Services Consolidate Exchange Charge Cards

DoD mandated the consolidation of the Delayed Payment Plan charge card issued by Army and Air Force Exchange Service and the NEXCARD used in Navy and Marine exchanges, said Connie Gordon, general manager of the AAFES facilities at Fort Belvoir, Va. The Military Star Card is the result, she said.

The Star Card will be accepted at most of the AAFES, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Exchange activities, to include catalog and military clothing stores operated by AAFES and Marine Corps exchanges, Gordon said. Previously, the only exchange-issued cards that stores honored were their own command's.

“We expect the Marine Corps and Coast Guard to be opening up more sites to accept the Military Star Card very soon,” she said.

AAFES, the Naval Exchange Service Command, the Marine Corps Exchange Service and the Coast Guard have approved the new card for use, she said. The official implementation date was Sept. 3, she added, but DPP cardholders in good credit standing began receiving their Star Cards in the mail weeks ago.

Customers are asked to destroy their old DPP and NEXCARD cards upon receipt of their new Star Card, according to exchange officials. Customers may still use old cards until Dec. 31; only the Star Card will be accepted after that. The Star Card cannot be used at Class VI package stores or exchange theaters. They also cannot be used at food courts, which usually are operated by contractors.

Authorized customers who haven’t received their new Star Cards by the end of October should call the following numbers starting Nov.1:

• 1-877-891-STAR CONUS (includes Alaska and Hawaii) Toll- free.
• 0130-81-2469 Germany (Toll-free).
• 00531-114239 Okinawa, Japan (Toll-free).
• 8008-72683 Italy (Toll-free).
• 00308-130663 Korea (Toll-free).
• 800-96-1843 United Kingdom (Toll-free).
• 00531-11-4239 Japan (Toll-free).
• 0800-1-6374 Belgium (Toll-free).
• 1800-546-7195 Guam (Toll-free).
• 214-312-6030 Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Norway, Crete, Netherlands (Collect).

Gordon said the new card features redesigned balance statements designed to help customers better manage their accounts. The Star Card carries a 14.25 interest rate, the same rate as the cards it supercedes, said AAFES customer service agent Stacy Martinez. That rate, she said, is competitive with similar store credit cards.

Use of the Star Cards benefits the entire military, Gordon said. “The earnings that come from this card are plowed back into the military community in the form of morale, welfare and recreation dividends,” she said. “It is a special benefit for customers (and) a win-win.”

For more information about the Military Star Card program, visit the AAFES Web site at www.aafes.com or the Marine Corps Electronic Shopping Mall, accessible at www.usmc-mccs.org. The Naval exchange service Web site address is navy-nex.com. The Coast Guard Exchange Service has no Web home page.