Send Gift Cards to the Troops
September 18, 2006
Sgt. Shopper
by Karen Jowers
Before you mail out goodies, think gift certificates instead
Listen up.
You can get the most for your money by sending exchange gift certificates to troops overseas.
Here are eight reasons to consider sending a gift certificate — which anyone can buy online in values of $25 to $500 — instead of a package.
Gift certificates:
1. Get there in one piece. Mailed items run the risk of being broken, lost or stolen before they arrive.
2. “We’re there to provide the necessities, so the families are free to provide the things we can’t,” said Army Lt. Col. Dean Thurmond, an AAFES spokesman.
3. If you are a family member who has exchange privileges, head for the authorized-shoppers-only online section for exchange gift certificates rather than the online “Gifts from the Homefront” certificate program.
4. Shipping and handling for regular gift certificates cost $4.95 if your order is less than $49. Use your Military Star Card and shipping and handling is free.
5. For the Gifts from the Homefront program, the cost is $4.95 if you order fewer than 20 certificates and/or less than $300 value. For orders of more than 20 certificates, the shipping rate will vary depending on weight and destination.
6. These can be addressed to a specific service member or to “any service member,” so they’re a good option for parents, friends or others who don’t have exchange privileges.
7. Unlike regular gift certificates, Gifts from the Homefront certificates cannot be used for catalog or online orders.
8. Those deployed to the Iraq or Afghanistan theaters should ask about these free Gifts from the Homefront certificates and AT&T prepaid phone cards for any service member.
To find out more about them, contact the American Red Cross, which has representatives throughout the regions, or the United Services Organization. Go to www.uso.org, and click on “Find your local USO.”
Family members and friends can also buy these AT&T cards online on the military exchange Web sites: www.aafes.com, www.navy-nex.com, www.usmc-mccs.org and www.cg-exchange.com.
One-stop uniform shop
With the new “Uniform Ready-to-Wear” feature of AAFES’ online store, you can easily assemble your Army Combat Uniform or Air Force battle dress uniform with a few clicks of your mouse.
The items will be packaged and shipped ready-to-wear right out of the box.
Badges, patches (except for your local command patch), nametapes and insignia can be ordered and, if you prefer, attached for $1.85 extra per item, said Judd Anstey, an AAFES spokesman.
Soldiers and airmen can access the feature by logging on to www.aafes.com. Under “Shop by Department” at the top of the Web page, select “Military Uniforms Ready-to-Wear.” Only people authorized to wear uniforms are allowed access, Anstey said, to make sure uniforms do not get into the wrong hands.
Got that? You’re good to go.
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