Unlocking Savings: A Comprehensive Guide to Student Discount Programs

College life comes with its fair share of financial challenges. Tuition fees, books, accommodation, and daily expenses can quickly add up, leaving students struggling to make ends meet. Fortunately, many companies recognize the financial constraints students face and offer student discount programs to help alleviate some of the burden. These programs provide students with opportunities to save money on a wide range of products and services, from textbooks and technology to clothing and entertainment.

Taking advantage of student discounts is one of the best ways to stretch your shopping budget, experts say. Back-to-school season is here, and if you’re a college student, you’re probably starting to think about how exactly you’ll spend your money this year. Whether you’re on the hunt for dorm room essentials, amenities like fitness programs or school supplies like backpacks, all that shopping may require a great deal of budgeting.

Maximizing Your Back-to-School Budget

Taking advantage of student discounts is one of the best ways to make the most of your back-to-school budget. You can save even more by using a cash back app or credit card while shopping, some of which let you earn credits to use toward future purchases. To help you survive on a student budget, we rounded up student discount programs you can take advantage of this year.

How to Find Student Discounts

To recommend the best student discounts, sites like UNiDAYS, Student Beans, SheerID and ID.me, which aggregate student discount offerings from brands and retailers across shopping categories, were consulted. Some also act as a third-party verification service to confirm your student status. A handful of student discounts below from brands and retailers we’ve previously covered, in addition to a few others I think you should know about, were rounded up.

Thousands of companies offer student discounts in stores and online, so check if the brand or retailer you’re shopping from offers a student discount program before you make a purchase and how you can take advantage of it.

Retailer-Wide Student Discounts

Several major retailers offer student discounts on a wide range of products. Here are some notable examples:

Amazon: Students (or young adults from ages 18-24) can get a free six-month trial of Amazon Prime Young Adult, which is usually limited to one month. Once the trial ends, students can continue their subscription for $69 annually, rather than the usual $139. The membership comes with offers like a free monthly Grubhub+ Student membership with unlimited delivery and up to 10% off flights and hotels through StudentUniverse.
Target: Students with a Target Circle membership can get 20% off one qualifying store purchase now through Sept. 27, and 50% off an upgraded Target Circle 360 membership. Target Circle is a free loyalty program through which you get exclusive coupons year round.
Walmart: Students can get a Walmart+ membership for $6.47 per month or $49 per year, roughly half off a standard membership ($98 a year).

Verifying Student Status

If a brand or retailer offers a student discount program, you’ll likely have to prove that you’re a student before gaining access to the promo code, says Kristin McGrath, a shopping expert at RetailMeNot, a deal-finding and cash back site. In stores, you can usually just show a cashier your ID. But if you’re shopping online, some brands and retailers use third-party verification services like UNiDAYS, Student Beans, SheerID and ID.me to verify your student status. Once you’re a verified student, the service saves your information and automatically applies the discount when you purchase from the student discount page on an affiliated retailer’s site.

Time frames on student discounts vary, so it’s important to read the fine print before using a promo code online or checking out in-person. Some student discounts are available year round, while others have expiration dates, says McGrath. A handful of brands and retailers, for example, only offer student discounts around the back-to-school season.

Maximizing Savings

It’s also important to understand whether the student discount applies to your entire cart or a single item, says McGrath. Some merchants offer a deep, one-time discount on your entire cart, so shoppers can stock up on everything they need and apply the promo code to a pricier transaction, says Vipin Porwal, CEO and consumer savings expert at Smarty. Other merchants, however, allow you to take advantage of their student discounts multiple times, whether it’s on every purchase you make or one item every month or so.

If you’re shopping from a site that offers a student discount year round but you can only take advantage of it once, strategize before using the promo code, says McGrath. She recommends using bigger, non-student specific promo codes while they’re live and saving your student discount for a time when no better discount is available.

Read also: Guide to UC Davis Student Housing

In addition to acting as third-party verification sites, UNiDAYS, Student Beans, SheerID and ID.me also aggregate student discounts offered by brands and retailers, making it easy for you to learn which companies offer savings opportunities. You can also see if savings are available in-person, online or both.

