Federal Government Employees: The Ultimate Financial Resources Briefing

Many furloughed workers haven’t fully recovered, and that’s why we’ve compiled a federal employee discounts list so that federal workers can spend less and have an easier time getting back on their feet after the shutdown. And with the possibility of more shutdowns on the horizon, federal employees need resources for catching up and spending wisely. Here’s our useful list of federal government discounts and tips!

Help, Allotment Loans, and Assistance Programs

During the shutdown, more than 150 banks and more than 500 credit unions offered loans for federal employees with lower rates and waived fees. The Congressional Federal Credit Union offered lines of credit, and many of the major banks, like Chase and Wells Fargo, promised to work with individuals dealing with missing income. If you or a loved one didn’t take advantage then, try talking to these businesses now.

Some employees were even able to file for unemployment. Often, that wasn’t enough, however, with quite a few workers creating GoFundMe pages despite the fact that the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) has since claimed that that is an ethics violation, since this would technically be accepting gifts from the public. Simply put, anything offered to the general public or all federal workers is acceptable, but help offered to specific employees is generally frowned upon.

Unfortunately, plenty of the special deals, fee waivers, and even charitable aid have dwindled since the end of the shutdown, but that doesn’t mean federal workers don’t still need help.

But what can workers do now to recover?

Join AFGE: The American Federation of Government Employees offers financial help and benefits, which can be a lifeline in times of stress.
Avoid Making Big Orders: FICO scores may have dropped almost 100 points during the shutdown, so a car or house purchase isn’t likely a good idea. Watch your credit report carefully over the next few months.
Create a Plan to Pay Off Debt: Whether workers choose the snowball or avalanche approach to attack debt, it’s key to follow a solid budget plan. Attack the mountain a chunk at a time.
Remember Self-Care: The long-term effects of “shutdown stress” can be bad for your mental health. Be sure to ask friends and family for help, and give yourself some time to relax and decompress.
Take Advantage of Current Deals: We’ve made a big federal employee discount list so that if you need to make big orders, you can do so without paying top dollar.

Remember that military members and their families often have access to far more deals than civilian agency federal workers. Check out our useful military deals briefing if you’re part of the armed forces.

Tech Deals for Federal Employees

Need to buy some tech? Most ordinary workers outside of the military don’t realize that there are dozens of post-shutdown federal government employee discounts. List out the best tech choices, and then go in to see whether there is a special discount with that business. Many tech giants offer deals for local, state, and federal government workers, not just the military or veterans.

Federal Discounts on Computers and Devices

Shave hundreds of dollars off of laptops, smartphones, computers, software, and more by doing a bit of research and finding special deals on devices.

Apple Government Discount — There are both Apple state and local government discounts along with Apple federal employee discounts on the world’s favorite technology items. How much is the Apple government employee discount? It depends on the item you’re buying. For instance, if you’re looking at a Macbook, you might get a few hundred dollars off, but if you’re looking for a phone, it may be less. It’s still definitely worth it to learn!
Dell Member Purchase Program — Sign up for Dell’s program to get special discounts as a federal worker, including better financing, shipping at no charge, rewards, and up to $500 off on orders.
Microsoft Office Federal Government Employee Discount — Through the Microsoft Home Use Program (HUP), Microsoft offers agency workers items like Microsoft Office for $9.95 instead of the normal price.
Samsung Government Discount Program — All you need to do is sign up with a.gov email address and you can gain access to a bunch of deals on Samsung items, like their phones, laptops, refrigerators, and more!
Hewlett Packard Government Purchase Program — Get “yellow tag” deals by filling out this form (you can use number 2344 for the “business code”). Deals typically hover around 10%.

Cell Phone Plan Deals

Not only can you pay less for your device, but your monthly plan doesn’t need to be as costly. If you haven’t done so already, check with your cell phone provider to see if you can pare down your bill.

