4 minute read
MY MONEY
from My Life - Issue 46
by Student-Life
CO-EDITOR RACHEL MITCHELL
STUDENT DISCOUNTS
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What are they and how do I get them?
BY RACHEL MITCHELL
One of the top student perks, I think we can all agree on, is the discounts available in the hundreds. When I was a student, the idea that I might be able to get a cheeky discount off my latest shopping spree was both a relief (because I was always broke) and it felt like you’d got a right bargain (even if 10% off equivalated to 10p). Back then, you had to look quite hard to find the discounts. You might see a little sign in a shop window saying that they accept NUS Extra Cards but mostly, you’d know because you would ask. As someone who was always a little socially awkward, I must have missed out on loads of discounts available to me, because I was too shy. Thank goodness it seems to be easier now. It now appears as though there are several sites and schemes you can sign up to, which will give you access to student discounts. I did a quick google search, and these are the top answers.
UNIDAYS www.myunidays.com UNiDAYS appear to have overtaken NUS extra (now TOTUM) in most recent years. I think the main draw to this is because it’s a free site to access, whereas NUS extra you would pay for a physical card. On entering the UNiDAYS site, I am surprised with the calibre of brands on board and the discounts available. For example, 20% at Office and 30% off Pure Gym. A far cry from what used to be on the site, UNiDAYS operates across 7 countries with 1 in every 3 students being a UNiDAYS member. There seems to be something for everyone, and it is very handy having all the discounts in one place. This site is for sixth form, college and university students.
STUDENT BEANS www.studentbeans.com Another website which on the surface operates similarly to UNiDAYS. At a quick glance, there seems to be the same sort of brand discounts available, but I also spot a few newbies. One thing I did notice immediately was that they have an app you can download which makes searching for discounts on the go really simple. I like how the website is laid out, categorising the Top 20 Student Discounts and also sign posting to sales such as Black Friday. Student Beans ‘partner with over 650 of the world’s biggest brands and connect brands to over 163 million students in 50+ countries worldwide’. Student Beans also heavily promote job opportunities with the company, so if you’re a creative, then it’s worth checking them out.
SAVE THE STUDENT www.savethestudent.org Save the Student ‘provides free, impartial advice to students on how to make their money go further’. While the website isn’t exclusive to promoting discounts, they do have a student discounts’ directory which allows you to search through 531 active offers. They also offer the opportunity to sign up to a weekly newsletter which is said to boost the best deals each week. This site seems like a good catch all for financial support. TOTUM www.totum.com The NUS Extra cards was replaced a few years ago by TOTUM which is described as ‘NUS extra, evolved!’. When I was at Uni, NUS Extra cards used to be one of the ways Students’ Unions were able to make money so there was always a big push for them. It was one of the only recognised forms of student ID and lots of discounts were exclusive to members. TOTUM still claim to be the UK’s #1 student discount as well as being PASS-accredited proof of age ID card. That’s a good bonus! Unlike the previous sites, TOTUM is still a paid for, physical card and app. It costs £14.99 for 12 months or £24.99 for three-years. I don’t know if this is still possible, but we used to encourage those graduating Uni to sign up to another 3 years of discounts before their email address expired (cheeky tip there)! TOTUM boast over 350 student discounts which is a smaller amount to those we’ve already looked at, so it does pose the question of ‘what am I paying for here?’. It’s worth having a look though.
Essentially, we’ve come on leaps and bounds with discount hunting that I find it almost second nature to Google a code before I buy something. There are hundreds of student discounts available to you and hopefully I’ve been able to pinpoint some of the more recognised and widely used sites. So what are you waiting for? Get signed up to them all!
