International flights, Apple products, movies and much more.
Here are the pick of student discounts – and you don’t need to be a student for some!
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Whether you’re a full-time student or just someone with an NUS card (sadly my loophole where anyone could get one has been closed – though previous Totum cardholders can get an alumni card), there are some fantastic deals to be had! The key is to ask – you never know!
Sadly there are a few discounts only available via MyUniDays or Student Beans, and you can only get those if you have a .ac.uk email address.
I’ve not listed all the different retailers, but you can also save at the likes of Asos, Office and Foyles. The usual rate is around 10%, but is sometimes boosted to 20% at the start of term.
Here are my favourite discounts – there will be more!
For all students, staff and school children
Some discounts are available for staff working at universities and schools (and you don’t need to be a teacher), as well as for students at schools and colleges.
Apple student discount
Flash your TOTUM card, proof you’ve been accepted into a university or that you work at an educational establishment and you’ll save up to 10% on a new Mac. You can also save on other items, with around 5% knocked off iPads.
If you buy something around the start of the new academic year, there’s often also a free gift card or another incentive. This year it was a gift card worth up to £130.
Buy a qualifying iMac or MacBook and you’ll get the full £130 voucher, it’s £100 with a Mac mini or iPad Air or iPad Pro.
You can use them on products or purchases on the Apple Store! This extra offer usually starts in mid-July, and this year it ended on 23 October 2023.
For anyone with a student ID
These discounts work with your Uni or college ID or an NUS/Totum card (which includes some non-students).
Amazon Prime: Six months free then 50% off
You can get Amazon’s delivery and streaming service free for six months as a student. Then after that you can get a full annual Amazon Prime subscription for £4.49 a month, for three years.
Though the easiest way to get this is using an academic email, you can also email a photo of your Totum card.
Watch out for other Amazon Student offers throughout the year, such as money off codes at Black Friday or Prime Day.
Boots: 10% off
You can save 10% on your purchases at Boots. You’ll need to have a Boots Advantage card as well as an NUS/Totum card, and you need to connect these at a Boots checkout till.
The discount is valid until 31 August each year so you’ll need to reactivate it at the till from 1 September onwards.
This is sometimes boosted to 20%, including at the start of the academic year.
You can also stack it with other deals and offers on the Boots site.
Co-op: 10% off
This is a handy way to save on your groceries, though since Co-op stores are quite small do make sure you can’t get your food and drink for less at a cheaper supermarket.
You’ll need to join the Co-op membership, and that’ll also get you access to other weekly coupons. This costs £1 but you’ll get your money back after a few shops.
Superdrug: 10% off
You’ll need to sign up to the Health & Beautycard scheme (it’s free), then link your NUS/Totum card or student ID to the account in-store. It’ll then work for the academic year online and in person.
Leon: 25% off
You can get 25% off at Leon from 11 September to 12 November 2023. This is an increase from the usual 15%.
All you’ll need to do is enter the code REFUEL25 when you order food via the LEON Club app, online or using the in-restaurant digital kiosks. You won’t be able to use this code if you order directly at the till.
You’ll also need to show a valid student ID card to a team member.
IKEA: £10 off a £75 shop
Students aged 18 and over can save £10 on a £75 shop online or in-store at IKEA until 1 October 2023.
To get the offer you’ll need to verify a valid student ID on the IKEA website (they use SheerID to do this!) Simply log into your IKEA Family account (or create one for free if you haven’t already) then fill out the student ID form.
Once your ID has been approved you’ll get a voucher or QR code to use in-store or online.
Tickets to theatre, galleries, festivals & other live events
You can also often get reduced rates for everything from theatre to opera. The Royal Exchange in Manchester and the ENO are among those that do.
Many galleries will have a reduced student price, often 50% less. And the Art Pass offers discounted student membership at the start of each academic year.
Not many festivals do, but it’s worth checking when you buy tickets to anything.
Sport
Football fan? I’ve used my NUS card to get concession tickets to see my team Crystal Palace in the past, and it’s saved me hundreds of pounds. Many clubs and other sports have similar deals.
Use our best buy tables to get the best rate on your savings.
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+ Get a £20 Quidco bonus (new members only). More details
Shopping
Though some retailers now ask for a Unidays ID (more on this in a bit), it’s worth trying every shop you go to. Online you might have to click through from the NUS website.
If they accept the card then you can save 10% – sometimes more – at the following:
- Office
- Oasis
- ASOS
Eating out
You can also save on food with your Totum or other student card. This includes:
- Leon – 15% off
- Itsu – 15% off
- Greggs – freebie with lunch deal
- McDonalds – freebie with meal deal
For students with MyUniDays or Student Beans
Spotify: 46% off
You can save 46% on Spotify Premium. That’s £5.99 a month rather than £10.99. This version gets rid of adverts and lets you take songs offline to your phone or tablet, meaning you don’t need wifi or 3G/4G. Here are the best Spotify deals.
Apple Music: 50% off
You’ll pay the same for Apple Music – but get Apple TV thrown in. You’ll also get this for 48 months once you’ve been validated via MyUniDays.
Software
I got my Adobe suite (things like Photoshop) at a massive discount. We’re talking hundreds of pounds! You can also save on Microsoft Office – though free alternatives like Google Docs might do the job instead.
Our podcast
Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Editor-in-chief Andy Webb.
Episodes every Tuesday.
For students with official student ID
Train and tube travel
The 16-25 Railcard is a great way to cut the cost of train travel. Mature students outside this age range need proof they are studying with a form completed by their Uni or college.
If you travel by tube and live in London during term time you can get an 18+ Student Oyster card. This saves 30% on travel in the capital.
There are also bus and coach student passes.
International travel
Check to see if you have an ISIC (International Student Identification Card) included with your Totum student card. If not it’s worth looking at separately.
When we went on a big trip to South America in 2013, our ISICs saved us over £200 on internal flights, excursions such as the Inca Trail and admission to museums and galleries, and we did it again on our honeymoon a few years later.
Hi guys,
Any luck with getting Totum Card by enrolling to an online course?
Any suggestions?
does the Totum Pro get discount on 18+ Oyster? I had Totum apprentice and I did so wondering if this is the same?
Can someone post a working link to get a Totum Pro card please? Their current link on their website only takes you to more Offers. I’ve tried in Safari & Chrome. Also what is the cheapest course I can do to get a Totum card please? Or what colleges in the UK enable you to get one? I got my previous one via e-careers which I see no longer works. Thank you
just got 20% discount with my NUS card on stationery at WH Smith and they’re giving 10% off books
Apple doesn’t work with a NUS card, and it only approves certain institutions through Unify.
It does! You just log in to your NUS card account and click through.
This also happens to me on occasion too, where the Apple staff say that NUS isn’t accepted. I’ve found it a bit of a lottery when trying to get a discount, some will give you it and some won’t. I’ve even been given a student discount without any ID, just logged into my college website and the staff were all good.