Vet Tix’s counter says more than 41 million donated event tickets have gone to troops and veterans. The tickets are free. You pay a delivery fee that tops out at $16.97 per event, and that one fee covers up to four seats.

The catch is a lottery that runs on coins. Don’t understand coins and you’ll lose drawings and decide it’s rigged. It isn’t. Here’s how it works, plus the other options.

Vet Tix: who can join

Vet Tix (the Veteran Tickets Foundation, a 501(c)(3) out of Tempe, Arizona) covers all branches, Guard and Reserve included. Eligible account types:

  • Currently serving
  • Honorably discharged veterans and retirees
  • Severely wounded combat veterans (Purple Heart documentation required)
  • Primary next of kin of a service member killed in action (must be listed on the DD 1300 Report of Casualty)
  • Surviving spouses of a service member with a service-connected death who haven’t remarried

Not on the list: military spouse, dependent, or family accounts. Spouses get in by going with the service member, since one account can request multiple tickets.

Setup gotchas:

  • You verify through ID.me. Have your login handy.
  • No .mil email. Vet Tix says the DoD restricts outside email, so use a personal address.
  • One account per service record. If you’re a vet and a cop, firefighter, or nurse, Vet Tix’s sister site 1st Tix serves first responders. Join one or the other, not both.

What it costs

The tickets are free. The delivery fee, which Vet Tix says covers related services and online transaction fees, is posted on each event page and runs $1.97 to $16.97.

  • It’s charged per event, not per ticket. The base fee covers 4 tickets and drops if you take fewer.
  • If the event is canceled or there’s a ticketing problem, the fee is refunded to your card automatically.

How the lottery and coins work

Big donations go through a lottery first, because there are more members than tickets.

Phase 1, lottery. You enter “appreciation coins” to request tickets. The minimum is 1 coin, and each coin is one entry, so more coins means better odds. Lose, and every coin comes back.

Phase 2, claim. Winners get about 24 hours to pay the delivery fee and lock in the seats. Miss the window and you lose the seats (your coins come back). Vet Tix recommends text alerts because emails get missed. Some events run a one-time second-chance lottery if winners don’t claim.

Phase 3, first come first served. Whatever’s left opens to everyone in checkout order.

Trickle events are built from small donations, like a season ticket holder giving away two seats, and run repeated mini-lotteries until event day. Vet Tix’s FAQ says these donations often come in 1 or 2 tickets at a time, and seats are limited to how they were donated. So a 2-ticket request is the safer bet.

How to stack coins

You start low, so build the bank:

  • 2 coins a month, automatically, for verified accounts in good standing
  • 15 coins to you and 15 to your buddy when they sign up with your referral link and verify
  • 5 coins for a thank-you photo of you or your family at the event, submitted in the Vet Tix app
  • 20 coins if you’re holding a Vet Tix sign (8.5 x 11 or bigger) or wearing Vet Tix gear, 35 for both
  • 500 coins for reporting a scalper whose account gets terminated

Photos must be taken in the app, inside the venue, from 1 hour before start time to 3 hours after. The app checks your location, so parking lot photos get rejected.

The rules that get people suspended

Vet Tix says donors track ticket scans, and unused or resold tickets can cost it future donations.

  • Never sell, swap, or gift tickets, not even to a buddy. Tickets are for you and your immediate family; friends can come with you. If you can’t make it, Vet Tix says immediate family can still go by logging in to your account (tickets stay in your name), but it’s not a service for getting tickets for your family. It also warns that Facebook ticket-swap groups aren’t Vet Tix, and donors who see their tickets posted online pull their donations.
  • Thank-yous are optional, unless the request is flagged. Then the account holder has to attend and submit a photo, or face a temporary suspension.
  • Can’t go? Hit “Can’t Attend” on the event. Some tickets can be returned for a partial refund, but the coins you spent winning them stay spent.
  • Mostly one event per day. Exceptions cover related events at the same or nearby venues, like morning and afternoon spring training games at nearby ballparks.
  • Standard max is 4 tickets. Families of 5 or more can apply for a large-family account by uploading two family photos. Extra seats still depend on what was donated.

Other places to find discounted tickets

Only Vet Tix is close to free at scale. The rest are discounts.

GOVX

GOVX accounts are free. Eligibility covers active duty, veterans and retirees, Reserve, Guard, and service academy cadets. Unlike Vet Tix, military spouses and dependents ages 18 to 24 can get their own GOVX accounts. Tickets cover sports, motorsports, and theme parks, with official partners including NASCAR, PBR, NHRA, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Discounts vary by event, and plenty of tiles say “up to 50% off,” so check the real price before you get excited.

Many pro teams also run their military discounts through GOVX verification.

Team military programs

Each team sets its own offer, and many are seasonal. Two current examples from the teams’ own pages:

  • St. Louis Cardinals: for the 2026 regular season, one complimentary ticket for active, reserve, and retired military, plus discounted seats in select sections. GOVX verification required, online only. Non-retired veterans aren’t named, so check the 2027 page when it posts.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL): “Tickets for Troops,” presented by Ohio CAT, open to active duty and veterans. Starting at noon on game day, the Nationwide Arena box office gives out one free ticket (subject to availability), and you can buy up to four more at a discount. The page says to show an active-duty military ID, so veterans should call the ticket office to confirm what ID they accept.

Offers expire, too. The Atlanta Braves’ GOVX military page said “tickets for this offer are no longer available” when we checked on October 1, 2026. Check your team’s official site, not a list from two seasons ago.

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster’s help center says military discounts are generally only available through the venue’s box office, and it points military members to Vet Tix. When a venue offers one there, it shows up as a ticket type option at checkout. Otherwise, call the venue.

Operation: Care and Comfort, Tickets for Troops (California)

This California nonprofit gives free tickets to sports, concerts, and theater for active duty, reservists, veterans, retirees, Gold Star families, and their immediate families. No service fees, no mailing costs. Most are Northern California events that come in last minute, often on game day. Sign up through their form and watch their Facebook for drops. Their page doesn’t list 2026 dates, so confirm on their site that sign-ups are open.

Where this fits with your other discounts

Theme parks are their own game; see the theme park stacking guide. For nights in, check the streaming and music discount breakdown. Guard and Reserve folks, the Guard and Reserve benefits guide covers the rest of your benefits.

Claim it today

  1. Make an ID.me account if you don’t have one, and verify your military status.
  2. Sign up at vettix.org with a personal email (not .mil) and pick the right account type.
  3. Turn on text alerts in My Account so you don’t miss a 24-hour claim window.
  4. Send your referral link to two people from your unit: 30 coins for you, 15 for each of them.
  5. Enter lotteries with your coins, and request 2 tickets on trickle events.
  6. Make a free GOVX account and check your local team’s military page before you pay full price.

Not an official VA or DoD website. Ticket programs change by season. Confirm current terms on each program’s official site before you rely on them. Last verified October 1, 2026.