For years, external hard drives full of downloaded movies and TV shows were a must-have item for deploying military members. But, as more bases install high-speed internet, streaming services have started phasing out these digital movie libraries.
Whether you’re deploying, thinking about cutting the cord at home or just trying out a new streaming service, you should always shop around for the best price.
Several streaming, cable, and phone services offer discounts to military members and veterans.
Table of Contents
- What to Know About Streaming Services
- Best Streaming Services with Military Discounts
- Apple TV
- Amazon Prime Video
- Discovery Plus
- Disney+
- FuboTV (major league basketball & soccer)
- Hulu
- MLB.TV
- NFL Game Pass
- Showtime
- More Streaming Service Discounts
- Paramount+ 2022 Veterans Day Discount Promo Code
- Military Discounts on Cable and Satellite TV
- Military Cell Phone Plans with Free Streaming Services
- What Streaming Services Are Free for the Military?
- How Can I Stream Military Channels?
Editor’s Note: Discount details listed below are subject to change. Always check with a service provider before buying a subscription.
Do Any Streaming Services Offer Military Discounts?
With good internet connectivity, military members and their families can save at home and on military bases with streaming services. A host of TV streaming services, including Disney+, AppleTV and Amazon Prime, offer discounts to military members.
Other services, such as Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube, don’t have a specific military discount, but routinely offer great deals that service members can take advantage of. Check with streaming TV services regularly to see what deals or military discounts they’re offering.
Don’t forget to check with your phone or internet provider too. At least one cell phone provider’s military plan provides free and discounted subscriptions to some streaming services.
What to Know About Streaming Services
We contacted streaming services to round up the best discounts, including military discounts, on TV streaming services.
However, streaming services regularly run new subscriber deals and discounts, so the discounts and prices noted below are subject to change. Always check in with a service to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Even if you’re a current subscriber, you may be able to negotiate a better rate based on new customer deals.
Deployed military members may need to use VPNs, which encrypt and protect user data and information. Some streaming services block VPNs. Check with your duty station to find out if required VPNs may disrupt streaming services.
If you’re looking for a VPN for personal use, here are some of the best VPNs we found for military members and their families.
Best Streaming Services with Military Discounts
Apple TV
Apple TV has a standing 10% veterans discount for all of its products and services, including streaming. Veterans can visit the Apple TV home page and follow the Verify.ID link to verify their military service and discount eligibility. Without a military discount, Apple TV subscription plans cost $4.99 a month, after your first week, which is free.
Amazon Prime Video
In the past, Amazon has offered a $40 military discount off its Prime membership of $139, which includes its vast archive of TV shows and movies and Amazon original programming.
However, Amazon has not yet announced a 2022 military discount, but check back in with the service around Veterans Day.
Currently, Amazon Prime memberships cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year. Memberships also include free shipping on all your Amazon orders, which can be especially helpful for service members who are stationed overseas.
Discovery Plus
Discovery+ offers a 40% military discount on its monthly subscription price, reducing it from $4.99 to $2.99 per month. Active-duty, National Guard and reserve military members, veterans and military family members are eligible for the Discovery+ discount, which provides access to over 60,000 episodes from Discovery network channels, including Discovery, A&E, Lifetime, HGTV and the Food Network.
Disney+
The Disney+ military discount takes 25% off its packages, ranging from $7.99 to $19.99 a month. To get the offer, sign into your GovX account.
Disney+ is full of family-friendly shows and movies from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. Higher priced packages expand your access to include Hulu and ESPN+.
FuboTV (major league basketball & soccer)
While cable providers like Dish and DirectTV offer various major league basketball and soccer access packages to its subscribers, military personnel can also access sports coverage through FuboTV. FuboTV provides a $10 a month discount for two months from its $39.99- $99.99 when you log in with your GovX account.
Hulu
Hulu offers service members 10% off its basic package of $6.99. The basic package includes ads. To remove ads, you can upgrade to a $12.99 per month, which does not include a military discount.
