In a little over a month, hundreds of thousands of young people will once again descend on university towns across the UK – armed with maintenance loans and newly found financial freedoms.
With their arrival comes their business – and retailers and restaurants all fight for the chance to part students with their cash in the form of special discounts.
It would be a pretty long post were we to list every single student discount, so for this guide we’ll go through some of the most notable and our favourites.
Apple
Let’s start with the world’s most valuable company, which offers various deals to students.
Buying a new iPad or Mac will land you a gift card worth £120, while you’re able to access a cheaper Apple Music plan with Apple TV+ included.
It’s available through discount portal UNiDAYS, or you can read more about the offers here.
Amazon
Another student essential – bag yourself six months of free Amazon Prime (which offers next-day delivery on thousands of items and Prime Video).
Once that ends, students only need to pay half price for their membership (£4.49 a month).
Check out the offer here.
Spotify
If you didn’t opt for the Apple Music offer outlined above, then getting 45% off your Spotify subscription might be worth it.
It’s this link to sign up.
ASOS
If you want 10% off clothes from one of the world’s biggest online fashion retailers, you simply need to fill in this form.
Another top tip: ASOS often drops prices, starts sales or increases discount when your student maintenance loans hit your account.
It might be worth waiting for then to use your codes to maximise your savings – you’ll get your first loan at the end of September/start of October, one at the start of January and the last will be at the start of April.
YouTube
YouTube Premium and Music can be yours for £7.99 (plus a free trial month) – allowing you ad-free watching, downloads, background play and unlimited tunes.
Click here for more.
Railcard
An unequivocal student essential.
Railcards are a must while you’re moving around the country visiting friends, family or just making your way home for Christmas.
They cost just £30 and give you a third off expensive rail fares for the full year.
More on that here.
Nike and Adidas
Two of the big players in sports fashion.
Bag the latest athleisure with 15% from Adidas and 10% off at Nike.
Schuh
If you don’t like the trainers either Nike or Adidas provide, then take a look at Schuh.
The footwear brand offers 10% off full-price and sale items – click here to find out how.
Another top tip: if you like a pair of Nike or Adidas shoes, check out whether you could get them cheaper at Schuh with discounts, and factoring in delivery charges and sales.
Sephora
Via discount portal StudentBeans, you can grab 15% off at Sephora.
It’s one of the biggest self-care and beauty brands anywhere on the planet, and 15% off will save you a decent chunk.
Click here to find out more.
Boots
Being a student can save you 10% at Boots – sometimes more.
However, you will need to sign up for one of their (free) advantage cars, so maybe one you need to think about.
Check out the steps here.
Burger King
Students can enjoy a free Chicken or Vegan Royale with purchase of a Chicken or Vegan Royale via their StudentBeans portal.
This link has more.
Domino’s
The big night in vendor offers students up to 50% off.
This is another one you’ll need a StudentBeans discount portal login for, but you can get all the details here.
Uber Eats
Through UNiDAYS, you can get £10 off your first two orders (over £15) on Uber Eats.
They’re not only offering takeaways, but grocery shopping too, so that’s something to bear in mind.
Details here.
New Look
There’s 10% off at New Look for students – and you can bag a further 25% if you sign up to their mailing list.
Discount is in-store and online, so there’s a bit of flexibility regarding where you shop.
This one is through UNiDAYS, details here.
McDonald’s
Grab yourself a free cheeseburger, mayo chicken or McFlurry when you buy selected menu items.
Read the full list and T&Cs here.
Deliveroo
The delivery giant always offers student deals, but they’re yet to make public this year’s plans.
You can enter your email address into this link for updates on it.
Lovehoney
Savings on your sex life start at 20%.
This one is via UNiDAYS – more here.
MyProtein
50% off protein at MyProtein for fitness-hungry students is one of several offers the company has put up.
Again, via UNiDAYS, which has the full list of deals/offers here.
Gyms
Sticking with health and fitness, several high-street value gym chains offer discounts, including The Gym Group and PureGym.
Blackwell’s
We’ve done all the fun stuff like food and clothes – but you do have to study at some stage.
That’s where having 15% off at major book supplier Blackwell’s can help.
All the details are here.
IKEA
While we’re on the more boring stuff – let’s turn to furniture and cutlery.
Over the years millions of students have descended on the Swedish giant to fill their new rooms and cupboards.
Offers change every year – and they’ll be updated here.