Top Defence Discounts This Christmas

If you’re eligible for the Defence Discount Service (DDS) and not checking it before Christmas spending, you’re likely paying more than you need to.

Used properly, DDS can take meaningful money off food, travel, electricals and gifts. Used badly, it just nudges people into spending they weren’t planning to do.

This guide cuts through the noise and shows you where the real savings are, what’s worth your time, and how to actually use them before Christmas hits your bank balance.

First, who actually qualifies for defence discounts?

You usually qualify if you are:

• Serving HM Armed Forces including Reserve Armed Forces
• Spouse/Partner War/Service and Widow(er)
• HM Armed Forces Veterans
• Bereaved Family Member
• Cadet Forces (aged 16 and over)
• MOD Civil Servant
• NATO Personnel

You’ll need to verify your status once, then reuse access across multiple brands.

A quick reality check before you start

Defence discounts are useful, but they are not automatically the best deal.

Before using one, always check:

• Is there a public sale that’s cheaper?
• Is the discount only on full-price items?
• Would I still buy this if there was no discount?

Defence discounts work best when they replace planned spending, not when they create new spending.

Short on time? These are the Defence discounts worth checking

If you only check a few things this Christmas, make it these five. This is where savings add up.

1. The gift categories where Defence Discounts still delivers real savings

Not all Christmas gifts benefit equally from defence discounts. The biggest savings tend to come from a few reliable categories, especially when you’re buying close to Christmas.

Clothing, trainers and sportswear are consistently strong. DDS discounts at JD Sports, Nike and Adidas often apply to full-price items, which matters late in December when sale stock is picked over. This makes it easier to buy the right size and style without defaulting to whatever is left.

Electricals and small home tech are another area where DDS can quietly reduce a big-ticket spend. Discounts with brands like Morphy Richards and MyHenry, as well as repair offers such as iSmash for cracked screens, are particularly useful when something breaks or needs replacing before family arrives.

For low-effort but genuinely appreciated gifts, consumables tend to outperform novelty items. DDS offers with Laithwaits Wine are especially reliable at Christmas and can take a meaningful amount off a single order. Bloom & Wild and Find Me a Gift also work well for teachers, neighbours, extended family and deployed care packages where delivery matters more than presentation.

These categories work because they usually replace spending you were already going to do, rather than creating new purchases. That’s where defence discounts deliver their best value.

2. Christmas food and eating out without the guilt

December food spending has a habit of creeping up quietly. A big shop here, a takeaway there, a meal out because no one can face cooking again.

Discounts at places like Ask Italian, Zizzi and Bills are less about treating yourself and more about buying back time and energy. A planned family meal during the holidays can be cheaper than cooking for everyone and far less stressful.

But eating out is only one part of Christmas food spend.
The bigger cost often comes from the main shop and all the extras that get added on around it.

Top tip: Wine discounts are one of the most reliable wins. Offers like Laithwaits can easily take £30–£50 off a single order with very little effort.

Defence discounts won’t replace supermarket loyalty schemes, but they can complement them. Discounted gift cards or cashback-style offers are worth checking before:

• a big Christmas food shop
• buying gift cards you’d purchase anyway

Not something to rely on weekly, but useful when spending is higher than normal.

3. Keeping the kids busy over the Christmas holidays

Once the presents are opened, the real challenge begins.

The school holidays are long, and constant days at home get expensive in different ways. Even simple days out help break things up and keep everyone sane.

Defence discounts on cinema tickets, theatre shows and outdoor activities like Go Ape make it much easier to say yes to plans without doing mental maths first. These also double up well as experience gifts that don’t need to be used immediately and can stretch into the New Year.

Other examples worth checking include:

• London Theatre Direct – money off West End tickets
• ATG Tickets – discounts on regional theatre
• Cinema discounts across major chains

Top tip: These make excellent last-minute presents when time is tight.

4. Travel as a Christmas gift (even if it’s months away)

Travel doesn’t have to mean flying next week.

Forces discounts with providers like Qatar Airways, British Airways Holidays, Viator and Kenwood Travel are often best used for planning ahead. A future trip, even loosely planned, gives everyone something positive to look forward to once Christmas is over.

For families dealing with deployments, postings or reunions, travel savings can be both practical and emotional. Printing a booking confirmation and putting it in a card still counts as a proper present.

5. The boring checks that can still save you money

This isn’t festive, but it matters.

Christmas is often when people book travel, renew insurance or realise something needs updating. A quick check now can prevent a bigger bill landing in January.

Forces-friendly providers listed on Troopr cover things like insurance and essential services that understand military life, rather than treating it as an exception.

Five minutes spent checking now can save far more than another rushed gift purchase.

A quick checklist before you spend

Before hitting checkout:

• Compare against public sales
• Check exclusions and expiry dates
• Watch delivery fees
• Ask yourself if this was planned spending

Five minutes now usually saves far more than it costs.

How to access Defence Discount Service

• Free account for most serving personnel, veterans and families
• Optional Defence Privilege Card (£4.99 for five years) for in-store discounts
• Access Defence Discount online, in-store and via the DDS app

The bottom line

If you’re going to use Defence discounts at all, Christmas is the time to do it.

Focus on food, electricals and planned spending first. Use experience discounts instead of buying more stuff. Be cautious with clothing and browsing-led categories.

Check before you spend. That’s where the real savings are.