Student discounts are more crucial than they might initially appear. Reducing the cost of everyday items is something students often strive to incorporate into their lifestyle. From meal plans and on-campus living, which can reduce transportation costs and bundle eating requirements for greater value, to happy hours and drink specials for social outings, saving money is part of a student’s routine. While many high schoolers can access student rates for local services, student discounts truly shine during the college experience. At college, you’ll need to budget independently and cater to many of your personal needs without the same support system as in your younger years. Fortunately, numerous student discounts are available across virtually all spending categories you might encounter.
From technology brands to meal prep solutions and entertainment, nearly everything you spend money on can benefit from a student discount. Some discounts offer small price reductions, keeping a few extra dollars in your pocket. Others provide substantial rate cuts and can sometimes even offer free or highly discounted services, significantly enhancing your lifestyle. These are some of the best student discounts available to enhance your time at school.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime is one of the first discount options students should consider. Signing up for a student rate is easy, and it provides 6 months of free Prime membership. After that, the monthly subscription cost is halved, allowing you to continue enjoying all of Amazon’s essential Prime features at a significant discount.
Amazon Prime has evolved into a comprehensive consumer solution. As of this year, over 180 million U.S.-based subscribers have adopted this enhanced experience on the platform. Initially established to reduce shipping costs, Prime has expanded into a music streaming service, video playback option, and integrated storage solution for various data types. Amazon has even explored telehealth solutions for Prime members. The value of a student Prime account is substantial. Acquiring it at half price enables you to shop for all the educational essentials with greater ease while also benefiting from its entertainment offerings. Amazon remains a bookstore at its core, even as it has grown substantially over its three-decade existence. You’ll still find excellent deals on used books, particularly to support your educational journey, and that’s not to mention the virtually endless digital shelves the marketplace offers beyond reading materials.
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office provides a suite of programs that every student will want to have on their computer. College students worldwide use these tools to communicate with classmates and teachers, write papers, and analyze data for projects. Outlook can be crucial in maintaining productivity throughout your educational journey, and Microsoft Word is undoubtedly one of the most important tools you’ll install on your computer, perhaps throughout your entire life.
Microsoft offers a variety of Office packages, including discounted student options. You can purchase the software outright, using Microsoft student rates, or opt for a subscription service. Either way, student rates significantly help in keeping costs low and securing the software solutions you need. One option that can be valuable for students looking to minimize expenses is the online Microsoft 365 personal package, offered at $2.99 per month for students.
Clothing retailers across the spectrum
The software you use and the books you study from are just a small part of your school expenses. While these are important aspects of your educational journey, other expense areas also play a significant role in your experience. One that cannot be ignored is the clothing you wear. From your attire in the classroom to the outfits you wear out with friends, clothing is a vital part of your experience as a member of society. Away at college, this can greatly influence your transformation into the person you’re striving to become. Your style speaks volumes about you, making clothing an important expression point as you venture off on your own for the first time.
Fortunately for students, there are numerous options available for discounted retailers. Clothing options with strong student discounts are available across most prominent brands. Some of the biggest names include Nike, offering a 10% discount for students, up to 25% off at American Eagle, and up to 15% price reductions at both Adidas and Aeropostale. Regardless of your style, securing key staple features of your wardrobe at discounted rates can significantly impact your budget.
Regal and AMC movie theaters
Books and clothing aren’t the only expenses to consider when building a collegiate budget. The entertainment resources that form part of your lifestyle while in school are also essential for good mental health and a balanced daily workload. Socialization is a key feature in any college experience. You won’t attend school just to sit in class and learn. Growing as an individual and figuring things out on your own is also a key part of this equation. Going out with friends to see movies, exploring romantic relationships, forming new friendships in class and beyond, and managing all these social commitments alongside study requirements enrich your life in countless ways.
Student discounts at the cinema are widely available. Regal and AMC theaters are two of the biggest names in the American movie theater industry. Both are found in cities and suburban communities across the United States. Both theaters offer discounted student prices, though it’s important to note that each theater may implement these benefits uniquely. Checking with your local theater is your best bet. You may find that tickets are reduced by a flat rate, or that the theater offers steep discounts on certain days or during specific timing windows. Whatever your local theater’s student discount policy, these offers can be a great way to watch the movies you’re excited about with friends at a reduced price.
The Headspace student plan
Headspace is a valuable mental health resource that offers beneficial wellness support to students who may be struggling with the transition into college life. Headspace can help connect users with therapy resources, and it’s also an instrumental tool for meditation, sleep improvement, and general mindfulness and tranquility. Taking time to step away from the busyness of college life and exploring your mental well-being is critically important. Unfortunately, many students are unsure where to turn for these practices.
Headspace provides an 85% discount on its student plan, costing less than 10 dollars for the year. This results in a robust mental health resource that students can access for literally pennies on the dollar. Trying out the program is a great way to explore meditation and other mental well-being tools that can help ground your studies and provide the clarity you need to excel in everything you do.
A smattering of news outlets
News is a critical resource for those eager to learn. Understanding what’s happening in the world around you can help frame the things you’re learning about in the classroom. Whether you’re engaged in scientific research, data analysis, programming, or studying a humanities field, knowing what’s happening in the world outside of your educational environment is important. The most timely news resources are often hidden behind a paywall, so you’ll need to subscribe to major news outlets for up-to-the-minute coverage across various thematic areas.
