Free Things Veterans Should Not Miss

Many organizations really do offer something for nothing to those who have served

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Katherine Gustafson,

Updated December 10, 2024

AARP

Published January 26, 2023

/ Updated December 10, 2024

Lobbying by veterans groups and a growing national appreciation for the sacrifices of those who have worn the uniform have led to an increasing number of great deals for veterans. We’ve researched the best freebies and really deep discounts that veterans can use to make their daily life better.

Memberships

LinkedIn offers U.S. veterans a free one-year Premium Career subscription, which includes access to LinkedIn Learning and usually goes for $39.99 per month or more. LinkedIn Premium, which is widely used by veterans and those in the defense industry, is excellent for job search and renewing contact with comrades.
Together We Served: The free veteran-only website from the VA provides a way of reconnecting with former service members. Each branch of the military is represented and there are over 1.9 million members.
RallyPoint: This free platform offers veterans a venue for professional and social discussion, with topics ranging from recruitment to retirement. It has nearly 2 million members.
Overstock.com offers veterans free one-year membership to Club O, which provides a range of rewards, free shipping and a price-match guarantee. The membership typically costs $19.95.

Events

Time for a show! National nonprofit organization VetTix provides veterans with free tickets to sporting events, concerts, performing arts and other activities. Recipients only have to pay a small delivery fee. The program has distributed almost 15 million tickets to veterans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., since 2008, with interest in the program currently far outpacing prepandemic levels.

Ticket Club, which sells tickets for everything from Broadway shows to top concert tours to the Super Bowl and lots in between, offers free membership for veterans.

Sports and Exercise

Ready to get back in shape? Veterans get a free 30-day pass to UFC Gym, which calls itself “the trailblazer of MMA-inspired fitness.” You receive the perk by mentioning the Harley Davidson Military Program at the UFC location of your choice.

The Birdies for the Brave program enables veterans to receive free tickets to PGA tournaments.

And don’t forget that veterans qualify for a free lifetime pass to all U.S. national parks, national wildlife refuges, and national forests and grasslands, as well as other places managed by a number of federal agencies.

Drug discounts VeteranRx offers up to 80 percent off on brand-name and generic prescription drugs for veterans and their families. The program includes more than 35,000 pharmacies around the country, including all major chains. No medical service connection to the VA is necessary.

Web hosting Netsonic web hosting solutions company offers new-customer veterans six months of free hosting on an account type of your choice for a $1 activation fee. To get the deal, use promo code USA and select a semiannual billing cycle during checkout. After six months, you’ll be billed at the regular price for the hosting plan you chose.

Museums and theme parks Veterans can get free admission to museums and theme parks across the United States.

Through the Blue Star Museums program, a huge variety of museums all over the country are free to military families every summer.
Veterans get a free ticket to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, a sobering exploration of the 2001 terrorist attacks and their aftermath.
The Waves of Honor program gives vets one free entry per year, plus a guest entry, to sites run by Seaworld Parks and Entertainment: SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place.
Feeling thirsty? World of Coca-Cola offers veterans a free ticket.

The bottom line

There are lots of freebies available for veterans. Don’t be shy: Always ask if there is a discount for those who have served their country.

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Katherine Gustafson is a freelance writer specializing in creating content related to technology, business, finance, the environment and other topics for companies and nonprofits such as Visa, Adobe, Lumeon, Skift and the World Wildlife Fund. Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications including Slate, TechCrunch, YES! Magazine and Forbes.

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