Veterans Day Discount Day Planner

First, I want to start by saying thank you for your service to this country. Making the sacrifice to put your life on the line can’t go unappreciated. 

Having said that, Veterans Day is a significant time when businesses and other entities show their appreciation by offering discounts and deals for veterans and their families. But many of you may not know all the Veterans Day discounts available. That’s understandable. There are so many, and you’ve got life going on, so keeping up with all the deals and discounts isn’t your top priority. It’s ours! 

Beyond the Veterans Day discounts, we wanted to focus on the best ways to capitalize on all the deals you’ve earned and are entitled to. Below are some scenarios to help you plan your day.

Note: Some deals highlighted in these scenarios also include year-round military discounts. Also, don’t forget to pack that military I.D. to show proof of service. 

Key Points

• You have a chance to knock out some inevitable errands but for cheaper than you would have normally spent.
• At the very minimum, this will show you how to navigate Veterans Day so that you don’t pay for any food today.
• The worksheet at the bottom will give you a rough estimate of the money you save by showing you some deal comparisons.

State-Specific Veterans Day 2025 Discounts and Deals

State	Discount Page
California	California Discount page
Texas	Texas Discount page
Florida	Florida Discount page
New York	New York Discount page
Virginia	Virginia Discount page
Colorado	Colorado Discount page

Morning Planner for Veterans Day Discounts

Veterans Day Breakfast Options

Well, let’s start with a little breakfast, shall we? IHOP, Denny’s, and Bob Evans each year offer veterans free meals. Also this year, Cracker Barrel is offering a breakfast as well. So you may want to check them out! While Denny’s is restricted to 5 a.m. to Noon, Bob Evans offers a special menu, and IHOP isn’t necessarily nationwide, as some locations don’t participate in offers. Note to self: Call before to check. 

There’s a good chance you’ll see long lines, so maybe get there earlier rather than later. 

If you’re on the go and don’t want to stop and eat all morning, you have a few options. 

First, Starbucks will give you a free tall hot or iced coffee. This offer is also good for military spouses. Next, you can hit Dunkin’ Donuts. They offer a free donut for those who don’t want a big breakfast. You could also swing through Einstein Bros. Bagels and get a free coffee if you buy anything. 

All these are ideas to help free up your morning to do more. 

Morning Errands Options

This is also the time to possibly knock out some errands piling up on the ol’ To-Do List. Most notably, looking at options to help take care of any car needs.  

Veterans Day Oil Change Discounts

First, get that car washed! Zips Car Wash gives veterans a free car wash with proof of service. While it’s going on, eat that free donut you got a Dunkin! 

Next, knock out that change oil light on your dash… There are a few options, and many are actually pretty quick. There’s Valvoline, which offers the drive-thru oil change so you can sit in your car while it’s getting done. They’re offering 15% off your entire bill, so let’s say they replace an air filter; the whole trip is 15% off. The good news is that this is often about 15-30 minutes of your time, so it is not too long. BUT, be careful because others know about this promotion, so you may have to wait a bit. 

Another option is Meineke. In the past, it’s offered either a free basic oil change or 50% off a synthetic oil change. Many locations also provide a “hometown hero” discount, which varies depending on the location. Note to self: Call before to check.

Jiffy Lube may also offer some deals. The issue is that the promotions offered tend to be based on location, so it’s not a national deal. Note to self: Call before to check.

Veterans Day Tire Discounts

With your tires’ tread getting a little low, it may be time to replace them. I know, I know—it’s never a fun purchase. However, if you plan it for Veterans Day, you may be able to save money on something you were going to have to do anyway! 

Goodyear Auto Service will give you a free check of tires, brakes, and battery. The good news is that it runs from Sunday, November 10, through Thursday, November 14. Then you can get 1 of two options: 

1. An extra 10% off tires and services for active or retired military, and/or 
2. $120 instantly off on any installation with a purchase of any 4 Goodyear or Cooper tires.

Now, you will need a military ID to receive the benefits. 

Veterans Day Haircut Discounts

Okay, so you’ve gotten some food and maybe something to drink… got the car in a good place, and now it’s time for a little self-care. 

Great Clips and Sports Clips both offer options for a free haircut for any active-duty servicemembers or veterans. The only hiccup is it’s only for participating locations. However, if it does honor this promotion, it also may allow you to go in and get a future free haircut coupon if (let’s say) you just got your haircut. Note to self: Call before to check.

Mid-Day Planner for Veterans Day Discounts

Veterans Day Lunch Deals and Free Meals

By this time, you may be getting a little hungry. You’ve been all around, getting stuff done for the car, maybe a haircut, and possibly running other errands. Now, for some lunch. It’s important to know this is the part of the day you’ll likely run into some wait times. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

These are a few heavy hitters for food options:

• Texas Roadhouse
• Applebee’s
• Chili’s Bar & Grill
• T.G.I. Friday’s
• Olive Garden

These places listed above offer free meals for Veterans and active-duty servicemembers. Not to say there aren’t others, but these locations are some of the most well-known locations with free meals. 

Now, if you’re wanting to be fast with your lunch, maybe you had a free breakfast and plan on going to one of the places I mentioned above for dinner–cool. There are a few locations I would suggest, but hang on because this is a situation where your location matters. For example, in Califoria or even the west coast, you can go to In-N-Out Burger. The chain offers a free meal with proof of I.D. Another location, if you’re in the midwest, and are near one, White Castle offers a free meal. This final one is less regionally based, because there are locations in every state, but predominantly in the south you can get Chic-fil-a. 

