As a military member, having a strong professional network and online presence can be very beneficial for your career both during and after service. Many veterans and active duty personnel wonder if LinkedIn offers its premium subscription for free or at a discounted rate to help them maximize the value of the platform.
The Short Answer
Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not currently offer free premium subscriptions to military members. While LinkedIn does not provide discounted or free premium services for the military community, there are still plenty of ways for service members to get value from the free version of LinkedIn.
Getting the Most from LinkedIn’s Free Services
Here are some tips to help military members build their professional brand and connect with others on LinkedIn, without paying for a premium account:
- Craft a detailed, professional profile highlighting your military experience, skills, and accomplishments.
- Expand your network by connecting with other veterans, active duty personnel, and civilians in your desired career field.
- Join industry or military-related LinkedIn groups to share your insights and build your reputation.
- Follow relevant companies and thought leaders to stay up-to-date on important news and trends.
- Check out LinkedIn’s free learning courses to build your skills and add certifications to your profile.
- Use LinkedIn’s job search and alerts to find open positions that interest you and get notifications when new ones are posted.
- Write posts to share advice and demonstrate your expertise to connections and prospective employers.
- Utilize content recommendations to discover relevant articles, videos, and more to boost your industry knowledge.
What LinkedIn Premium Offers
While not free for the military, upgrading to one of LinkedIn’s paid premium subscriptions unlocks additional features that could be useful for service members’ networking and career development. Here’s an overview of what LinkedIn Premium provides:
LinkedIn Premium Career
- See how you rank against other applicants when viewing jobs to understand your competitiveness.
- Receive guidance on how to improve your profile and better stand out to recruiters and hiring managers.
- Get insights into in-demand skills for your target roles and how your experience stacks up.
- Access salary data to benchmark pay for positions you’re interested in.
- Take unlimited free courses on business, technology, and creative skills offered through LinkedIn Learning.
LinkedIn Premium Business
- Search member profiles using various filters to find connections who meet your criteria.
- Send InMail messages directly to anyone on LinkedIn, even if you’re not connected.
- See who’s viewed your profile to focus networking outreach.
- Get contact information for profile views to follow up beyond LinkedIn messages.
- Create branded content and share Sponsored Content to expand reach.
Premium Business also includes all the Career features at the same subscription level.
LinkedIn Premium Pricing
Here is a breakdown of LinkedIn’s current monthly Premium subscription costs:
| Subscription | Monthly Price |
|---|---|
| Premium Career (monthly) | $29.99 |
| Premium Career (annual) | $239.88 ($19.99/month) |
| Premium Business (monthly) | $59.99 |
| Premium Business (annual) | $479.88 ($39.99/month) |
As you can see, Premium Business runs about double the cost of Premium Career. The annual subscriptions offer roughly a 20% discount compared to paying month-to-month.
Discounts for Students and Others
Although the military community is not eligible for reduced Premium rates, some other groups can get discounts on LinkedIn subscriptions:
- Students: Get 60% off Premium Career or Business (requires verification).
- Nonprofits: Qualified nonprofit organizations are eligible for 20% off Premium.
- Frontline healthcare workers and teachers: LinkedIn offers certain frontline healthcare workers and teachers 50% off Premium.
So while LinkedIn Premium is not complimentary for military members, students and some essential workers can access deals. Veterans transitioning into school or public service roles may be able to unlock those reduced rates.
Are There Any Free Workarounds?
Currently, there are no legitimate workarounds to get full access to LinkedIn Premium features for free. LinkedIn does not publicly promote free subscriptions or trial periods for Premium services.
Any offers for free Premium you encounter online are likely invalid or scams. Be very cautious entering payment information on third-party websites promising discounted or free LinkedIn Premium subscriptions. Your data could be stolen and used fraudulently.
Key Takeaways
- LinkedIn does not provide free or discounted Premium subscriptions specifically for active duty military or veterans.
- However, the free version of LinkedIn still offers excellent networking and career development opportunities.
- Premium provides helpful added features, but costs $19.99-$39.99/month depending on the plan.
- Students, nonprofits, and some essential workers can get Premium discounts, but free trials or military deals are not available.
- Be wary of third-party offers for free Premium – they are likely scams to steal your information.
The Bottom Line
While complimentary Premium access would be a nice gesture of support for the military community, LinkedIn currently does not extend that offer. The good news is that military members can still cultivate an impactful professional brand and connect with the right people using LinkedIn’s free tools. With strategy and consistency, you can unlock many of the same networking benefits Premium provides without the monthly costs.
