Put Your Student ID To Work: 35 Student Discounts To Take Advantage Of

When it comes to advertising, college students are some of the most sought-after customers. Yet most students fail to realize how that little strip of plastic they carry around every day can save them hundreds of dollars over the course of their college career.

There are countless food, entertainment, and apparel retailers that provide discounts that aren’t available to the general population; all you need is your student ID. Some companies might have discounts that aren’t as well advertised, so it never hurts to ask.

Discounted Apparel:

Thanks to these student-minded retailers, you can now afford to look fresh without breaking the bank. All of these discounts only apply to full priced items but will probably bring some desired items into your price range.

Most retailers are unclear about whether deals can be stacked on top of other sales, and you’ll have to ask, but it’s always worth a shot.

• Ann Taylor: 20%
• Banana Republic: 15%
• Club Monaco: 20%
• Eastern Mountain Sports: 15%
• J. Crew: 15%
• Juicy Couture: 15%
• Madewell: 15%
• Ralph Lauren Rugby: 15%

Museums:

Movies:

Going to the movies always makes for a great night out, whether it’s a break from studying/partying or a release you’ve been waiting on for months. Keep these businesses in mind next time you plan a trip to the theatre and you can put some of that ticket money towards snacks at the concession stand.

• Regal Cinemas: 25% off
• Cinemark Theatres: Varies, but often provides discounts to college students
• AMC Theatres: Discounted tickets every Thursday

Technology

This is by far the area with the best deals for college students. No question.

• Discounts On Apple Products: Apple provides special education pricing to college students, which you can check out here
• A Free Year of Amazon Prime: If you have an .edu email address, you are eligible for a free year of Amazon Prime. What does that get you, you ask? Free Two Day shipping, free access to a bunch of streaming movies and TV shows, a free book each month from the kindle lending library. Prime is usually $80 a year, which makes it one of the better deals on this list.
• Windows 7 Professional Upgrade:  Only $65, down from $200
• Adobe Creative Suite and Adobe Photoshop CS4: Both can be had for up to 80% off the professional rate

Food:

Sams Club offers students a $40 one-year membership that comes with a $15 gift card. Ramen just got a whole lot cheaper.

Many fast food restaurants offer student discounts, although you will have to check with your local establishment to see if and what the current promotions are. Often, there will be seasonal or weekly promotions for students, so be sure to keep an eye out.

• Arby’s: 10 % Off Total Purchase
• Buffalo Wild Wings: 10 % Off Total Purchase
• Burger King: 10% Off Total Purchase
• Chipotle: Free Drink
• Dairy Queen: Varies, but is usually 10%
• McDonalds: 10% Off Total Purchase
• Subway: 10% Off Total Purchase
• Qdoba: Free Drink
• Waffle House: 10% Off Total Purchase

Newspaper Subscription:

For the more worldly students among us, some newspapers provide huge discounts to college student subscribers. Once again, you’ll have to check with your area’s local newspaper, but some of them will provide cut prices for college students.

• New York Times: 50% off digital subscription, crazy low prices for home delivery.
• Wall Street Journal: 75% off
• Boston Globe: 50% off for home delivery

Buy and Insure A Car:

Although this may be out of the price range for many people, A student ID can go a long way towards making a car purchase more affordable, and making sure you can keep it afterwords.

• General Motors: discounted/preferred student prices when buying a car
• Geico: 15% off car insurance for students between the ages of 16 and 25 who maintain a “B” average or higher.
• Allstate offers up to 20% of insurance rates for students under 25.
• State Farm and Esurance: discounts as well, although you will have to check with a local agent.

In Conclusion:

I’ll leave you with the words of Brad Wilson, editor of BradsDeals.com, a coupons and savings website,

“The big takeaway from doing research was, if you have a student ID, you should always ask for a discount. There’s no harm in that,” he said. “It really is much more widespread that the average student realizes.”

Tags: apparel, car, deal, discount, featured, food, insurance, movies, newspapers, sale

Category: Budgeting, Finances, Saving