AT&T Federal Employee Discount — AT&T offers 15% off on the monthly service charge of certain plans along with special deals and rebates. Also, if you were affected by the furlough, you can arrange a flexible payment choice and revise your payment schedules so you’re not slammed with as many fees. You can also check the latest AT&T discount codes for extra specials, discounts and more.
T-Mobile Advantage Program — T-Mobile offers deals for some, but not all, government agencies. T-Mobile discounts for government employees are typically 15% or a reward card. They can also help with flexible payments for those affected by the shutdown.
Verizon Federal Employee Discount — Get 15% off on plans and plenty of deals on other types of accessories. Verizon also offers the “Promise to Pay” program for those affected by the shutdown. From time to time Verizon also has special offers and discounts for all consumers. You can browse the full list of Verizon discount codes to see if extra savings or deals are running.
Sprint Government Employee Discount — Federal, state, and local government employees can get 15% off on certain plans and devices. They also offered short-term payment solutions during the shutdown.

Government Employee Travel Discounts

Planning on a trip for business or pleasure? There’s no reason for a federal worker to pay full price for it with thousands of dollars in deals for hotels, transportation, leisure activities, and entertainment offered. While moving about for work, remember the official regulations for federal employee travel, like temporary duty (TDY) allowances, per-diem rates, and the FedRooms program. Consider downloading the GSA app to keep track of expenses. But if you’re traveling for pleasure, that doesn’t necessarily exclude the possibility of getting a discount for travel.

Federal Government Employee Hotel Discounts

With thousands of hotels that offer special rates, discounts, and deals on hotel stays for government workers, why ever pay full price? Often, you can grab special rates whether you’re traveling with your agency for business. If you are booking for business rather than pleasure, remember to check the GSA site to find official lists of per-diem rates. Look up rates applying these massive hotel chains when you’re planning your trip:

Best Western Exclusive Discounts — This massive chain offers 10% off or more on resorts throughout North America, and signing up with their rewards program will lead to more benefits, including charity donations from Best Western for 10% of earned service rewards points. Best Western also owns other brands like SureStay, Sadie, and Aiden.
Choice Hotels Reserved Rates — This is the huge business behind brands like Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Econo Lodge, Comfort Suites, and more. Get deals on 2,700 properties.
Wyndham Special Rates for Government Employees — If you’re booking at another among the largest hotel chains in America, chances are good that you can get a government discount. Hotels that this chain owns include Wyndham, Dolce, Tryp, La Quinta, Ramada, Travelodge, Howard Johnson, Super 8, Days Inn, Microtel, Caesars, and more.
Red Roof Government Rates — Save 15% overall on your hotel rate.
Hilton Government & Military Rates — Get per-diem rates on Hilton bookings and plenty of GSA resources for both business and vacation travel. Note that they also own Waldorfs, Doubletrees, Embassy Suites, Hamptons, Homewood Suites, and Home2 Suites among others.
Hyatt Government Rate — Book special per-diem rates with a government ID at check-in.
Marriott Government Rate — Hotels with the name Marriott, Sheraton, Renaissance, Courtyard, Fairfield, TownePlace, W Hotels, or even Ritz-Carlton can be booked for per-diem rates.
IHG U.S. Government Rates — There are 3,000 GSA-participating hotels worldwide within the InterContinental Hotels Group, including the brands Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, InterContinental Hotels, and more.

Government Employee Car Rental Deals

Most of the major rental businesses offer a federal employee car rental discount for official business travel, but see if you can find ones that offer good deals for leisure as well!

Enterprise U.S. Government Car Rental Agreement — You must have the following account number attached to your reservation for official travel: FGORDRS. Unfortunately, this business does not offer a special leisure rate.
Hertz Government Discount — Car rental discounts are offered for both official and leisure travel, with discounted rates and membership rewards for the latter.
Alamo Car Rental Discounts — Alamo helpfully splits up deals depending on if you’re officially traveling or just on vacation. Either way, you can get discounted rates.
E-Z Rent a Car Coupon — Get 10% off on rentals with this special coupon.
National Government Programs — Use these federal employee rental car discount codes: GOVBIZ for official travel and GOVRNR for leisure.
Dollar Government Car Rental Programs — Save 5% on leisure travel with unlimited mileage, and get special deals on official travel.
Sixt Government Car Rental Discount — Save 5% on official travel or leisure travel with Sixt.
Thrifty U.S. Government Deals — Get special benefits and perks when you sign up.

