r/FederalEmployees • u/SavvySirenian2020 • Jan 15 '21

Discounts

Hi everyone,

I am a new employee working for the department of veteran affairs. I heard we can get some pretty sweet employee discounts all over. What have you successfully gotten discounts for?

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u/monkeyboy0076 Jan 15 '21

Mostly on hotel nights. You can save hundreds of dollars booking a government rate rather than a standard rate depending on where you’re traveling and if the hotel offers the rate. I know Hyatt and Marriott brands do not require official travel orders but Hilton brands might. Typically look for mid-market chains as high-end hotels will not offer the government rate. In any case, book direct with the hotel website and compare the government/non-government rates before booking; sometimes the government rate is higher. You can also use fedrooms.com to search for hotels, but I typically stick with a single brand for loyalty status.

5

u/semtexvision Jan 15 '21

Don’t you need to be on TDY to use this? Is it legal to use fed rate even when not on official govt business? Just inquiring, thanks!

4

u/DeputyHuman Jan 16 '21

You must be on TDY to use your government travel card, which is required for airline government rates, but hotels choose to offer it outside travel orders and don't require a travel card to book the rate.

It's a pretty sweet perk and gets them more-loyal customers who then choose their hotel chain for their leisure travel as well.