Opinion: this is one money-saving tip that’s just not okay

I'm all for money-saving, but I've just come across a new "technique" that is little more than cheating.

Sometimes saving money goes too far. It crosses a line and becomes almost cheating, potentially harming other people’s ability to legitimately save cash.

Now, I love bringing you money-saving tips, hints and tricks. I’m a financial journalist after all, and so when I receive press releases promising a tip that can save readers hundreds of pounds I get a real buzz of excitement (I never claimed to be cool).

Recently, I received a release from a company I’ve actually recommended in previous articles. It was from deals website Wowcher, titled: “Wowcher online courses to get you an NUS student discount card, even when you’re not a student”.

So I read it: “One of the best things about being a student is the great student discount to be had at various shops, cinemas, restaurants and so on.

“At Wowcher, you can re-live your student life, and be eligible for student discount with an NUS Card, with over 250 online courses available for anyone to buy from Forensic Science to Sociology.”

The list of potential discounts was really impressive: 25% off cinema tickets, 12% off a young person’s railcard, 50% off Amazon Prime… It just went on. As a journalist specialising in saving money it should have been the kind of thing I immediately write up.

But then, under the list of discounts, was this: “And for those who don’t want to study, no one’s going to be checking attendance, so you don’t actually have to study the course if you don’t feel like it, and NUS will still recognise you as a student.” Their italics.

It encouraged: “Click here to find out more and some of Wowcher’s favourite classes, which are all under £20, at least 90% off their original price, and will make you eligible for a 1 year NUS student card!”

I don’t know if I am just being po-faced about it but that seems like cheating to me. An NUS student card is a perk for students who may be struggling to get by, let alone enjoy a few treats.

What it shouldn’t be is a private members’ card for anyone willing to pay £20 to get it. Even the card’s Ts and Cs state: “In order to be eligible for an NUS extra card, your course should require at least 10 hours study weekly for a minimum of 12 weeks.”

Sure, it doesn’t say you have to actually DO the 10 hours, but surely it’s implied?

There are discounts available to the armed forces, to NHS staff and to pony club members.

I wouldn’t pretend to be any of those in order to benefit from the discounts so why would it be okay to save money for being a student if I’m not one?

Want to get discounts in a more traditional manner? Sign up to Quidco or Topcashback and potentially saver/earn hundreds.

Right to reply (or reconsider?)

I did put this to Wowcher, of course, and their spokesperson Sam told me: “Wowcher is committed to sharing the best deals and money-saving tips with its community.

“This particular tip is a well-known money-saving trick and there are a number of online courses with NUS-affiliated educational institutions.

“So if you’re not enrolled in university or college, but want to sign up to a course of interest to you in your free time, as well as gaining a qualification, you are entitled to the added bonus of an NUS card too.”

But that message is quite a long way from their press release that cheerfully explained that savers “don’t actually have to study the course if you don’t feel like it” (their italics).

I spoke to the NUS, whose press officer just sounded weary and said they regularly try to tackle courses like this, that offer the chance to gain the discount without being a genuine student.

My concern is that this kind of ‘money-saving scheme’ devalues its potential for genuine students. When I was an undergrad I really relied on the discounts offered with my student card; it allowed me to socialise, travel and stay relatively decently dressed (dubious teenage fashion taste aside).

Had I been a student more recently I would have benefitted even more from a card that offers an Amazon discount, allowing me to potentially save on books and other essentials.

But will the extensive list of retailers who support students this way (and benefit from the student pound and the chance to build loyalty with tomorrow’s graduates) continue to do so if it’s a card available to anyone who can stump up £20 for a course they may not even be studying.

If it’s working like a membership card then it’s not a student card. And if you’re benefitting from a student discount on a course you’re not genuinely studying, then you’re essentially lying.

What do you think? Would you pay for a course to get a card or is it cheating? If it’s cheating, does that actually matter? Have your say using the comments below.