Other Vacation Deals

While there are fewer vacation deals for federal workers than military members (who can go to national parks for free), there are quite a few places where you can check for discounts. Check sites like GOVX, GovArm.com, and FedCruise.com, which specialize in government worker vacation deals. Also, see if your agency is listed on TicketsAtWork.com.

JetBlue GSA Fares — Certain airlines, like JetBlue, offer deals on fares for federal employees traveling for business.
Federal Employee Flight Discounts — Talk to American Airlines, Delta, United, or Southwest over the phone to see if you can get GSA deals.
AFGE Member Discounts — AFGE members have several choices for vacation-oriented federal employee discounts: Disney World, Disney Land, Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Colonial Williamsburg, and more.
Caesars Entertainment — Caesars is owned in part by Wyndham, and it offers 10% off the price of the stay of government workers at its properties, including many popular Las Vegas hotel/casinos.
Tropicana in Las Vegas — Since it is a Hilton hotel, this entertainment spot also offers special federal government rates.
SatoVacations Deals — This is part of the official government division of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, and they can help find excellent deals on your next vacation.

Other Federal Employee Discounts

Dozens and dozens of businesses, from restaurants to yoga studios, offered aid, discounts, free stuff, and deals during the shutdown. Now that the shutdown is over, however, that doesn’t mean there aren’t federal employee discounts: 2019 still has a lot to offer in terms of post-furlough federal discounts and coupons. Check the useful site ID.me to see what you can get with your official government identification.

Commuting Deals

You can also slim down your commuting costs. One strategy might be lowering your car insurance or car payment. Car businesses like Volkswagen offer discounts for government workers, and other businesses, like Hyundai, offered payment relief during the shutdown. Another strategy might be to try public transit or see what sort of reimbursements or transit subsidies your agency provides.

GEICO Federal Employee Discounts — GEICO offers what they call the Eagle Discount and a Membership Discount. See which ones you qualify for; unfortunately, you can’t do both.
AAA Government Discounts — Call AAA and ask about their discounted government employee auto insurance. Unlike GEICO, they allow you to stack discounts.
Volkswagen Military Assistance — All full-time Civil Service employees are allowed to inquire about discounts for Volkswagen vehicles.
Amtrak Government Rail Travel Discount — Traveling by train? Amtrak offers discounted fares to federal government employees traveling within the Northeast Corridor.

Childcare Deals

Children may have had a difficult time during the shutdown, suffering from the effects of higher levels of stress, missed daycare payments, and overwhelmed childcare centers. If your normal situation has gotten wonky, consider shopping for a new daycare provider or trying some of these solutions:

KinderCare Learning Centers Childcare Subsidy Programs — If you work for the GSA, CBP, NPS, or several other government agencies, you can get lowered tuition rates at these childcare facilities.
FEEA Childcare Subsidies — Don’t forget that many agencies officially participate in subsidy programs that can help you pay for childcare, which can be as much as a 50% discount depending on your income.

Miscellaneous Discounts

You might think that there are no more discounts to use, but not so! Besides the few listed here, there are still more; just remember to ask and present your ID, and you’d be surprised how many small, mom-and-pop, local businesses are still helping people get back on their feet. Just ask!

Group Health Eye Care Federal Employee Discount — Get 20% off of prescription eyeglasses.
Silk Plants Direct — Thinking about sprucing up the office? Get 10% off online orders when you mention your employer at checkout.
ADT Local Deals — Ask your local specialist if you can get a deal as a federal worker on ADT home security items.
Overstock.com - Has 11% off for Government employees for ID.me members. Combine with among the Overstock coupons offered, plus Overstock normally has massive sales and clearance pricing.

If you don’t see any discounts for something you need to buy, remember that you can always find amazing deals and coupons for everyone with Sacodes