This article is provided and presented by our sponsor, the MILITARY STAR card. Approved by Congress in 1979 to protect service members from predatory lending and to provide responsible credit solutions, MILITARY STAR offers financial benefits to all military branches. Visit MyECP.com for more information.
After the wrapping paper and ribbons settle, the post-holiday break is filled with clean up, thank-you notes and paying those holiday bills. MILITARY STAR can help with one of those. Each of the last two years, MILITARY STAR has paid off the holiday bills for some of our deserving service members and their families with the annual "Your Holiday Bill Is on Us!" sweepstakes. Since 2014, more than 70 customers have had all or part of their MILITARY STAR balance paid through the contest – over $68,000 in total.
This year's contest will again have three grand prize winners who will have their entire MILITARY STAR bills paid, while 10 second place winners will receive a $1,000 statement credit, and 25 third place winners will receive a $500 statement credit. All winners are randomly selected.
Having your balance wiped clean can be a huge stress reliever; just ask retired Air Force Master Sgt. Catherine Lawrence. The single mom was a grand prize winner and had her $3,306 balance paid in full. "Having this bill paid means less stress on me … especially since I'm disabled," said Lawrence, who suffered nerve damage while preparing for deployment, which forced her to retire after a 23-year career. The paid bill brought Lawrence peace of mind after the chaotic holiday season.
One of the very first prize winners was Kakala Loketi, an Army sergeant at Fort Bliss with a husband and young son. In using her MILITARY STAR card to help fellow Soldiers through rough patches, as well as for a family emergency of her own, Loteki had reached her MILITARY STAR card limit. When MILITARY STAR paid her bill and wiped clean her balance, "It changed my life," she said. Sgt. Loteki is just one example of the Exchange's extraordinary customers. It is our honor to serve her and others just like her.
MILITARY STAR seeks to offer peace of mind to cardholders like Lawrence and Loteki year-round by offering generous credit terms, such as one low APR, no matter your credit score. As part of its commitment to providing affordable and responsible credit solutions, MILITARY STAR also offers exclusive savings to military members and their families, like everyday discounts at Exchange food courts and fuel stations.
For those who do not already have a MILITARY STAR card, it's a great time to apply at the local Exchange or MyECP.com because new MILITARY STAR cardholders will receive a 15% discount on all first day's purchases when they use their card for the first time between now and November 10. Plus, cardholders have access to exclusive MILITARY STAR holiday deals, such as MILITARY STAR's Double Points Weekend, November 11-13, and MILITARY STAR's special 90-day financing offer on Black Friday. It's a great time to shop, save and earn points on every holiday purchase. Visit MyECP.com for more details and to view other exclusive offers.
Plus, whenever customers take advantage of these deals or make any other purchases with MILITARY STAR between November 1 and December 31, 2016, they're automatically earning another chance to have their entire holiday bill paid with the MILITARY STAR sweepstakes. There's no limit to the number of entries customers can receive, and entries are earned at all Exchange facilities and online at shopmyexchange.com.
You could be the next winner to have your entire balance paid off. Use your MILITARY STAR card every time you shop the Exchange, and you could be the next to hear, "Your holiday bill is on us!"