Beyond browsing the student discounts brands and retailers offer, be sure to check with your school to see if it offers its own exclusive discounts, says Porwal. “Often schools negotiate excellent deals with manufacturers that compete, or exceed, what retailers can provide,” he says.

Exclusive Deals

College is certainly pricey, but shopping as a student doesn’t have to be. In some cases, the easiest way to find deals is to sign up for a student discount program-like Student Advantage, Student Beans, or UniDays-which allows you to browse hundreds of offers all in one place. And some discounts, like savings on gasoline or Amtrak train tickets, can make it cheaper for students to visit home more often.

Tech

Adobe: Video editors and musicians can save nearly 70 percent on this bundle, which includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.
Apple: Apple’s student discount on Macs and iPads is a no-brainer because these products rarely go on sale. The special pricing is available to current and recently accepted college students, their parents, college staff, and homeschool teachers. For example, you can get $100 off the MacBook Air with M3 chip, plus a $150 gift card.
AT&T: College students and staff can save $10 per month per phone line (up to five lines) on the AT&T Unlimited Premium plan. For one line, it would be $76 a month instead of the regular $86.
Back Market: Refurbished, pre-owned tech can save you substantially when shopping for a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. Verified students can shave another $20 off when buying from Back Market.
Best Buy: Best Buy’s student discounts are open to everyone; you don’t need to verify your student status to take advantage of them.
HP: The HP Education Store for university students, parents, teachers, and faculty offers up to 40 percent off regular prices.
Microsoft: Students in grade school, high school, or college, their parents, and school faculty can get up to 10 percent off certain Microsoft products.
Samsung: College students and staff can get up to 10 percent off a Samsung phone, laptop, smartwatch, or tablet by signing up for the company’s Education Offers Program. The student discount even extends to select home appliances, up to 30 percent off.
Verizon: Verizon offers college student discounts for both wireless and home internet service. For cell phones, the discount is $10 off per month for one line or $22 off for two lines on an Unlimited plan. For Fios Home Internet, the discount is up to $10 per month.

Entertainment

Amazon Music: After a free 30-day trial, college students can listen to Amazon Music for a discounted $5.99 per month. The regular plan is $11.99 per month or $10.99 for Prime members. This is different from the Amazon Prime Music included with a Prime membership.
Apple Music: Apple’s Student Music plan is $5.99 per month for up to four years; the regular individual pricing is $10.99 per month.
Hulu: College students can watch shows and movies, with ads, on Hulu for just $1.99 per month, an 80 percent discount. This student discount can’t be combined with the discounted Disney (Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+) bundle.
Spotify: After the free one-month trial, get both Spotify Premium and Hulu (with ads) for $5.99 per month.
Max: Students can stream the most popular Max shows and movies for just $4.99 a month (half off the regular price). You first need to verify your student status through UniDays to receive a unique discount code.
Paramount Plus: Stream movies, shows, news, and live sports on the Paramount Plus Essential plan for $6 per month (25 percent off) after verifying you’re a college student.
YouTube Premium: A YouTube Premium student plan includes ad-free videos and music for $7.99 per month after the first month’s free trial. (The regular price is $13.99 per month.) This discount is available for up to four years max.

Shopping

Amazon Prime Student: Shopping for yourself can be fun until you tally up your receipts. Prime Student is the discounted version of Amazon Prime for-you guessed it-college students. After a six-month free trial, the price is $7.49 per month, which is about half off the regular price. In exchange, you get the usual benefits of Amazon Prime membership, including free delivery; Prime Video, Music Prime, and Prime Gaming; and access to deep discounts during Prime Day sales.
GlassesUSA: Save 20 percent on eyeglasses and sunglasses at this online eyewear store. Sign up and verify your student status with Student Beans at the link above.
J.Crew: Update your wardrobe and save 15 percent when you show your college ID in the store or verify your student or teacher status at jcrew.com. This discount can only be used up to four times per month. It’s also not valid at J.Crew Factory stores.
Madewell: Clothing retailer Madewell offers college students and teachers 15 percent off online and in-store purchases. The discount can’t be stacked on top of other promotions, but if there’s a bigger discount available, that’s the one that’s applied. If shopping online, you’ll need a Madewell Insider account to verify that you qualify.
Nike: High school and college students can nab a 10 percent promo code valid at nike.com or through the store’s mobile app after verifying their student status with SheerID.
Target: Shop everything from dorm room bedding to back-to-school clothes. College students receive discounts during certain sales events as well as a discounted Target 360 membership for $4.99/month. (The regular price is $10.99/month.) The membership gets you unlimited free delivery and an extra 30 days on returns, among other perks.
Poetry Magazine: A one-year subscription to Poetry Magazine (10 print issues plus digital access) for students or educators is $24. (The regular price is $34.) You also get immediate access to the magazine’s digital archive.

