We have put together below a helpful resource for you to see what discounts you can redeem as a student in the UK. The discounts use a variety of platforms including; NUS card, TOTUM Card and UNiDAYS, and some just need proof of student status using your University ID.
Clothing
- ASOS – 10% discount all year round, with occasional 25 percent offers. Claim with your UNiDAYS code.
- Boohoo – 10 % off all year round.
- Burton – 10% off all year round.
- French Connection – 10% off online and in store.
- New Look – Year-round 10% discount using a UNiDAYS code.
- Office (footwear) – 10% off in store and online.
- River Island - Get a year-round 10% discount through Student Beans.
- Schuh – 10% off in store and online.
- Urban Outfitters – 10% off all year round.
Food
- ASK Italian – An NUS Extra card will give you 40% off your total food bill all day Monday and Tuesday, and 25% off your total food bill every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.
- Dominos Pizza – 35% off online purchases of £25+.
- Giraffe – 20% off your food bill all day Monday to Friday and Sundays from 6pm. (with an NUS Extra card).
- Gourmet Burger Kitchen – 25% for students with the GBK app.
- Krispy Kreme – 20% off with an NUS Extra card.
- The Cooperative – Use your TOTUM card to enjoy 10% off your groceries.
- Yo! Sushi – Exclusively through UNiDAYS, students get 25% off dine-in food purchases from Tuesday to Friday and on Sundays.
- Pizza Express - A very generous 30% off food and drink from Sunday-Thursday. TOTUM cards, Student Beans and UNiDAYS memberships are all accepted.
- Las Iguanas - Dig into a Latin American feast, including drinks, with a 25% discount from Sunday to Thursday.
Entertainment/media
- Odeon Cinemas – Get an extra 25% off student tickets with a TOTUM card from Monday to Thursday. Simply show your card at the box office.
- Cineworld – Reduced price tickets for students.
- Spotify Premium – Students pay half price for a Premium membership, allowing you to download and listen to your favourite music on the go.
- The Guardian – 80% off digital subscriptions to The Guardian and other perks.
- Apple Music - Student Membership is only £4.99 a month, half the standard price. You will need to get a UNiDAYS account so that Apple can verify your status as a student. Our top tip is to try the three-month free trial before signing up for the student membership to really maximize your savings. There is also an Apple Education Discount, where you can get up to 15% off Macs, iPads and more. Either show your student ID in store or use UNiDAYS.
- EE - Students get a generous 20% off contract plans, as well as six months free Apple Music and three free months of BT Sport. Claim with your UNiDAYS or Student Beans account.
- Virgin Experience days - Including everything from skydiving to afternoon tea, students get 20% off the whole range of activities.
Health and Beauty
- Boots Opticians – Save 25% on your first pair of glasses or prescription sunglasses, with every additional pair of glasses or prescription sunglasses half price.
- Supercuts – 10% off haircuts and services with a student ID.
- Superdrug – Year-round 10% discount through UNiDAYS.
- The Fragrance Shop - Perfect for gifts, you can get 15% off when you shop online.
- Toni & Guy - Get 20% off your high-end haircut, valid Mon-Thurs with a TOTUM card.
School Supplies
- Foyles bookshop – Offers 20% off in store and online twice a year.
- Waterstones – Get 10% off with UNiDAYS.
- Paperchase – 10% off in UK stores and online with UNiDAYS, plus 10% off photocopying, printing and services in store.
- Cass Art – 10% off online with a Cobalt Blue Student Card.
- co.uk – Students get a six-month free trial and then 50% discount on full Amazon Prime membership. This includes next-day delivery, which is handy at the start of term when you need cheap textbooks in a hurry! It also gives you access to their music and streaming services and Kindle lending library.
- Software4Students – Featuring student deals and discounts for Microsoft, Adobe and anti-virus software.
Technology
- Adobe Creative Cloud – 60% off Adobe creative cloud services.
- Apple for education – Receive up to 10% student discount on laptops and Mac computers and up to 5 percent on iPads with education pricing.
- HP – Make some serious savings with up to 50% off through UNiDAYS when you shop online.
- Microsoft Office – Get the whole Office suite for free. Use your academic email on the Office website to gain access to the software, which you can download on up to five PCs or Macs. You also get 1TB of free online storage with OneDrive.
- Norton Security – Save up $65 (approximately £46) on Norton internet security and antivirus systems.
Mobile
- O2 – 20% off your Airtime Plan, when you sign up to O2 Refresh.
- Vodafone – 10% off selected price plans.
Travel
- 16-25 Railcard – Investing in a railcard is a smart move as it gives you 30 percent off standard rail fares. Use your TOTUM card to get 12% off a one-year railcard. If you are planning to travel around London, you can add your railcard to your Oyster card and enjoy a 34 percent discount on off-peak, pay as you go travel, as well as daily caps.
- 18+ Student Oyster photocard – 30% off adult-rate travel cards for use on all Transport for London services (i.e. underground, overground, buses and trams). Only available to students living at a London address during term time and enrolled at participating universities in London.
- Megabus – 10% off all coach travel with Megabus (with an NUS Extra card).
- National Express Young Persons Coachcard – 1/3 off full-price National Express coach tickets (cost of card is £10 per year) for 16-26 year olds. Or, use your TOTUM card for a 25% student discount.
- STA Travel – Student deals and offers for round-the-world travel.
- Student Universe – Student discounts on flights, hotels, hostels and tours.
- Cross Country - Depending on which train company you travel with, keep an eye out for further discounts. Cross Country offer an extra 10% off for students on selected advance tickets.
- TransPenine Express – They offer an amazing 50% off advanced fares when you have a 16-25 Railcard and book through their website.
Things to Consider
Student accounts are simply bank accounts made for those in higher education. They let you pay money in and out, and offer additional benefits such as an interest-free overdraft. Here are the big things you need to consider...
- Get the biggest 0% overdraft you can – unless huge freebies beat it.
- You need to be 18 to get an overdraft (though some banks let you open an account at 17).
- Never go over your overdraft limit – budget!
- Beware, you’ll be credit-checked.
- Don’t just pick an account because that bank has a branch near your university.
- After university, witch to a top graduate account.
What ID do I need to open a student account?
- As with all bank accounts, you'll need proof of address and identity. This can include passport, birth certificate or current UK driving licence.
- In addition, you'll need a UCAS confirmation letter with an unconditional offer or, if your offer's conditional, A-Level results that meet that condition (or a letter from the university you'll be attending confirming your place). As soon as you have these, you can open an account, allowing you extra time to make full use of its benefits before the start of term.
Choosing the right account!
The high street banks compete in a red-hot battle. They publish ever-bigger overdraft limits, but then sneakily won't allow all students to have them. The key is whether the overdraft is 'guaranteed' or 'up to' – the former means you'll get it if you've been accepted for the account (and asked for the max limit), but the latter means you'll only get it if you have a good credit record.
With all these accounts you'll usually need to be (or about to be) a first year student and have proof of acceptance to a university or further education course, which is often defined as lasting at least two years.
Important. All the below automatically turn into a graduate account once your course ends, which continues the 0% interest overdraft for a further two or three years – though the interest-free limit drops each year. Diarise to check when your course ends though, as other top graduate accounts may beat it.
Check out the 3 top student bank accounts we could find below!