Military servicemen, veterans, and even their families deserve a great deal of respect and gratitude from us, not just for them serving the country but also for the kind of sacrifices they have made in their lives to shield their country and countrymen.
Internet service providers across the world acknowledge these sacrifices and offer specialized and exclusive discounts for veterans and their families to show their appreciation. The main reason behind the availability of these discounts is to keep the servicemen, veterans, and their families connected to their loved ones.
Given the kind of influence that the internet plays in our modern life, it isn’t surprising that having the right internet connection plays a crucial role in our lives. Not only does it enable you to stay connected with your people, but it also enables you to keep yourself updated about things happening around you.
With exclusive discounts, veterans get access to the best deals for availing of internet connectivity. Given the kind of services military personnel puts in throughout their career, it is the least that the internet service providers can do to show their appreciation, helping the veterans and their families stay connected without breaking the bank.
This article will explore everything you need to know about the best internet service provider discounts that are available for military service members, veterans, and their families.
More about the Military Discounts on Internet Service
Not just the government, but even standalone businesses, including various internet service providers give access to internet connectivity at a discounted rate. If that’s something that you are looking forward to exploring, we’d recommend getting the basics sorted first.
ISPs like Rise Broadband, Verizon, and Xfinity are some of the best businesses offering internet service at a discounted price to veterans and active-duty military personnel. There are monthly discounts available and then you have specialized pricing options too.
To give you an idea, let us walk you through a few leading ISP brands and the kind of discounts they offer:
- Rise Broadband offers its monthly plan at $29.95 with 50mbps internet speed, 250GB data cap, and an additional 10% discount for military personnel and veterans.
- Verizon Fios offers their monthly plan at $34.99 with 940mbps internet speed and up to a $15 discount.
- Xfinity Internet offers their monthly plan at $19.99 with 1 Gbps internet speed and 1.2 TB data cap alongside a $100 Visa Rewards Card and $25 credit.
Keep in mind that these are some of the few discounts and deals that are available for military service members, veterans, and their families. Other ISPs offer discounts and exclusive deals, which we will discuss at length next.
Top Internet Providers & Discount
Now that you have a better idea about military discounts, and exclusive deals available with various internet service providers, let us understand the kind of exclusive deals that are available with the individual service providers.
We aimed to list out the top ISPs that are conventionally used by people around. We have thus shortlisted the most popular ISPs on the list.
1. AT&T Fiber
If you are an active military servicemember, veteran, or military family, AT&T Fiber offers a $15 flat discount on their monthly internet service on AT&T Fiber Internet and DIRECTV services.
Keep in mind that AT&T offers these discounts via wireless, internet, and TV connectivity too. Furthermore, you also have access to the Signature Program, which offers special rates for the people that qualify under their list of criteria.
This plan is eligible for government employees, college students, university students, an employee of the participant companies, etc. If you are an active military servicemember that has access to a .mil email address, you can sign up for their Signature program.
For veterans, there involves a few extra verification steps with documentation but the process is pretty smooth if you have all the relevant documents with you.
Criteria For Qualifying:
Now, if you wish to qualify or apply to AT&T’s Signature Program, the process is fairly simple. If you are active military personnel, you’d need to sign up via AT&T Signature Program’s official webpage. Next, you need to sign up for the portal using the .mil email address.
If you are a veteran, you’d need to access the AT&T Signature Program’s web page that’s curated for veterans specifically. Documentation is a must for qualifying if you are a veteran. Some of the important documents include:
- Department of Defense Form DD214 indicating an honorable discharge
- Current AMVETS membership card
- Veteran designated driver’s license
- Valid retired Military ID
- Veteran Health Insurance card
What’s great is that the application process isn’t limited to online processing. If you aren’t comfortable filling in the application online, you can always go ahead and do it at the store. You’d need to visit the nearest AT&T store and submit the documentation to qualify for the discount.
2. Verizon/FiOS
Next on the list of the popular internet service provider that offers lucrative internet service discount is Verizon/FiOS. Their bundle package targeted at military servicemembers, veterans, and their families offers a pretty great deal when you come to think of it.
At present, the ISP offers three bundled packages for military professionals, each of which can help you save over $100 per month.
That aside, the most lucrative and commonly opted-for internet discount deal that most professionals opt for is their home internet package, which starts at $34.99 per month.
As military personnel, veteran, or their family, the users will have to personally confirm the available deals since they are mostly concealed and made available based on the requests they get.
3. T-Mobile Home Internet
Moving on from that, the next ISP that we have to highlight in the list is T-Mobile Home Internet. They are known for offering the absolute best and most affordable military discount on their internet service.
For those who aren’t aware or have no idea, T-Mobile Home Internet offers two major military discounts – Magenta Military and Magenta MAX Military plans. Both of these plans offer amazing discounts and potentially the best deals you can think of.
However, the biggest issue with these programs is the eligibility. These particular military discount programs rely on your location to determine whether or not they are eligible. It provides access to a 5G cell connection network, which is serviceable almost everywhere that you can think of.
So, irrespective of where you live, you can be assured that T-mobile will be serviceable without any compromise. Also, the typical download speeds with this network range between 33-182 Mbps, which is a pretty great standard, when you come to think of it.
Ideal for a low workflow like streaming movies and playing games, this is hands down one of the main reasons why T-mobile is growing in prominent marks around the world.
4. Frontier Internet
Next on the list of internet service providers that offer exclusive and lucrative discounts to military service members, veterans, and families is Frontier Internet.
