas and have their name attached to your Amazon account.

I have a friend who is stationed in Germany and he told me his wife and 2 teenage kids take advantage of the free shipping often and they DO NOT have a Prime membership.

One More Amazon Benefit to Veterans

Over the past decade, Amazon has hired thousands of vets (and their spouses) via their Military Hiring program.

Amazon recognizes their leadership qualities and skills and actively tries to hire them into leadership roles that offer excellent employee benefits.

So if you’re recently out of the military, Amazon is a great place to start your private sector job search.

Ask the Reader: Have you taken advantage of the Amazon military discount for free shipping to APO or FPO addresses? Was it an easy process?

By Kyle James

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)