Afternoon and Evening Planner for Veterans Day Discounts

Veterans Day Shopping Discounts 

Bellies are full, now there’s the rest of the day ahead of you! Let’s look at ways to maximize your dollars with other benefits.

There are two schools of thought I’d recommend people to consider: Shopping and capitalizing on deals, or an activity or experience. 

Home Decor Discounts

For shopping, have you been wanting to get a new couch, maybe a chair or headboard? Ashley Furniture will offer 10% off purchases. It may not seem like a lot, but 10% off of a $500 purchase is $50, so it can add up. 

Clothing Discounts

For clothing discounts on Veterans Day, an avenue you could explore are Acadmey Sports and Outdoor. It offers 10% off your entire purchase. A little pro-tip is looking to see if there’s anything you want online, jot that price down or screenshot it on your phone, and take it into the store. If the price is cheaper online, they’ll likely price-match as well, so you could expand your savings. 

There is also the Duluth Trading Company offering a 10% off your clothing purchases. Known for being pretty durable and high-quality, these clothes tend to cost a bit, so getting them discounted is something you could look at capitalizing on. 

There are places like DICK’S sporting goods, while they don’t offer a national discount, there are some participating locations that add a 10% discount for servicemembers, so be sure to ask when you’re there. 

Topping off the discussion on clothing shopping, look at Carhartt. It actually offers 15% off clothing for former or active-duty servicemembers. 

Home Improvement Discounts

If you’re trying to shop for home improvement, Home Depot offers a 10% discount, but it’s only on certain items, so ask at checkout. Also it comes with a $400 cap for the year. However, Lowe’s offers a 10% discount for former or active-duty servicemembers year-round and it covers all goods in the store. Need that new hose? Possibly want to upgrade that drill? Maybe you want to get Christmas decorations ahead of the season, here’s your chance to get more for less. 

Veterans Day Deals for Parks, Zoos and Theme Parks

If spending money on clothes isn’t your idea of fun, I totally get it. This time of year usually isn’t too cold yet, so maybe you want to get outside with your family. 

The good news, is that any and all national parks offer free entrance or free annual passes for the parks. In many cases, those deals also trickle down to family members/dependents. So get out with the family for the afternoon and see nature! 

There’s a lot to list, but there are also zoos, aquariums, museums, and even certain theme parks that give either free or discounted entry to current or former servicemembers, so make a call or look-up anywhere you may have in-mind. We also have a lot of those options listed on our entertainment discounts page. 

Veterans Day Dinner Discounts

We’ve mentioned a lot of food options to this point. The ones listed above are the main ones that offer free meals. However, there is one that kicks into place at night, which may be up your alley, and that’s Golden Corral. It offers a free meal from 5 p.m. until close. 

Comparing Veterans Day Deals Costs

One thing I’d like to wrap up with is the showing you how these changes can really affect your wallet. I know, it requires going out with the family, so it’s not like everything I mentioned as it pertains to food will be free because family members will still have to pay. But just hear me out for a second.

Below I want to give a break down of how these benefits help you get stuff you likely wanted to do, or were needing to do, for cheaper. In today’s world, every dollar counts, so you want to save wherever you can. Plus, you earned these benefits for your service!

Note: This will only be a breakdown of your cost savings!

Morning Errands

No Discount	Cost	Discount	Cost
Haircut	$10-$20 at least	Free Haircut	$0
Oil Change	$40-$100+	15% off Service / Free Oil Change	$34-$85+ / $0
Breakfast	$10-$25	Free Breakfast	$0
Coffee	$5-$10	Free Coffee	$0
Donut	$1-$2	Free Donut	$0

I know it may seem a little like “duh” but the reality is, you could likely pocket $65-$135 just on doing things that you were likely going to need to do anyway. Even if you had to pay for haircuts for other family members, food, etc. that’s still money back in your pocket. 

Afternoon and Evening Errands and Meals

No Discount	Cost	Discount	Cost
Lunch	$15-$30	Free Meal with Water	$0
Shopping (2 pants, 2 long-sleeve shirts)*	$80-$240 before taxes	10% discount / 15% discount	$72-$216
Home Improvement	$75-$150 before taxes	10% discount	$67-$135 before taxes
Furniture (La-z-boy chair)	$600	10% discount	$540
National Park	$5-$10	Servicemember discount (including family)	$0
Amusement Park	$15-$40	Free entry for service	$0
Dinner	$15-$30	Free meal with water	$0

Now, again, this is all rough and quick math, but based on the figures I’ve tossed up there for a couple of possible scenarios, you could look at saving between $126-$209 on evening activities and eating. Bringing a potential savings of $191-$344 for the day of activities. 

The best part of it is, if you follow this path, you wouldn’t have paid for an once of food! 

Final Takeaway

I know, there are all kinds of ways to poke holes in that comparison, like I said, these were rough calculations and quick money. It’s also not saying that you wouldn’t spend money if you did this method, but simply trying to highlight how your service can help you save some money, and do some fun stuff with your family! 

There’s all kinds of ways to plug-and-play discount options for your day, and I encourage you to give our discounts page a look, it is by far the best and most comprehensive one published online, and I stand on that. We have a whole team of people working year-round to get the most discounts listed, and make sure they’re verified and up-to-date. 

All of that to say, these deals are just a way to say thank you for everything. Your service and sacrifice doesn’t go unnoticed by myself and millions of others across the country and around the globe. Thank you again, and please enjoy the day safely with your family and friends!