How To Get the Best Discounts for Students. It’s Easier Than You Thought

The best discounts for students aren’t hard to find. You just need to know where to look!

Discounts for students can be found almost anywhere. Make sure you take advantage of all these great deals while you can! All you need is a student ID card, or a .edu email address, and plenty of student discounts will be made available to you. Ways to actually get the deals vary, from simply showing an ID at check-out to registering for the company’s student program. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best discounts for students, and the easiest way to find these great deals!

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How to Get College Student Discounts:

1. Good Ol’ Google

The mighty search engine is your friend when it comes to finding the best student discounts for your area. One of the simplest and most effective ways to find local student discounts is to use Google. Search for terms like “discount,” “deals,” or “coupons,” coupled with phrases such as “college student” or just simply “student.” Add in the area you’re looking to buy in and the product you want and voila! You have a perfect list of exactly what you are looking for, and the best student discounts for the product.

2. Use These Apps

Chegg Books: Save money (and trees!) by renting your textbooks instead of buying. Download and use the app for exclusive discounts on the books you need.

Cartwheel: If you are a student in the US, you likely already spend considerable amounts of time (and maybe too much) money at Target. Save where you’re already shopping by downloading Target’s app Cartwheel for exclusive offers.

GasBuddy: As a student, you’ll need to get around in your car to and from class, visiting family or getting to a student-friendly job. Those gas fill-ups can really add up! GasBuddy helps by using location services to scan your area and give you the best gas deals around.

TUN: The University Network, is an app that collects student discount information from popular stores and displays them in one, easy place. This app will also find you textbook deals, as well as connect you with tuition scholarships and student jobs.

UConnection: This app offers exclusive deals specific to your university. Universities all over the United States are on the app, from University of Florida to University of Washington and everywhere in between.

3. Student Discount Websites

StudentUniverse is your go to for all things student travel. Discounts on flights, tours, and hotels just for students! All you need is a .edu address to unlock tons of deals on travel for students.

Verge Campus: Verge Campus is a site dedicated to college guides, resources, jobs and listings. You can search by college, and find companies that are associated with each university. Reach out to these companies and organizations to see if they have special student discounts specific to your school.

CampusBooks.com is a money-saving site for the best deals on textbooks for students. CampusBooks has access to thousands of book selling sites and individual sellers and shows you exactly where to get the best deal on the books you need.

If you’re into free (hey, who isn’t?) check out more here on how to get free college books for students.

Rovertown’s online student discount site collects the best of what the internet has to offer college students. Exclusively online, Rovertown finds and gives students access to discounts relevant to what you might need, such as products from Apple, Pottery Barn, and even airfare deals.

StudentBeans finds a number of student discounts for you. The best part? It’s all over the U.S., Australia, and Europe. Just plug in your area and you’ll get the best student discount codes. Perfect for anyone studying abroad. There’s also an app!

4. Ask in Store

If you’re already shopping around in a store and planning to buy some items — whether it’s electronics, clothes or accessories, get in the habit of asking at check-out if the company offers a student discount. Always carry your student ID card in your wallet, and you’ll be sure to save on things you’re already buying anyways!

5. Call Around Beforehand

If you don’t want to waste your time walking around a mall or scouring the internet for good deals, a great way to go is to reach for the telephone. Come up with a list of businesses and places that you frequently shop at or buy from, or potential companies you might purchase from during your college years. Call each one up, and ask if they have student discounts, and if so, how you can get them. Do you need to show up in person with an ID, or enter a .edu email address during checkout? Maybe you need to sign up for their mailing list using a .edu address. Calling ahead can save you time and money when searching around for the best discounts!

6. Ask Around

Your university may be the key to finding the best student discounts, especially for local businesses. Professors, peers, and university staff will all likely have great tips on how to score discounts for college students in your area. Ask at your student center if the university has memberships or access to a list of student discounts. There may even be local student discount card, specific to your campus. All you have to do is ask!

7. Memberships, Activities, and Travel, Oh My!

Knowing what kinds of places typically offer student discounts will help you keep them in mind when visiting new places and planning activities. Common places to find student discounts include: gym memberships, public transportation, museums, tour trips or guided activities, parking, insurance, and national park entrance fees. Keep these in mind when planning activities and check around for special days when students save more.

8. Always carry your ID card

Always, always, always carry your student ID card on you! We cannot stress this enough. Besides the obvious reasons — that it’s always a good idea to have an ID, and to prove your student status when on campus, there are also countless discounts waiting for you off campus. Get in the habit of making sure your student ID card is in your wallet at all times so you don’t miss out on unplanned discounts that may come up.

The Best Student Discounts to Get You Through College:

Amazon: We all order from Amazon these days and you’re probably familiar with the Prime membership, offering free 2-day shipping and free videos and movies. Student Prime memberships gives you the same great offer plus Prime books, all for free for 6 months. After your 6-month trial, you will receive a discounted membership rate while you are in school.

Microsoft Office: Students get Microsoft Office 365 for free. You just need a .edu email address and will get access to Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote and more. All downloaded on your device and you’re ready to get studying.

Apple: Apple offers special education pricing for Macs, Macbooks and iPads. They also offer special financing and rewards for students, plus a huge discount on AppleCare for current college students.

BestBuy: Offers special student prices on a number of electronics. Students also get extra rewards when shopping at BestBuy.

Adobe: Adobe’s Creative Cloud is offered at a highly discounted price for students — perfect for those studying design or photography, or if you just want to improve on skills. Get the entire Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Lightroom, Acrobat Pro and more), for 60% off the regular monthly plan.

Squarespace: Make an online resume, try out web design, or make a freelance website with Squarespace, an easy to use web design site. Students get 50% off annual memberships with a .edu email address at sign up.

Amtrak: This national railway offers student discounts of 15% for students aged 13-25, when booking advance tickets. Check with your regional Amtrak office for specifics on how to get these great transportation deals.

The New York Times: Students get 4 weeks of free news subscriptions when they sign up during finals. Perfect to for a quick break from studies! Some universities also have deals with the NYT to offer free subscriptions to students.

Spotify: Students get 50% off on music subscriptions. With Spotify, you also get access to podcasts, videos, and more. Plenty of playlists on Spotify cater to students, with a whole genre just for study music.

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More Common Discounts

AMC Theatres: 40% off prepaid movie tickets

ASOS: 10% off full-price items

Banana Republic: 15% off full-price items, in store with student ID

Burger King: 10% off your order

Champion: 10% off purchases online

Chick-Fil-A: Free small drink with meal order

Express: 15% off full-price items, in store with student ID and online

Forever 21: 10% off full-price items online

GlassesUSA: 55% off full-price items

J.Crew: 15% off all purchases, online and in store with student ID

KrispyKreme: 20% off orders after registering as a student

Levi’s: 15% off purchases online

Madewell: 15% off purchases in store with student ID

McDonalds: Free cheeseburger or McFlurry with value meal purchase

Nike: 10% off purchases online

PBteen: 15% purchases with .edu email or student ID

Pizza Hut: 10-20% off your order, depending on location

Reebok: 20% off purchases online

Sam’s Club: Free $25 gift card and discounted annual membership

Sixt: 5% off car rentals with student ID

Steve Madden: 10% off purchases in store with student ID

Timberland: 20% off all purchases in store with student ID

Tommy Hilfiger: 15% off all purchases online

Topshop: 10% off full-price items online

ZipCar: $25 credit at sign up and discounted membership

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Wrapping Up

All these discounts will help you save big at a time when you need it most! To help offset your tuition prices, remember to always ask around for student discounts before and during purchases. For even more ways to save, check out these 9 personal finance tips for college students.