The Power of Referrals

Being in the military means dealing with change. Frequent moving around involves frequently opening up new accounts with banks, service providers and utility companies. But do you know there is a way to cash in on all this?

Several companies often offer referrals to benefit the existing customer and the new customer. If everyone in the military started taking more advantage of these referrals, then we could really start making some money off our frequent moves.

In 2014, my family and I moved to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. We bought a house and established our utilities by using the ones recommended to us by friends. But if the Housing Office or some private organization on every installation had a running list of referrals, then once you inprocessed, you could choose your service providers and then you would be provided a "referrer's" name to use, so both people make money. This list would be even more beneficial to those coming back from an overseas assignment since they would have to establish all new accounts versus transferring like CONUS-to-CONUS moves.

Here are two examples of what I'm talking about. But review the services you currently use and then look up the potential referral money you can pursue.

Dish Network: My family loves Dish Network. If someone refers a friend to Dish Network, they both get $50 off their next bill.

Internet Service Providers: Our local area uses Sudden Link for cable modem service (faster/cheaper than the DSL offered here). Their refer a friend gives $25 to both the referrer and the one being referred (is that considered a referee?).

Referral programs are important outside of frequent military moves too. Most banks and brokerage companies offer referral programs too. Here is an example from one of the banks I use:

Capital One 360: This is a separate bank I use solely for my emergency savings account. This bank, formerly known as ING Direct, pays both people $20 if customers open a bank account with $250 or more. If you are interested in this bank while reading this post, use this link to set an account with $250 or more: https://r.capitalone360.com/V1AVDPYTUb

I'm going to see if one of the private organizations I regularly participate in would allow me to establish this program. A new member to a unit could simply choose the service providers they would like to use, contact me, and I could provide a name, on a first in/first out basis, and both would benefit.