They had an active discount plan where they offered a flat $10 discount on the monthly internet plans available. Although this was a pretty lucrative plan that was available before, it is not confirmed yet whether or not Frontier offers the same discounts till now or not.
The only downside to using Frontier Internet is the fact that it comes with a big monthly expense, which you have to spare now and then. So, this could be one of the reasons why most servicemen and veterans don’t rely on this ISP for their daily internet needs.
However, one factor about Frontier that no one can beat is its internet speed. It is effortless and efficient like nothing else. Some of their internet plans even offer up to 5 Gbps internet speed, which is pretty effortless when you come to think of it.
Our recommendation with Frontier Internet would be to personally check their deals and pricing. Their military discount details are pretty immersive too, however, it is subject to availability, so keep that into consideration.
Now that you have a list of all the ISPs that offer great deals for military personnel, veterans, and their families, let us walk you through a list of ISPs that include ISPs that don’t offer lucrative deals and discounts for military personnel.
Some of the most important ones include:
- Spectrum (Charter Communications)
- HughesNet
- Cox Communications
- CenturyLink
- Optimum (Altice USA)
- Mediacom
This list is subject to change, depending on how these ISPs change their list of discounts or offers that they make available as part of their payment plans.
Government Programs for Internet Discounts
Now, we discussed the non-government or private internet service providers and the kind of deals and discounts they offer for military personnel. What about the government plans and programs?
- Affordable Connectivity Program
Like the non-government parties, there are government programs available that offer internet discounts. It was previously termed the “Emergency Broadband Benefit Program”, which has now been renamed to the “Affordable Connectivity Program.”
Under this program, citizens, military personnel, veterans, and their families are eligible to get access to affordable internet services for school, work, or even health care. There are certain criteria under this government program, including:
- $30/month discount on broadband service
- Up to $75/month per household in qualifying tribal lands
- One-time discount of $100 on laptop, tablet, or desktop
The qualifying household or individuals have to apply for this government program to be able to avail of the discount.
- Lifeline Program for Veterans and Military Members
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a long-term and effective internet plan that enables military personnel and veterans to avail of great discounts.
However, if you want something even better and more profound, the Lifeline program is the one that most veterans opt for. This is a permanent program that provides access to limited services.
Under the Lifeline program, military professionals and veterans get $9.25 off their internet bill per month and around $5.25 per month on their phone bill. Compared to ACP, the Lifeline program doesn’t offer big discounts on the internet bill.
However, since these bills do add up to a lot of money, it isn’t surprising that even getting access to these meager discounts makes a huge difference in the long run.
How Does One Qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program?
Now that you have a good idea about the Affordable Connectivity Program and its logistics, wondering about the qualifying criteria is pretty normal.
The question that lurks in the mind of most people is, “How do I know if I qualify for the benefit?”
Now, if you want to qualify for ACP, the first and principal criteria is that the individual must be an active member of the military or a veteran who lives on an income of 200% or below that of the federal poverty level. If you participate in a federal assistance program like Medicaid or SNAP, that also contributes to the eligibility.
Following are some of the factors you can check to confirm whether or not you qualify for the affordable connectivity program or not:
- Check the Status
Universal Service Administrative Company’s website has a web page dedicated to checking whether or not you qualify for the ACP program. The link you have to check at is https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/do-i-qualify/.
- Apply for the program
Once you are sure that you qualify for the program, the next step is to fill out the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)’s application form. You can do it online or fill out a hard copy of the application and then mail the application directly. Apply link: https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/how-to-apply/
- Find a compatible broadband provider
The last step after filling out the application is to search for internet service providers in your area who partner with ACP to offer reasonably priced internet solutions. Once you sign up for their program and get the application passed through, you should be able to avail the discounts offered under ACP.
We’d recommend that you stay patient throughout the process because it might take some time to get a confirmation.
How does one Qualify for the Lifeline Program?
With the basic information about the ACP out of the way, the next thing we have to focus on is the Lifeline program. Applying for this discount isn’t as complicated as ACP.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
- Apply for the Program
The first step is to visit and explore the Lifeline National Verifier page. Find the state that you live in the list and then fill out the application.
Once you have completed filling in the application, the next step is to enter your contact information and also submit the relevant and required documentation as per your eligibility. If required, you can also print the application and fill it in manually using a pen.
- Pick the ISP
Once you have applied for the program, the next step is to pick the relevant or compatible internet service provider.
You do get a 90-days buffer period to pick and choose the internet service provider that you wish to avail yourself of. Ideally, if you are sitting there confused, the USAC search tool is a great way to find the internet service provider in your area.
Besides that, you can also directly contact them via 800-234-9473 for more details.
Are there any Special Phone Programs for Military Personnel Available Outside of the U.S.?
The United States offers a variety of internet plans at discounted rates for their military personnel that is working with them in the country.
However, there are a few internet service providers that extend their services to military personnel that is deployed overseas as well.
One of the best examples is Boost Mobile, which runs its Deployed Military Program that enables individuals and service members to keep their phone numbers even when they are deployed to a different country. There is no need to pay any extra reactivation charges with it, which is always a benefit as well.
Ideally, availing of this particular discount can be a hassle. So, if you are getting deployed and you wish to avail of this specific discount, the best way to go about it would be by calling the direct helpline, which is 866-402-7366.
Conclusion
That concludes everything you need to know about the best discounts that are available for military personnel, veterans, and their families. If you have been confused about things until now and didn’t know where to apply or which ISPs to contact, we hope this article gives you all the insights that you were potentially looking for.
