Bang for your bucks - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Air Force Times

Bang for your bucks

Here are three strategies for maximizing your discount:

Be flexible to get the best deal.

“If you have a range of places and dates that are flexible, you have a better chance,” said Dan Yount, chief of Army Leisure Travel Services. There are periods when resorts and hotels are empty, and they will do a lot to try to get those rooms filled.

• Comparison shop. But look further into prices on hotel Web sites, Yount warns. “Rooms starting at” a certain price means you might pay more than that. And you may pay more when you check out — a $10 resort fee, etc. Call the hotel or resort in advance to ask about extra charges.

When you pay in advance for the hotel or resort through your MWR tickets and tours office, “you’ve paid all you’re going to pay,” Yount said.

The average discount is about 20 percent.

Discounts vary widely depending on the property, especially this time of year. MWR officials work with more than 400 hotels around the country.

“Right now, a lot of hotels are just trying to pay the mortgage,” Yount said. Also, if the company offering a military discount happens to be offering a separate discount program that’s a better deal, the MWR offices will let you know, Yount said.

• Read the fine print. There may be time restrictions. You may be required to get a voucher from your base in order to get the discount.