Many young people are getting their first taste of financial freedom right in the middle of a historic cost of living crisis. However, being a student entitles you to exclusive deals and freebies that other people don’t have access to. Many students could be saving hundreds of pounds per year by taking advantage of exclusive student offers.
81% of young people reported feeling anxious about their finances in a study conducted by London Institute of Finance and Banking. In this guide, we speak to money expert, Capital Bean, who will talk you through some deals and freebies exclusive to students.
Sign up for student cards
Student cards such as TOTUM offer significant discounts on not only clothes but also certain supermarkets such as Co-op. This includes 10% off at stores like ASOS, Burton, French Connection, and New Look.
Many places will also offer huge savings to students, such as gyms and cultural institutions like galleries and theatres. Even some streaming services, such as Spotify, offer student discounts. Be sure to ask about student discounts before signing up for subscriptions.
Make travel savings
Students can use a railcard (the 16-25 railcard) to save a third off rail travel for an entire year. This cost adds up substantially throughout your education, especially if you live far away from your hometown, or if you need to travel to get to your campus. They can be bought at a discount with supermarket loyalty points such as Tesco’s Clubcard points.
Students in London can take advantage of the Oyster card, with an 18+ Student Oyster Card costing just £25. This card also saves you 30% on TravelCArds, and bus and tram passes. You could also attach your 16-25 railcard to your Oyster Card, which saves you 34% off pay-as-you-go off-peak fares for the London Overground and the tube, as well as other National Rail services.
Universities may also offer their own bus services to get students from their dorms to their campuses. Companies like Stagecoach also provide discounted bus pases for students. Your local area may have its own scheme.
Get exclusive student freebies
Students have special access to certain free offers. For example, Microsoft Office 365 Education offers students the option to sign up for free. This gives you access to their Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams apps.
Amazon Prime also offers freebies for students. You can get six months of Prime for completely free with the Amazon Prime Student trial. This gives you special offers, one-day delivery, and access to their video streaming service for free. After six months, it costs around £4.50, but you can cancel your trial before that if needed.
Some restaurants and fast food establishments offer freebies to students as an incentive for them to buy more things from the menu. For example, McDonald’s will give students a free cheeseburger, McFlurry, or mayo chicken with the purchase of any extra value or wrap meal with a valid student ID.
It can be worth checking with your university whether they will give you free access to certain softwares. Many universities give their students free access to Adobe applications such as Photoshop.
