Active duty military members have the opportunity to take advantage of luxury credit cards, at no extra cost. By understanding the ins and outs of the credit card landscape, you can be rewarded with free hotel stays, plane tickets, food, and cash rewards throughout your career.

Thanks to the Military Lending Act (MLA) and Service Civil Members Relief Act (SCRA), Chase and American Express offer top luxury cards with no annual fee. By systematically acquiring these cards, you can collect significant cash rewards while traveling the world for free.

Optimal Credit Card Order:

1. Chase Freedom Flex – (Review here) (Apply here) – build credit for 12 months
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve – (Review here) (Apply here)
3. American Express Platinum Card – (Review here) (Apply here)
4. American Express Gold Card – (Review here) (Apply here) – upgrade to platinum after one year
5. American Express Green Card – (Review here) (Apply here) – upgrade to platinum after one year
6. American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card – (Review here) (Apply here)
7. American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Card – (Review here) (Apply here) – upgrade to aspire after one year
8. American Express Hilton Honors Card – (Review here) (Apply Here) – upgrade to aspire after one year

Step 0: Making Sure You Get Annual Fees Waived

Before jumping into this guide and earning rewards, it’s important to know you are qualified for the annual fee waivers. Make no mistake, many of these credit cards have extremely high annual fees that you will not want to be stuck paying.

That is why I created special step-by-step guides that walk you through the process of checking your eligibility for MLA and SCRA benefits.

If you are planning to apply for these cards AFTER you enter the service, you should check with the MLA guide. If you acquired these cards BEFORE you entered the service, the SCRA guide is for you.

Step 1: Chase Brand Cards

Now that you are confident your annual fees will be waived, it’s time to take advantage of some of the best luxury cards on the market.

In order to be approved for harder-to-get cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you will need a year of good credit history. Even if you already have a good credit history, it may still be a good idea to obtain the Chase Freedom Flex as it’s an all-around good no-annual-fee card that has great synergy with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

1a.) Chase Freedom Flex:

• No annual fee
• 0% APR for the first 15 months
• $200 Bonus after spending $500 in the first three months from card open
• 5% Back on groceries (excluding Walmart and Target), for the first year
• 5% Back on quarterly rotating spend categories
• 5% Back on Travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 5% Back on Lyft Rides (Through March 2022)
• 3% Back on restaurants, including takeout and delivery services
• 3% Back on drugstore purchases
• 1% Back on all other purchases
• Points never expire as long as account remains open
• $1000 per year of cell phone insurance if monthly cell phone bill is paid with card
• Read full review (here)
• Apply for card (here)

This card is great for people trying to build their credit score, while also achieving great cashback rewards and a good sign-up bonus. The $200 bonus is a great introduction to credit card rewards, and with so many categories it’s difficult not to get more than 1% cashback.

1b.) Chase Sapphire Reserve:

• $550 annual fee waived for active duty military members and their spouses
• 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points ($750 value) after spending $4,000+ in purchases in the first 3 months
• $300 in travel credit each and every year
• 50% more value in travel redemption (for all Chase Cards)
• 10X Total points on hotels and car rentals (through Chase)
• Priority Pass Select membership: Access 1,300+ lounges in 600+ cities
• 10X Total points on Chase Dining
• 10X Total points on Lyft rides (through March 2022)
• 5X Total points on flights purchased through Chase
• 3X Total points on travel
• 3X Total points on dining
• Complimentary DashPass subscription
• Trip Cancellation, Interruption Insurance, and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
• Read full review (here)
• Apply (here)

Step 2: American Express Brand Cards

Now that we have built up our credit score, it’s time to be rewarded with the top luxury card on the market.