However, this doesn’t mean you need to pay full price to learn about what’s going on in the world or your community. Almost every major news outlet you might consider reading offers student discount plans. The New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg all provide student rates for their news service plans, and the list goes on. Whether you’re seeking financial information for your stock market journey or updates on economic issues like inflation, subscribing to your chosen news outlets at discounted prices can keep you informed.
AT&T, Verizon, US Mobile, and other communications providers
It’s not just one-way information that’s discounted for students. Communication tools are often offered at student rates as well. In particular, America’s most prominent cell service providers offer a variety of discounts for students enrolled in a degree program. This is a service that just about everyone in the modern world can’t live without, so obtaining a rate reduction on your plan is an important resource every student should utilize. This is also a service many people pay too much for without realizing it, both in school and beyond. If you’re going to pay for it anyway, you should look for bargain rates whenever they’re available.
Discounts can vary depending on the plan you require and more. However, generally speaking, you’ll be able to save at least a few dollars per month on upgrades to the base fare or even get tailored options to buy new phones at student-discounted rates over the already favorable contract renewal terms frequently offered to subscribers. It’s also worth shopping around if your contract is set to expire. Most of the nation’s prominent providers deliver roughly the same coverage and service standards, so if you can lock in a better base price and add on additional student discounts to further reduce the cost of this essential service, there’s no reason to stick with your existing provider and continue paying more.
Samsung and Apple
Approaching communication devices from another angle, major device manufacturers like Samsung and Apple also offer price reductions for students. These are two of the most prominent players in the marketplace, and many products across categories fall under the purview of their student pricing plans. If you’re a Mac user, getting a new laptop with a nice discount can help you continue your studies with a key financial boost built into the purchase.
There are also accessory devices to consider. Wireless headphones, tablets, and even TVs (from Samsung, specifically) are frequently offered with additional student discounts built into the price. All kinds of consumer electronics benefit from pricing reductions for those with a valid student ID. Importantly, this is not to mention those who prefer cell phones from either of these major manufacturers. Buying a device directly from the maker can be an excellent way to accumulate even more discounts. Overall, it’s likely that you’ll be able to find a price reduction on one or more consumer electronics products you’d be purchasing anyway during your four-year university experience from one of these two primary competitors. Beyond these two names, HP, Asus, and many other device manufacturers offer computers, tablets, printers, and more to the market with favorable pricing for students.
DoorDash, HelloFresh, Home Chef, and a variety of restaurants and fast food outlets
Food has been mentioned a few times above. Feeding yourself is undoubtedly one of the most important tasks as you leave for college. Many students will have spent the first 18 years of their lives being fed primarily by their parents. Preparing your own meals and budgeting for the cost of sourcing ingredients to cook and deciding when to buy meals out can be a major change for many first-year college students. This new responsibility can be overwhelming, leading some to spend too much of their essential cash flow on fast food and dining out. Under normal circumstances, eating out with friends too often is one of the biggest money mistakes you can make.
But as a student, the impact of this often budget-busting practice is diminished somewhat. A wide range of well-known fast food chains and established restaurants offer student discounts that can significantly reduce the bill. Restaurants that offer discounts, promotions, and free add-ons include Buffalo Wild Wings, TGI Fridays, and Smash Burger. On the fast food side, Chick-fil-A, Subway, Chipotle, and McDonald’s provide 10% reductions in pricing for students, although the specifics of these programs can vary by location. Delivery services also offer price reductions for students in some cases. When it comes to meal planning in your own dorm or apartment, subscription services like HelloFresh and Home Chef offer notable reductions in the boxes delivered to support your transition into adulthood.
Entertainment resources like Hulu, Spotify, Peacock, and YouTube Premium
In addition to Amazon Prime offering entertainment as part of its package, many other entertainment resources can be purchased at discounted subscription rates. Hulu, Spotify, Peacock, and YouTube Premium are just a few names on this list. Each one provides essential downtime solutions that can help you recharge and relax after a long day of study or work. Spotify and YouTube Premium are also excellent options to help maintain focus as you work through an evening of paper writing or studying for the next test.
Entertainment is an important part of any lifestyle, whether you’re a student or not. However, students gain significant value when signing up for these resources. Lowering the price of subscription services means you can save money on your usual subscriptions or add an extra service to catch up on missed shows without breaking the bank. The average American spends over $200 every month on subscription services, and in many cases, they’re wasting money by maintaining services they no longer use. As an important aside, canceling your autopay settings can help eliminate these unwanted financial drains.
Transportation, including trains, flights, and even car rentals
Transportation is yet another expense category that students frequently rely on and can find decent price reductions in. Numerous airlines offer student discounts, including United and some international carriers like Iberia and Air France. Whether you’re flying home for the summer, heading away for a vacation, or studying abroad for a semester, discounted flights can be a significant help. There are also some cost-reducing strategies to consider when booking flights. Travel experts often recommend ‘open-jaw’ tickets that don’t follow a standard roundtrip itinerary for good discounts. Then there’s the option to skiplag, which can be problematic if you aren’t careful.
On the ground, students can also find good price reductions when renting cars and trucks. Penske offers 10% rate reductions on moving vans, and Zipcar includes discounted rates for students under certain circumstances. Buying a GM vehicle can get you a student discount, and the program extends to those who graduated within the last two years. Rail services are another transportation option that benefits from student rates. Providers like N.J. Transit and Amtrak both offer students a healthy price break when booking travel or purchasing monthly rail passes.
