How your student status can help you save your money

by JENNA ROBERTSON

Staff Writer

Being a college student can sometimes feel like trying to make every dollar stretch a little further. Between tuition, textbooks, groceries and everyday expenses, finding ways to save money is important.

With admission, one of the easiest ways to save money becomes readily available to us through the use of our student status.

Student discounts are offered by companies in a variety of industries, including technology, clothing, food delivery and entertainment. Some are available throughout the year, while others are limited-time offers, especially during the back-to-school season.

The problem is knowing where to find them…

As college students, we often hear about different discounts all the time, but it can be difficult to know which ones are actually available to us and how to get them.

Services such as UNiDays, Student Beans and ID.me help verify student status and connect students with participating companies.

For some students, however, these services are not something they actively use.

Makeala Waddington, a Sophomore historic preservation major, said they heard of student discount services but have rarely used them.

While, for junior chemistry major Lexi Krug, student discounts have become useful for expenses she already has.

“I’m not paying full price for my Spotify or some other subscriptions,” Krug said.

Krug uses ID.me to verify her student status and access discounts such as Spotify and Hulu. She found out about these discounts through a quick Google search.

That is one of the biggest advantages of student discounts: they can apply to things we are already paying for. Saving a few dollars every month may not seem significant, but those savings can add up over your entire college career.

Technology is one of the biggest areas where students can find discounts. Apple offers education pricing on eligible products, while Dell and Lenovo also offer students savings on qualifying purchases after students verify their status.

This can be especially useful during the beginning of the school year, when students may be looking for laptops, tablets, or other technology for classes.

Clothing retailers also offer student discounts. The clothing store J. Crew, for example, offers verified students 15% off eligible purchases in stores and online, with limits on how frequently the discount can be used.

Streaming services such as Spotify, Hulu and Peacock offer student pricing on eligible plans. Since subscriptions are recurring expenses, even a small monthly discount can add up over time.

There are also discounts on everyday shopping. Target is currently offering verified college students 20% off one purchase through Sept. 12.

With travel being a big expense for both in and out-of-state students, these deals extend to national rail services. Amtrak offers students ages 17 to 24 a 15% discount on eligible train fares with a valid student ID. The discount can be especially useful for students traveling home for breaks, visiting friends, or exploring nearby cities. The discount requires tickets to be purchased at least one day in advance, with some routes and busy travel times being excluded.

However, it is important to check the details before assuming a student discount will always be available. Offers can have expiration dates, purchase limits, exclusions, or requirements to verify enrollment again.

The easiest way to take advantage of student discounts is to make checking for them part of your regular shopping routine.

Buying a laptop? Check for education pricing.

Signing up for a streaming service? Look for a student plan.

Shopping for clothes? Ask if the retailer offers a student discount before checking out.

We can also check services such as UNiDAYS, Student Beans and ID.me to see what discounts are currently available.

At the same time, a discount should not become an excuse to spend money we would not otherwise spend. Saving 20% on something we actually need is helpful. Spending $80 on something simply because it is 20% off is still spending $80.

For students like Waddington and Krug, simply knowing where discounts exist can make them easier to use.

Student discounts are not going to solve every financial problem that comes with college. But when we are already paying for something, there’s no reason to pay more than we have to.