In this guide
Being a student generally means that money is tight. Fortunately, heaps of retailers and restaurants offer student discounts which can knock around 20% off your spending. We break down some of the best discounts out there.
If you’re not taking advantage of the discounts and perks on offer as a student, you’re leaving money on the table.
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Read more: Our ten top student money tips
How to get student discounts
Whenever you buy anything in a shop, or pay for food or drink, ask if there is a student discount. If you don’t ask, you don’t get! When buying something online, always Google the name of the shop plus “student discount”.
Some retailers just require you to show them a student ID card to get a student discount. This applies in particular to small businesses. However, many larger businesses require you to have an account with a special student discount website.
Sign up to a student discount site for the best deals
There are several student discount sites and it’s important you’re signed up to all of them so you don’t miss any savings. To sign up to them, you generally just need to verify your student email address (this will end in something like ac.uk).
Here are the websites you need to sign up to:
- StudentBeans. Here you can access exclusive offers such as 25% off Asos, free doughnuts or sausage rolls at Greggs, 35% off at Adidas and much more.
- UniDays. Another student discount website which offers perks such as 20% off FootLocker, Sephora and Levis and 10% off Nike. You can also bag unlimited data with network Smarty for just £15 a month
- Totum. Formally known as NUS Extra, Totum gives you access to discounts such as 10% off at Co-op supermarkets, 25% off at Byron Burger and 20% off at Schuh
The services above often feature temporary discounts and perks, so it’s worth bookmarking them on your phone and laptop and checking back regularly. You don’t want to miss a scorcher of a deal.
Make sure you carry your student ID card wherever you go and take a picture of it on your phone. If you don’t have it on you, you might be able to get away with showing a picture of it, or logging into your student email.
Our top student discount picks
While 10% off pizza is nice, you can squeeze much more value out of your student status. Here are ten cracking student discounts to be aware of.
Apple: up to 10% off when you buy a Mac or iPad, plus a voucher worth up to £130
With most lecture theatres across the country awash with shiny Apple logos, if you’re buying a Mac for uni, it may be worth taking advantage of the tech giant’s annual education offer.
Currently, you can get up to 10% off when you buy a Mac or iPad from Apple’s special Education Pricing store. You’ll also need to verify your student status with Unidays. You can also get voucher worth up to £130 which you can use anywhere in the Apple store. It won’t have an expiry date.
For example, you can purchase a 13-inch Macbook Air for just £899 with the student discount, plus receive a £130 Apple voucher.
Apple’s current student offer will run until 23 October, so act quickly if you plan on taking advantage of it.
Amazon: Get six months of free Amazon Prime, then pay just £4.49 a month after
In addition to free next-day delivery on the online retailer’s vast library of items, you’ll also get access to Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Music Unlimited, making this a cracking deal for students.
Sign up via Amazon’s link.
Get 10% off at supermarket and high street stores, including Co-op Food and Boots
Having access to the right schemes – many of which are outlined above – is essential for getting as much money off as possible when you’re shopping with everyday high street retailers.
Here are some of the discounts on offer:
- 10% off at Co-op Food with a valid Totum membership
- 10% off at Boots – you’ll need to sign up for a free Boots Advantage Card, then head into a local branch to verify your student status
- 10% off at Ikea when you spend at least £75, but you’ll need a free Ikea Family account. Ends 1 October
- 10% off at Dunelm via StudentBeans. Ends 8 October
Get up to 50% off clothes from retailers like Asos, Boohoo, Urban Outfitters and H&M
Refreshing your wardrobe need not cost the earth thanks to retailers looking out for their student customers. Here are some of the top offers available:
- 10% off at ASOS. The online clothes retailer is renowned for its frequent sales on popular student brands, and you can bag this discount by verifying your student status online
- 30% off at Boohoo via StudentBeans. It’s worth noting this excludes sale items. You can also currently get 50% off at Boohoo Man
- 20% off at Size via StudentBeans. If you’re in the market for a new pair of trainers, this is likely to be the best way to cut costs
- 20% off at H&M via UniDays, online and in-store
- 20% off at Levi’s via UniDays, online and in-store
- 10% off at Urban Outfitters via UniDays, online and in-store
Eat well on a budget thanks to discounts on food, including Dominos and Pizza Express
While you’re unlikely to be going for regular meals out while at university, you might want to treat yourself to the odd takeaway or restaurant trip after a gruelling deadline. Here are some of the best discounts on offer.
- 50% off pizza at Dominos via StudentBeans. It’s worth noting that Dominos frequently runs its own major discounts, so it’s worth checking its website to make sure you’re not better off with one of those
- 33% off at Pizza Express via UniDays, in-store and delivery. Unfortunately, this offer doesn’t work on Fridays and Saturdays
- Free sausage roll or sweet treat at Greggs via StudentBeans when you buy any cold sandwich deal. You’ll need the StudentBeans deal app to get this
- Free delivery at Deliveroo via UniDays. Make that hungover takeaway a little easier on the wallet
- Cut the cost of cocktails with 20% off your total bill at AllBarOne via UniDays
Do Currys do a student discount?
Currys don’t offer a student discount across their entire website, but do regularly feature special student offers. For example, you can get 10% off Windows Laptops or Segways if you verify your student status.
Head to the Currys website to see which student offers are available.
Does Zara do a student discount?
Unfortunately, Zara does not currently offer a student discount, so you’ll have to make do with its open-to-all sales instead. See other discounts on fashion.
Make sure to open a student bank account for extra perks
If you’re in your first year of university, you can open a student bank account. These come with interest-free overdrafts and other great perks including railcards and £100 cashback.
Compare the top student bank accounts.
Important information
Some of the products promoted are from our affiliate partners from whom we receive compensation. While we aim to feature some of the best products available, we cannot review every product on the market.
