The best travel cards for active duty come with a benefit no civilian gets: the annual fee disappears. Chase and American Express both waive premium travel card fees for active duty servicemembers under the Military Lending Act (MLA) and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). That turns a $95 to $895 card into a free one — and the rewards still work exactly the same.
This isn’t a hypothetical. These are the actual laws, the actual cards, and the actual process to get the fee removed. No filler, no “consider your options” hedging. Here’s what to apply for and in what order.
Why Active Duty Gets the Best Travel Cards for Free
Two federal protections do the work here. SCRA covers accounts you opened before active duty — it caps interest at 6% and, for select issuers, includes fee relief. MLA covers accounts opened during active duty — it’s the one that gets your annual fee waived automatically, without an application, the moment the issuer checks your status against the MLA database.
Chase and Amex both go beyond what the law technically requires. Neither is obligated to waive annual fees — interest rate caps are the actual legal requirement. Both do it anyway, because it’s a proven way to win a customer for the next twenty years.
Coverage extends past the servicemember. Spouses and dependents listed in DEERS as covered under MLA get the same fee waiver, on their own cards, in their own name. National Guard and Reserve members on Title 10 or Title 32 orders of 30+ days qualify too.
Best Overall: American Express Platinum
The Amex Platinum carries an $895 annual fee for everyone else. For active duty, that fee drops to $0 — permanently, for as long as MLA or SCRA coverage applies. Everything else on the card stays exactly the same: the lounge access, the credits, the earning rate.
You get 5X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, and 5X on prepaid hotels through Amex Travel. Lounge access covers Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass, and Delta Sky Club. Add the Walmart+ membership credit, airline fee credits, and Global Entry or TSA PreCheck reimbursement, and the card pays for a PCS move’s worth of hassle before you’ve spent a dollar on travel.
The catch: most of the card’s value sits behind Amex Travel bookings. Book flights direct with an airline instead, and you’re earning 1X like anyone else. This card rewards people who route bookings through Amex — not people who book on points and call it a day.
Your first redemption walkthrough, three actions to take this week, and how to stop wasting the points you've already earned. Download free.
Best Everyday Card: Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Sapphire Preferred is a $95-fee card that costs active duty nothing. It’s the card most military families should open first, waiver or not, because the earning categories match how a military household actually spends: travel, dining, and streaming, at 3X.
Points transfer 1:1 to airline and hotel partners — the same mechanism behind the NYC first-class anniversary trip built entirely on transferred points. That flexibility is worth more long-term than a flashier premium card with narrower transfer options.
- $50 annual hotel credit through Chase Travel
- No foreign transaction fees
- Primary rental car insurance
- Trip cancellation and interruption coverage
Get this card before the Reserve. If Chase later approves you for the Reserve, product-changing up preserves your original account age — a real factor in your credit profile.
Premium Pick: Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Reserve carries a steep annual fee that’s climbed over the years — verify the current figure directly with Chase before you apply, since it moves. Waived under the same MLA/SCRA policy as the Preferred, the math changes entirely: a fee that would take real spending to justify becomes pure upside.
Earning rates run higher across travel and dining, and the $300 annual travel credit functions as a built-in fee offset for anyone who doesn’t get the waiver. Priority Pass lounge access and a stronger points-boost redemption rate through Chase Travel round it out.
Skip this card if you haven’t confirmed MLA or SCRA eligibility first. Without the waiver, the fee is real, and the Preferred covers 90% of the same use case for a fraction of the cost.
Best Airline Card: Chase United Explorer
For families stationed near a United hub, or flying United on PCS orders, the Explorer earns its keep. Chase waives the $150 second-year fee under the same MLA/SCRA policy — the first year is already free for everyone.
Free checked bags for you and a companion, priority boarding, and two annual United Club passes make it worthwhile if United is already your airline. Miles don’t transfer outside MileagePlus, though, so this card is a specialist tool, not a flexible one.
The Card Without a Military Fee Waiver: Capital One Venture X
The Venture X earns a spot on this list on pure value, not military-specific perks. At a $395 annual fee — lower than most premium travel cards — it includes unlimited Capital One Lounge and Priority Pass access, a $300 annual travel credit, and 10,000 anniversary bonus miles that alone cover roughly a third of the fee.
I haven’t confirmed whether Capital One runs a fee-waiver program comparable to Amex or Chase’s. If you’re not eligible for MLA or SCRA relief — separated, or the account predates your service in a way that doesn’t qualify — this is the strongest premium card on the market that doesn’t depend on a military waiver to make sense.
How to Actually Get the Fee Waived
The process differs depending on when you opened the account.
- Opening a new card while on active duty: Apply normally. MLA coverage checks your status against the DoD database automatically. No extra paperwork.
- Card opened before active duty: Call the issuer’s military services line and request SCRA benefits. Chase’s is 877-469-0110. You’ll need to submit orders or other proof of active-duty status.
- Spouse coverage: Your spouse can open their own card in their own name and get MLA coverage directly, without needing you on the account.
- After you separate: Some issuers continue the waiver for a year or two post-separation. It is not guaranteed and is not the same benefit — confirm directly with the issuer before assuming it carries over.
The Army will PCS you to Germany. It won’t waive the moving boxes. The annual fee, at least, is one cost you don’t have to absorb.
Which Card to Get First
Open the Chase Sapphire Preferred first. It costs nothing under MLA or SCRA, the earning categories fit a military household’s actual spending, and the point transfer flexibility outlasts any welcome bonus. Add the Amex Platinum once you’re booking enough travel through Amex Travel to justify working the credits — the $895 fee waiver makes that decision risk-free either way.
Skip straight to the Reserve or Venture X only after you’ve confirmed your MLA or SCRA status directly with the issuer. A premium card without the waiver is a different financial decision than the same card with it.
Ready to see how these cards turn into an actual redemption? Start here for the full breakdown of how transferred points became a business-class trip for the cost of taxes. For the deeper dive on how MLA and SCRA protections work across every card type — not just travel — the full explainer covers the fine print this post didn’t have room for.
JT Newman
JT Newman is the Traveling Veteran founder. He served 8 years on active duty in the US Air Force and currently considered a disabled veteran collecting VA benefits. JT started Traveling Veteran in 2024 after learning how to take advantage of credit card points to pay for trips with my wife to visit our adult children and grandchildren.
Your first redemption walkthrough, three actions to take this week, and how to stop wasting the points you've already earned. Download free.
