Show your Services card and save Published Feb. 1, 2008 By Chris Calkins 45th SW Public Affairs PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Interested in getting a free annual individual or family pool pass when the weather warms up? If so, just stop by the Outdoor Recreation Office, simply show them your Services Advantages Card and they'll be happy to hand you one. For free. No questions asked. In the mood to hit a bucket of range balls at the Manatee Cove Golf Course over your lunch hour or on your way home? No problem. Just stop by the pro shop, show them your Services Card and they'll give you a token for a free bucket of balls. 365 days a year. Free every single day. Does your car need some work or are you in the process of selling it? Just swing by the Auto Hobby Shop, flash them your Services Card, and get 10 percent off on both air conditioning service (excluding Freon cost) and a wheel alignment, and free use of the vehicle resale lot ... a savings of $60 over a six-month term. All these savings - and many, many more - are all part of a 45th Services Advantage Club Card Discount Program, open to anyone eligible for club membership, to include active duty and retired military personnel, all DoD employees and contractors, NAF employees and AAFES employees. For more information on eligibility, please call 494-5608/4422. In addition, card-carrying members get 10 percent discounts at the Bowling Center and Golf Course pro shops and snack bars, 10 percent discounts on engraving, plaques and custom frame orders at the Arts and Crafts Shop, $5 off monthly dues at the Patrick Marina and 10 percent discounts on boat and trailer storage and wet slip fees there (both covered and uncovered). For members with school-age children, the new program offers $10 off the annual Youth Center individual memberships and $5 off the monthly "Kids Night Out" program. Members will also receive reduced drink prices 4:30 - 6: 30 p.m. Fridays at the Tides, Marina and Golf Course. And to get all these benefits, members have to do only one thing: just take out your card and save money. "When people realize how much they can save in real dollars, they'll quickly learn that regular use of the card will more than off-set the almost negligible monthly fee," said Tony Boob, Outdoor Recreation director. "For instance, card-carrying members can walk into Outdoor Rec anytime they want, show us their card and immediately get a 10 percent discount on more than 230 items in our shop. It's a pretty simple, straight-forward program ...the more you use the card, the more you end up saving," he said. Monthly fees for enlisted are $10 per month and $20 a month for officers. Other, but not all-inclusive benefits of the program include: · Reciprocal privileges at Air Force clubs world wide; · Reduced dues for members living more than 50 miles away; · No annual credit card fee; · Military free cash rewards programs; · Two percent cash back on charges at any services facility, and also includes the Main Exchange and Commissary; · One percent cash back on all charges at the AAFES gas station and all off-base charges; · Once 2,500 points have been accumulated, a club member can request either a $25 check or a $25 gift card from a wide variety on national chains. According to Col. Mark Bontrager, commander, 45th Mission Support Group, the new initiative is designed with the consumer in mind. "The real beauty of the program is you are not forced to use your card, you simply show your services card and save," said Col. Bontrager. "Our 45th Space Wing Airmen can literally pay for their membership through normal usage of our Services activities," he said. "As a commander, one of my duties is to ensure our morale, recreation and welfare activities meet the needs of our community and the new Services Advantage Program delivers on target," he said with emphasis.