BX and SmartPay® make good cents

  • Published
  • By Army and Air Force Exchange Service
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  The competitive prices and convenience local Army & Air Force Exchange Service operations offer military shoppers don't end at work. In fact, all authorized GSA SmartPay® Card holders can quickly and easily get the items their unit or office needs without leaving Whiteman or, if making a purchase through the Exchange Online Store, without even leaving their desks.

Whether shopping in-store, online at www.aafes.com or through an Exchange Catalog, GSA cardholders who procure items through base exchange operations save time as there is no need to carry, show and explain a state tax exemption letter because almost everything the exchange carries is already free of taxation. 

Purchases made through AAFES activities also save Department of Defense money as Whiteman exchange operations proactively survey and review product assortments to ensure prices are routinely lower than the competition. Beyond convenience and cost effectiveness, GSA card transactions made through AAFES also generate dividends used to support Army, Air Force, Marine and Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs.

"AAFES is a military command with a dual mission to provide quality goods and services at competitively low prices and generate earnings to support MWR programs," said Becky Stover, Whiteman's BX store manager. "This structure ensures that all unit and office related GSA purchases made through the exchange not only are a judicious use of funds, but also a generous contribution that helps support critical military quality of life efforts."

DOD civilians who are not normally entitled to exchange privileges, but authorized to make organizational purchases, need only show their SmartPay® Card and a government ID card to make official purchases. Last year GSA SmartPay® purchases helped generate more than $200 million for much-needed Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs. These funds are used in support of Youth Services, Armed Forces Recreation Centers, post functions and other quality of life initiatives enjoyed by military families on installations across the globe.