As an added bonus, service members can get multiple American Express Platinum cards, and the rewards will all stack on top of one another. Since you can upgrade the American Express Gold and Green cards to platinum after 1 year, and you may only get the sign-up bonus on a card once, it is best to acquire these cards in the following order:

2a.) American Express Platinum

• $695 annual fee WAIVED for military members and their spouses
• Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points (worth $1,000+) after you spend $6,000 on purchases in 6 months
• *LIMITED TIME*: Plus, earn 10X points at restaurants worldwide for first 6 months worth up to ($2,500)
• Earn 5X points on flights booked directly with airlines
• Earn 5X points on hotels booked through Amex Travel
• Earn 1X points on all other purchases
• $179 in Clear Credit: CLEAR® allows you to move faster through security at select airports and stadiums across the U.S.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit – when you pay for Audile, Sirius XM, Peacock, and New York Times
• $200 in Uber Eats / Rides – You get $15 in Uber Cash for orders with Uber Eats or rides with Uber in the U.S. each month, plus a bonus $20 in December
• $200 in Hotel Credit – You receive $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts®
• $200 in Airline Credit – Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year
• $100 in Saks Credit – You receive $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December
• $300 in Equinox Credit – Money towards high end gym membership, digital or in-person
• $300 in statement credit towards SoulCycle purchase
• $155 Walmart credit & free Walmart+ membership
• Complimentary access to Centurion Lounge – Free access for you and a guest to luxury airport lounges with free food, alcoholic drinks, and other amenities
• Heavy Metal Credit Card – You can hit your credit card against the table to show your friends just how cool you are
• Read full review (here)
• Apply for card (here)

This credit card has the highest recurring annual rewards, with nearly over $1,555 value each year. This card also has one of the highest sign-up bonuses with over $1,000 in value.

Once you manage to hit the sign-up bonus, go ahead and apply for the American Express Gold.

2b.) American Express Gold

• $250 annual fee WAIVED for military members and their spouses
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points (worth $600+) after you spend $4,000 on purchases in 6 months
• Earn 4X points on restaurants, takeout, and delivery
• Earn 4X points at U.S. Supermarkets (up to $25,000 yearly)
• Earn 3X points on flights booked through amextravel.com
• Earn 1X points on all other purchases
• $120 in Uber Eats / Rides
• $120 in dining credit (Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and Shake Shack)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Heavy Metal Card – For the clout
• Read full review (here)
• Apply for card (here)

This credit card has very high recurring annual rewards, with nearly over $240 value each year, significant cashback on food, and a sign-up bonus worth over $600 in value.

Once you manage to hit the sign-up bonus, go ahead and apply for the American Express Green.

After one year of card ownership, you can upgrade your American Express Gold Card to the American Express Platinum to begin stacking rewards.

2c.) American Express Green

• $150 annual fee WAIVED for military members and their spouses
• Earn 45,000 Membership Rewards® points (worth $450+) after you spend $2,000 on purchases in 3 months
• Earn 3X points on restaurants, takeout, and delivery
• Earn 3X points on transit (trains, buses, ferries, subway, and more)
• Earn 3X points on travel (airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, and more)
• Earn 1X points on all other purchases
• $100 CLEAR credit
• $100 lounge access credit (Through LoungeBuddy)
• Free 1 year Uber Eats pass ($0 delivery fees, & 5% off $15 or more orders)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Card made from reclaimed plastic from beaches and islands
• Read full review (here)
• Apply for card (here)

This is another easy $450 to earn in cashback, along with a few more perks.

Once you have earned the sign-up bonus on this card, you can begin earning serious hotel rewards with the American Express Hilton line-up!

Just like the American Express Gold card, once you have owned this card for at least a year, upgrade it to stack more American Express Platinum rewards.

Step 3: American Express (Hilton) Cards

If you’ve made it to this step, congratulations! You have earned well over $2,000+ in cash back sign-up bonuses, and will have a recurring $4,200 value in American Express Platinum cards once they are all upgraded.

Now it’s time to acquire a total of 3 American Express Aspire cards, choosing to upgrade the American Express Surpass, and American Express Hilton Honors card after 1 year of card ownership. Let the hotel rewards begin!

