Rental Property Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
Hey, is anyone taking advantage of the 10% discount Home Depot offers to those who've served or are currently serving our country? Please share your story.
Involved In Real Estate · Potomac Falls, VA · Member since 2012 · 203 posts · 31 votes
13y
Okay......trying this again. I use the mil discount all the time at HD and Lowes. It's usually up to the employee/manager's discretion, but if you present your CAC or VA Hospital ID card and politely request the veteran's discount with a smile, you're likely to get it. I've only been denied one time by some guy who seemed pissed off and said, "It's for active duty only." I just smiled, paid anyway and left knowing that I will need to avoid him in the future. He was just one of those angry people in life.
Items that HD outsources for (carpet, for example) are exempt from the discount.?
Involved In Real Estate · Potomac Falls, VA · Member since 2012 · 203 posts · 31 votes
13y
Okay......trying this again. I use the mil discount all the time at HD and Lowes. It's usually up to the employee/manager's discretion, but if you present your CAC or VA Hospital ID card and politely request the veteran's discount with a smile, you're likely to get it. I've only been denied one time by some guy who seemed pissed off and said, "It's for active duty only." I just smiled, paid anyway and left knowing that I will need to avoid him in the future. He was just one of those angry people in life.
Items that HD outsources for (carpet, for example) are exempt from the discount.?
Charles Town, WV · Member since 2012 · 38 posts · 6 votes
13y
Andres,
The discount is not only for Active Duty, but reservists and retired military. It's not up to the Home Depot associate to give the discount. Just display your military ID when checking out and they will give it to you.
Lowes and Home Depot have never denied me the discount. I am active duty but mostly they just glanced at my ID card. In 2011 I spend upwards of $5000 that year remodeling much of my primary home so I never reached any limits, but that amount was pieced together, not all at once or within one month. I can't see them accounting over period of time as they never tracked my purchases. I preferred Lowes because the cashier was able to apply the discount while HD has to get a manager, or it may have been the other way around. Either way, I never had a problem with the discount.
Tampa, FL · Member since 2013 · 37 posts · 12 votes
12y
@Joe G. the limit applies to one transaction. That means that you can't checkout with more than $500 worth of goods. You can return and purchase more. Your purchases are not tracked.
Landlord · Summerville, SC · Member since 2013 · 9 posts · 0 votes
12y
@Al Williamson,
Incredible idea to compound the military discount by purchasing the discounted gift cards! That said, the thought of purchasing discounted gift cards online makes the hair on my neck stand up a bit - considering the potential to be scammed.
Any advice on how/where to get discounted gift cards without the fear of receiving a bogus card?
Residential Real Estate Agent · Cookeville, TN · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 948 votes
12y
Here's something that everyone can do (military or not). Lowe's has a website that's called lowesrealtorbenefits.com. Realtors can use this site to send 10% coupons to their clients. I think they can also buy gift cards here at a 5% discount. So you're not a Realtor? Have your Realtor send you a coupon when you buy a house.
I have purchased gift cards from Lowes at the same time as other items, the gift cards are not discounted. That would not make sense for the retailer because you would receive the discount twice, once at purchase of gift card and once at use of the gift card when purchasing products.
Landlord · Summerville, SC · Member since 2013 · 9 posts · 0 votes
12y
@Joe G.
The thought is buying unwanted gift cards through clearing houses, like ABC Gift Cards for example. Lowe's will not sell them at a discount for reasons you note, but there are plenty of online market places that do.
My concern is that I am not sure who is/is not reputable.
Rental Property Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
12y
@jeff king it's a 10 min transaction for me. I only buy cards over $200 and at > 33 percent discounts. So I feel good about the trade off.
Also, and more importantly, I'm trying to do research for you. Now you know a process. Your choice not to use this one. Maybe the next thing I come up with will be more helpful.
Investor · Riverside, CA · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
12y
Not related to remodeling, but there are great discounts available to military, both active and veteran if you just ask.
I'm flying to UT next week to spend a few days with another investor. I booked my room at Country Inn & Suites. The price is $122/night. I asked for the AAA discount and they said $135/night! I then asked if they had a veteran's discount and I got the room for $89/night.
When I went to Hawaii I stayed at the Westin and they gave me a $350/night ocean front room for 1/2 price. I only had to show my Veteran's Universal Access card.
I think that it is great that you ad info like this. It helps a lot of people out. Not everbody on BP are millon dollar investors. When I purchase something I could really use the extra cash off.
I've made purchases over $500 at HD and Lowes without any problems. They even give the discount to my spouse using her mil spouse ID.
One limitation I have encountered is the discount cannot be applied to a business transaction (using plastic). I have tried to use my LLC business card at Lowe's a few times and the computer wouldn't allow it. Not sure about HD.
Real estate investor · Las Vegas · Member since 2013 · 798 posts · 171 votes
12y
Thanks to contractors, most stores cap the limit on the 10% off. However, you can use the bid rooms for your larger projects and it is usually better than the 10% anyway.
Davenport, Flordia · Member since 2014 · 14 posts · 1 vote
12y
I've never had an issue at either Lowe's or Home depot. I have not had any issue with a 500$ limit either, I bought about 1500$ worth of wood at lowe's in one transaction for a fence we were building and they did not give me any amount of trouble with the military discount. I will say its a lot easier to use at Home depot, as they actually empower their cashiers to apply that discount instead of needing manager approval at Lowe's.
Nice to see companies give a nice discount to our Vets, my dad told me stories when he first joined there was military discounts at tons of places, but it seems to be more rare today.
Davenport, Flordia · Member since 2014 · 14 posts · 1 vote
12y
@Account Closed
Yeah, I have run into that. I think its because the financing on the store card is a "discount" and it will only allow one of those per transaction. Would be nice if you could stack the 10% and 6-12 month no interest financing.