Financial Responsibilities for new Midshipmen

Our experience is that the airlines will only give military discounts to those "on official orders". But always ask cause I truly think it depends sometimes on who is taking your call..... :smile:
 
while we're on the topic of flying ......MAC flights

Whats the status of military flights ( space available)for mids/cadets on leave ?
Back in the dark 70's, I flew military transport space-A as an ROTC cadet(in uniform) many times with great success saving big $$ but surrendering some reliability of getting there on time (but.....we never sat on the taxi-way for 4+ hours either, like commercial carriers frequently do during busy holidays now-a-days)....anyway, is this still an option for SA cadets/mids when they have some flexibility as well as a few more hours than $$ ?

I flew alone many times out of Scott AFB to Dover (DE)AFB or Charleston (SC) AFB and on to Buenos Aires , Argentina aboard MAC transports with very little trouble and lots of help from aircrews with my only in-flight expense being the cost of boxed meals.
 
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greeneagle5 said:
Another related question on this topic: will a new plebe need his current passport or will he be issued an "Official" one prior to travel abroad ?
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Current passport should work fine. You don't want an official passport anyway.
 
Yes, the midshipmen are paid. But what the Navy hands to them with the right hand it pretty much takes away with the left. Give your mid a regular weekly stipend and if they squawk for more money, listen to them.

No parent should complain about the expenses. Your kid could be going to the state U and racking up college loans.
 
Another expense I forgot to mention is cell phone...ha ha...a needed item for the kids.
 
Midshipmen/Cadet pay at SA

What size paycheck does a plebe, 2nd class, 3rd class and 4th class midshipman/cadet receive each month, before and after deductions ? And what are some "standard" deductions ? Are there any "extra" $$ appropriated to mids for special duties(leadership positions, etc.) at USNA ?

thanks,
 
Every midshipmen gets paid $864.30 a month before deductions. Deductions for each month varies depending on whether you have your ACE loan paid off, what state you're from, etc. It also depends on what year you are (Plebes get deducted more money to pay off the loan as compared to 2/C year). Any money left over from the deductions and paycheck is rolled over to a "held pay" account which is released at the end of each semester (we're talking about $800-$1000!)

Plebes see $100 each month in their bank accounts. 3/C get $200, 2/C get $300, and 1/C get whatever is left after deductions (about $500-600 so no held pay). The flat rate for the three underclasses is a good thing as it forces you to budget and you are always guaranteed that money. Plus, you get that giant lump sum at the end of each semester. As a 1/C, you are given everything that is not deducted, but some months, there are lots of deductions so your paycheck goes up and down. One month I made around $700, but a few months later I only got $250.

After leave periods, you will be given money for COMRATS (Commuted Rations) ie. reimbursement for food over leave that is added to your held pay. It's a flat rate by the number of days of leave you had. For Thanksgiving (I think it was 5 days leave), I received $27.80.

No one gets any bonuses for any special jobs or anything.
 
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Mids paychecks..

KaMi.....
Are paychecks direct deposited into mids' checking accts.....if so.......is this a Navy Credit Union at the academy or the individual's personally selected banking institution ?
Thanks for all the great info and help....
S. got his Offer of Appointment packet today.........I seem to be much more excited :yllol: :thumb: than he is at the moment !
 
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At CGA the pay was directly deposited into our accounts. The first two years we HAD to have Navy Federal Credit Union accounts, with this they could take the appropriate amount for our White Cards (maybe what USNA calls the Mid Cards). Our Junior (2/c) year we were given USAA accounts with a loan. The direct deposits were switch from the Navy Federal to the USAA account. I eventually closed my Navy Federal account after I graduated.
 
Upon entering USNA, all midshipmen are automatically signed up for a Navy Federal Credit Union checking and savings account. Paychecks are automatically deposited into the NFCU savings account. If one wishes to change banks at anytime, they just need to let the financial office at USNA know so paychecks can be sent to the right accounts.

NFCU is the main choice for midshipmen as they is a branch on the Yard and it's just convenient. There are free ATM withdrawals at any credit union. USAA is probably the second most popular as they are a more diverse financial institution. If you do banking with them, I believe that one receives about 10 free ATM withdrawals from any institution per month. I personally do mutual funds with USAA and banking with NFCU.

The Career Starter Loan, which LineInTheSand mentioned above, is offered the beginning of your 2/C year. NFCU and USAA both offer loans. My year, USAA offered $30,000 for 0.75% interest but was undercut by NFCU at the last moment who offered 0.5% interest. Whatever institution you get the loan from requires that you have you paycheck direct deposited there because they do automatic payments for the loan.

Even if one decided to switch away from NFCU, it is recommended to still keep that account open as you never have to leave NFCU even if you leave the military as long as you maintain an account. You cannot open an NFCU account again if you leave the military due to its membership eligibility requirements.
 
Initial upfront costs

Hi all,
This my initial post as a potential parent of future midshipman of the Class of 2013. What are the upfront costs(entrance fee) and what is the ACE loan? How much and what for? There doesn't seem to be much info on these subjects from the USNA site. I did read in an earlier post the upfront costs have been rolled into the ACE? loan. If these kids are officially in the military then why do their 4 years not count as service time? Do these 4 years count as anything eventually...seniority, vacation?


Thanks to all posters on the site. My son and I have gained much valuable inside information on the processes involved applying, nominations and do's and don'ts.

My son attended USNA SS session 2 recently and loved it. Hope he has what it takes!
 
inzane99 said:
Hi all,
This my initial post as a potential parent of future midshipman of the Class of 2013. What are the upfront costs(entrance fee) and what is the ACE loan? How much and what for? There doesn't seem to be much info on these subjects from the USNA site. I did read in an earlier post the upfront costs have been rolled into the ACE? loan. If these kids are officially in the military then why do their 4 years not count as service time? Do these 4 years count as anything eventually...seniority, vacation?
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I can only address what I *think* is true for my 2012'er.

There were no upfront costs. A year ago, at an admissions briefing, they told us there would be an upfront cost of $2500 for the computer and some other things. That has obviously changed.

I *think* the ACE loan covered uniforms and the computer and was for...? $8500? I believe this was something they signed on I Day, and we parents were not part of it. I'm sure during a leave I'll hear the details, but that won't be til Thanksgiving.

My personal response to why their 4 years don't count as service time is because they are more "receiving" service than "giving" services right now. They will LEARN to give and to serve, and when they graduate, that's when that time starts to count. Just my personal response--don't know the official response!

Good luck!
 
My son did space A last summer out of Dover. Easy to get Space A there for European flights during the summer. They had no problem going out on the day they wanted and returning from Rota with in a day that they wanted. They did allow 5 days in Rota to make sure they could get back into the States well before they needed to report. The only cost as stated above was for the box lunch.

As for domestic - my son has had no luck on a domestic flight and we live near a NAS, and 3 Air Force bases are within 4 hours. He has tried from Andrews. You can see a published schedule from a DoD network, however it seems that the domestic schedule is never correct.
 
RE: Service Time

It is possible to 'buy' the service time to count towards a federal employment/retirement system in the future. Something to always keep in mind. It's a little complicated to explain, but a fact to remember should civilian federal employment happen in the future.
 
Gen2 said:
RE: Service Time

It is possible to 'buy' the service time to count towards a federal employment/retirement system in the future. Something to always keep in mind. It's a little complicated to explain, but a fact to remember should civilian federal employment happen in the future.
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Can you go the other way? Would prior federal civilian service time do anything for you on the military side?
 
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