Changes are coming to your Military Star card.

Gone is the option to redeem points for cash, but you'll still earn points that can be redeemed for military exchange gift cards.

Today, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which administers the exchange credit card program for all military exchanges, offers two credit cards.

One is its private label card, which is used only on military installations and did not previously earn points for purchases. With the new Military Star private label card, you will earn two points for every dollar spent wherever the card is accepted, which is mostly at military exchange facilities on installations and the exchange systems' websites.

The points will be converted only into gift cards that can be spent at exchanges. Your interest rate and credit limit won't change.

The other is the Military Star Rewards MasterCard, operated in conjunction with Chase — a regular credit card that can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted.

The Chase card offers 2 percent cash back on purchases at the exchanges, gas stations, commissaries, MWR merchants and online; and 1 percent everywhere else. The points can be redeemed for cash, credit to your account, or exchange gift cards.

As of Sept. 30, AAFES no longer will offer the Chase Military Star Rewards MasterCard, although current customers can remain Chase customers with a newly issued card.

AAFES is ending its relationship with Chase to simplify its credit offerings, AAFES spokesman Chris Ward said.

"The split will cause less confusion for cardholders, who were managing two lines of credit and two separate payment systems," Ward said.

Regardless of which card you have, you'll get a new one in the mail. If you have both, you'll get two new cards.

Meanwhile, if you've accumulated points with the Chase Military Star card and redeem them by Sept. 22, you will save 20 percent. For example, redeeming 1,800 points will get you a $20 gift card, when usually that would cost you 2,000 points.

After Sept. 22, Chase customers with enough points will see those points automatically converted to gift cards at the standard redemption value; the gift cards will be mailed to you.

As with the previous private label card, the new Military Star card can be used primarily at exchange facilities such as stores, food courts and mall vendors and at shopmyexchange.com and mynavyexchange.com.

Each time you reach 2,000 points — spending $1,000 in exchange facilities — your reward reaches $20, and you'll be sent a reward card, regardless of your branch of service.

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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