MLB.TV
Major League Baseball airs a lot of games in a season, which accounts for its higher price point. However, MLB offers a one month 35% discount to military personnel.
As with Disney+, you can access the MLB.TV discount through your GovX account. After that, viewers can choose from single team packages starting at $119.99, or an entire season option beginning at $139.99, or $24.99 per month.
Amazon Prime Video subscribers can add MLB.TV and 100+ more channels – no cable required. In addition, Amazon gives a 7-day free trial of MLB.TV (on top of their 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime). MLB.TV via Prime Video is currently on sale at $57.99 for a season subscription. Regular pricing is $24.99/month for the All Team Pass, and $49.99/year for a Single Team Pass.
NFL Game Pass
Military personnel stationed outside the U.S. can get a 25% discount for the season. The offer is not valid inside the U.S., Canada or China. Game pass subscriptions are temporarily closed until preseason begins, according to the NFL game pass website. Subscriptions previously cost $99 for the season.
Showtime
Showtime’s military discount shaves $2 off it’s regular $10.99 list price. Active-duty, reserve and National Guard military members, veterans, retirees and military dependents can access all of Showtime’s programming for just $8.99 a month.
More Streaming Service Discounts
These streaming services offer new subscription discounts, but don’t advertise a year-round military or veteran discount:
For Veterans Day 2022, veterans and active-duty military members can get 30 days of Paramount+ for free with the promo code BRAVO.
Military Discounts on Cable and Satellite TV
DirectTV
DirectTV cable service provides a military discount, autopay and bundling discount for new subscribers through Veterans Advantage. For $54.99 per month (plus taxes), subscribers can access over 160 channels for a year when they sign an two-year contract.
Dish
Dish offers its $240 Stars & Stripes Value Pack FREE to active-duty military members. This add-on discount TV streaming package includes access to more channels such as the American Heroes Channel, Smithsonian Channel, STARZ Encore Westerns and others. Also, active-duty military members can get one free move rental every month.
Dish’s military package also upgrades digital video recorders (DVRs) to hoppers, so military members can stream their favorite shows to their mobile devices, so they can keep watching from anywhere in the world.
Military Cell Phone Plans with Free Streaming Services
- T-Mobile Military Discount with Free Streaming Services: T-mobile provides access to streaming through its 50% discounted Magenta Military Plan, which includes a free basic Netflix subscription at the Magenta Military signature plan level and a free standard Netflix subscription at the Magental MAX Military premium plan level. Plans range (with autopay) from $25-35 depending upon such features as streaming and data and texting speeds. Both T-mobile military plans include 5G network access for free.
- Verizon Military Discount with Free Streaming Services: The carrier discounts its service to military personnel with four plans ranging from $30-50. The military discount also provides up to a 50% discount for home internet service (where available). Their upper end plans provide free streaming for Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+.
What Streaming Services Are Free for the Military?
AFN
Armed Forces Network offers TV and audio streaming free for the military. Service members must register to get a signal decoder that can access the AFN network. AFN offers a variety of scheduled programming, such as news, sports, tv programs, and movies.
In March 2022, AFN launched the AFN Go app, which allows militar members to stream music, news, talk radio programming and local information to internet connected computers or to Apple or Android mobile devices, according to DOD.
DOD Content Libraries
Military personnel and dependents of all ages can access a variety of free content through Military One Source and DOD MWR Libraries, including streaming services for documentaries and do-it-yourself technical help. DOD libraries also have several options to stream audio books and music or rent e-books for your Kindle, tablet or mobile device. .
Boingo TV
Military members who live in base housing, like barracks, can access Boingo TV through an internet app, starting at $19.95 a month.
However, Google app store reviewers have gave the app less than two stars out of five, citing issues like slow speeds for popular sporting events, slow cusotmer service responsiveness (24-hour reply to emails) and sign-in problems.
How Can I Stream Military Channels?
No and low-cost military streaming services offer the best channel options for military themed programming such as VET TV, which costs $4.99 a month. Other channels, like the Military Channel, are only available as standard cable or satellite programming.