Student discounts UK: the best deals on supermarket shopping, books, travel, coffee and more
Make university life that bit easier with the best student deals and discounts around.
Want to save more during your university days?
Here’s how to get more power for your pound with some of the best student discounts around.
10% off at Morrisons
Students can now get 10% off all their grocery shopping at Morrisons stores as well as in Morrison Cafés nationwide.
Morrisons is the first major supermarket in the UK to offers students a saving and has launched just in time for Fresher’s Week.
The offer is being trialled for three months and will run in conjunction with the Morrisons More loyalty scheme.
This allows you to earn five points for every £1 you spend in store, online or in a Morrisons Café and 10 points for every £1 spent on fuel at Morrisons petrol stations. Once you have 5,000 points you get a £5 voucher.
The 10% discount is available to all those in higher education and can redeemed via the free UniDays app, which can be downloaded from the iTunes or the Google Play store.
You will need a valid university email address to register and both new and current students are eligible. The app generates a unique code each time you shop in store.
If you don’t have a nearby Morrisons you can still save on your grocery shopping. Those with a NUS card can get 10% off at The Co-Operative Food.
NUS Extra card
This handy money-saving card from the National Union of Students unlocks over 200 discounts everywhere from shops and restaurants, to travel, technology and going out. Plus it doubles up as an ‘International Student Identity Card’ which is accepted in over 130 countries and gives you over 40,000 different discounts abroad.
This card isn’t free and you will have to fork out £12 a year for it, or £22 for two years and £32 for a three-year version but some of the long term deals on offer include 5% off at Amazon, 10% on groceries at the Co-op, 10% at Warehouse, up to 40% off at Pizza Express and Ask Italian and 10% at New Look.
It’s worth checking the website regularly as shops and restaurants don’t always publicise these discounts at the till, so if you forget to ask, and don’t produce your card, you can miss out!
As with any offer check the small print. For example, if you eat at Ask Italian on Monday and Tuesday you’ll get the full 40% off your food bill; but if you go on a Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday it’s 25% (Saturdays are excluded). And don’t give up your voucher code habit as there may be times you can bag a bigger discount using a standard voucher code or deal you’ve spotted elsewhere.
There’s also some free student sites you can sign up to like Student Beans or My Uni Days that have plenty of shops and restaurants offering student discounts and voucher codes.
16- 25 railcard
If you’re between 16-25 or over 25 and in full time education you can apply for one of these.
It costs £30 a year and saves a third on train travel including standard and off-peak fares. The card itself unlocks more discounts including a year’s membership of the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) for just £1.
You can buy one online at www.16-25railcard.co.uk or trade in £15 worth of Tesco vouchers. If you’ve got a Santander 123 Student Current Account you’ll get a four year version for free.
Save on coach travel
Buy a Young Persons Coachcard from National Express and save up to a third on coach travel across the UK including peak, off-peak, weekends and bank holidays.
It costs £10 a year (plus £2 p&p) or £25 for three years and you have to be 16-26 or a full-time student to buy one.
Book deals
Students can save 10% on books at Foyles, either in-store or online. Just pop into any branch with a valid student ID card to sign up. For online orders go to www.foyles.co.uk where you can get a discount code sent over for every order.
Cheap haircuts
You may be able to find a cheap and cheerful place near your university or college that offers student discounts, but if not, you can bag 20% off at Supercuts by showing your student ID or NUS card. The offer is available every day apart from Saturdays but you can’t use the discount on products.
Compare student bank accounts with loveMONEY
Cinema tickets
Most cinema chains like Cineworld, Empire and Odeon offer discounted student rates which can save around £1.50 compared with the adult ticket, although individual ticket prices often vary across the country.
You can save an additional 25% on your student ticket at Odeon from Monday to Thursday by showing your NUS Extra card. However to get this deal you’ll have to buy your tickets from the box office rather than online.
Savings at Apple
There may be cheaper places to pick up a tablet but if you want Apple products you can save up to 10% on Macs and iPads as a student - just go to the Apple for Education website and click on the product you want. Sign in with your Unidays student details, (this is a free student discount scheme) and pop in the name of your university or college and the discount should be added automatically.
Or head to your nearest Apple store and show your letter of acceptance or student ID or do it over the phone by calling 0800 048 0408.
Costa Coffee
Costa’s teamed up with lots of universities including Birmingham, York, Exeter, Southampton, Bedfordshire and London with branches ‘in house’ so forget forking out for a latte on the way in to your first lecture. Wait till you’re sitting in with a mate to save around 60p a time, though prices may vary.
Council Tax
You don’t have to pay any Council Tax if you’re a full-time student and either live on your own or with other full-time student.
This is because the ‘full’ Council Tax bill is based on a minimum of two adults sharing a property.
Check the rules to see if you qualify and speak to your local authority.
Need a little extra help? Compare some of the best student bank accounts on the market right now
Essential money advice for young people:
The best student banks accounts 2016/17
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