3a.) American Express Hilton Aspire

• $450 annual fee WAIVED for military members and their spouses
• Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (worth 10+ stays!) after you spend $4,000 on purchases in 3 months
• Automatic Diamond Status (highest rewards tier available)
• Earn one weekend night free on account open and each card anniversary at ANY Hilton resort
• Earn 14X points when booking Hilton Hotels
• Earn 7X points on flights booked through Amex Travel
• Earn 3X points on all other purchases
• $250 back annually on eligible purchases with your Card made directly at Hilton resort
• $100 credit for charges at Waldorf Astoria Hotels or Conrad properties (2 night minimum stay)
• $250 in Airline Credit – Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $250 in statement credits per calendar year
• Priority Pass^™ Select membership, offering access to over 1,200+ airport lounges for you and two guests
• No foreign transaction fees
• Read full review (here)
• Apply for card (here)

This is easily one of my favorite cards. With tons of free hotel points, diamond status, and a free weeknight stay at nearly any Hilton Resort property each year, this card easily elevates all of your hotels stays.

After you manage to hit the sign-up bonus for this card, go ahead and apply for the American Express Surpass card to continue raking in the points.

3b.) American Express Surpass

• $95 annual fee WAIVED for military members and their spouses
• Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (worth 8+ stays!) after you spend $2,000 on purchases in 3 months
• Earn 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (worth 3+ stays!) after you spend an additional $8,000 in 6 months
• Automatic Gold Status
• Earn 12X points when booking Hilton Hotels
• Earn 6X points on flights booked through Amex Travel
• Earn 3X points on all other purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Read full review (here)
• Apply for card (here)

This card will earn more Hilton Honors Rewards points than even the American Express Aspire! After hitting the introductory sign-up bonus on this card, go ahead and apply for the American Express Hilton Honors card.

Once you have owned this card for at least a year, upgrade it to the American Express Aspire so that you can double up on all of the rewards.

3c.) American Express Hilton Honors

• No annual fee
• Earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (worth 5+ stays!) after you spend $1,000 on purchases in 3 months
• Earn 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points (worth 3+ stays!) after you spend an additional $4,000 in 6 months
• Automatic Silver Status
• Earn 7X points when booking Hilton Hotels
• Earn 5X points on flights booked through Amex Travel
• Earn 3X points on all other purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• Read full review (here)
• Apply for card (here)

At this point, you have earned nearly 500,000 Hilton Honors rewards points, worth almost a month of free stays.

Once you upgrade the American Express Hilton Honors card to an American Express Aspire card, you will begin earning 3-week night stays a year, as well as $1,800+ in hotel & airline rewards.

Calculating the Total Credit Card Plan Value

When we calculate the value of these cards, we will split the valuations into two categories.

1. First year ownership: This is strictly the value from sign-up bonuses / card rewards in year one.
2. Annual value: This is after any neccessary card upgrades have been done, what you will recieve each year.

So when we look at the American Express Gold Card, we list first-year ownership for the Gold sign-up bonuses and perks, but then list it as a Platinum for the annual benefit, assuming you upgraded it after a year.

First Year Ownership Value

Credit Card	Sign-Up Bonus	Annual Card Perks	Total Value
Chase Sapphire Reserve	$750	$300	$1050
Chase Freedom Flex	$200	$0	$200
American Express Platinum	$1,000	$1,419	$2,574
American Express Gold	$600	$240	$840
American Express Green	$450	$200	$650
American Express Aspire	$600	$600	$1,200
American Express Surpass	$720	$0	$720
American Express Hilton Honors	$520	$0	$520
Total Card Valuations	$4,840	$2,759	$7,754

Annual Value

Credit Card	Annual Benefit
Chase Sapphire Reserve [1]	$300
American Express Platinum [3]	$4,722
American Express Aspire [3]	$1,800
Total Card Valuations	$6,822

After finishing the calculations, we see that in your first year of card ownership, you can expect $7,750+ of value, as well as $6,800+ value every year after that.

While it does require some effort to go through the application process and hit the sign-up bonuses, the rewards are well worth the effort. You and your family have worked hard to serve your country, so it’s time to reap the benefits!