Shoppers Earn $4 Million in MILITARY STAR Rewards During First Year at Commissary

In the year since service members and their families have been able to use the MILITARY STAR_® card at Department of Defense commissaries, military shoppers have earned more than $4 million in rewards, just from buying groceries.

Commissaries began accepting MILITARY STAR as a form of payment in October 2017, with all 237 worldwide locations accepting the card by November 2017. Since acceptance at the commissary started, more than 335,000 shoppers have spent more than $204 million on groceries with the card.

As with all MILITARY STAR purchases, they earned two points for every dollar as part of the card’s rewards program, which automatically earns them a $20 rewards card with every 2,000 points. For commissary shoppers, that translated into more than $4 million in rewards earned in the first year alone.

“Groceries are everyday expenses that can now earn rewards for service members, thanks to MILITARY STAR,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “Plus, every MILITARY STAR purchase helps to support on-installation Quality-of-Life programs that are critical to keeping our Warfighters and their families ready and resilient.”

Making card more convenient, rewarding

The card’s acceptance at the commissary was many years in the making. The Exchange Credit Program, which the Exchange administers, had long been in discussions with the Defense Commissary Agency to reach an agreement that would allow shoppers to use MILITARY STAR in commissary stores.

The organizations worked together to overcome logistical obstacles—such as updating and integrating register systems—to make it easier for military shoppers to earn rewards.

“MILITARY STAR’s goal is to make the card more convenient and rewarding for our service members, retirees and their families,” said Kathy Bronkalla, Vice President of Exchange Credit Strategy. “Partnering with the commissary was a huge step to evolving the card to fit the military community’s lifestyle.”

The ability to use MILITARY STAR at commissaries also means shoppers can enjoy the fair and flexible terms offered by the card, such as:

• One APR rate for all cardholders, regardless of credit score (12.24 percent—the lowest flat-rate APR among store cards).
• No annual, late or over-limit fees.
• Reduced-interest deployment plan with no payments required for eligible customers.

For more information on the MILITARY STAR card and the Exchange Credit Program, visit MyECP.com.