Transportation

Amtrak: Students between the ages of 17 and 24 can take a train ride for 15 percent off when booking at least one day in advance. The discount is automatically applied to qualifying travel.
Kayak: Whether visiting home on break or en route to a semester abroad, students and young adults can save on certain flights when booking through Kayak. Just select “student” in the drop-down menu when choosing the number of passengers.
CoachUSA: CoachUSA offers discounted bus service to and from select colleges in New York State if you show a valid ID.
Trailways: Trailways offers verified students up to 15 percent off the regular adult fare on select routes.

Other Potential Savings

AAA: Check to see if your university offers WSJ subscriptions. Some of the AAA’s regional clubs offer discounted membership for student drivers. Head to the membership web page to see whether that deal is available near you.
Car Insurance: Here’s an incentive to do well in school: Most car insurance companies offer a “smart student” discount if you maintain good grades (often a B average or better) in college or high school.
Gas: Walmart+ members receive 50 cents off per gallon at any of the 14,000-plus Exxon and Mobil stations nationwide from April 28 through May 4. (Similar sales occur throughout the year.) To take advantage of the offer, you simply pull up to the pump and open the Walmart+ app.

Additional Tips for Saving Money

Flash your ID: You might be surprised by how many places are willing to cut students a break. (It doesn’t hurt to simply ask.) Local attractions such as Lincoln Center in New York City, the New England Aquarium in Boston, and the Art Institute of Chicago will sometimes let you in free (or at a discount).
Enroll in a student discount program (or two): Student Advantage, Student Beans, and UniDays gather coupons and affiliate deals across just about every product category, including fashion, food, technology, and travel. To get the offers, you just need to register for a free account.
Get a digital wallet or ID card: Most of the discounts cited in this article require you to verify your student status through a third party. Services like that are a good place to find savings, too.
Use your alumni benefits: The savings don’t necessarily stop once you graduate. Many universities offer graduates discounts on professional development courses, travel, and shopping.

UNiDAYS: A Comprehensive Platform for Student Discounts

UNiDAYS is a fast, free digital platform that provides exclusive student deals and benefits to a registered user base of over 29 million students. They work hard to secure the best student discounts from the most popular brands - whatever you want, you're likely to find it with us.

If you are a current student, being a member of UNiDAYS allows you to save, learn and earn through their network of trusted partners. So if you're looking for 'student discounts', you've come to the right place.

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Current students can join UNiDAYS for free in just 5 minutes. Simply register with your personal email address, verify your student status and you've activated 12 months of UNiDAYS student deals. No student card or ID is required, UNiDAYS has all the best student discounts in one place, at your fingertips. All you need to do is create an account and follow the simple verification process.

How to Get a Student Discount with UNiDAYS

The first step is verification, and there are several ways to do this. They offer near-instant automatic verification through most approved educational institutions, but if this isn't available, they can verify your student status using a physical student card issued by your school, college or university - however, please remember that this method can take up to 7 days at busy times.

Who Can Join UNiDAYS?

UNiDAYS is for ALL students. That means numerous schools and colleges, depending on where you are. If you are currently studying at one of their partner institutions and/or have a valid student card, you are welcome to join UNiDAYS as a verified member.

Once you have left your educational institution, you will not be able to re-verify your student account.

Is UNiDAYS an Acceptable Student ID?

Absolutely, if you want the best deals and discounts from their partners!

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