You can’t avoid the fact that college isn’t cheap. If you’re looking for ways to save money, there are many out there that don’t require you to do anything special except being a student.
We’ve compiled the best athletic training student discounts. You’ll find the same digital deals on other college and lifestyle sites, but we won’t stop there. Additionally, we’ll show you how many discounts you can get in person.
Now grab your student ID card, type in your .edu email address, and let’s get started!
Digital Subscription Discounts
Amazon Prime Student
Getting your own Amazon account is a big step towards living independently.
For someone on a college budget, Amazon Prime can be really expensive.
With Prime Student, you get the first 6 months free. Then it’s just $7.49 a month.
You’ll get free two-day shipping on most things, unlimited photo storage, free streaming of thousands of TV shows and movies, and more.
Considering all the perks included, it may be a worthwhile deal. However, if you just stream music and movies (and don’t do much online shopping), Spotify + Hulu + SHOWTIME might be a better deal.
When you sign up, just enter your .edu email address.
Audible
Keeping up with all your reading assignments can be tough when you’re a student.
Here’s where Audible comes in. You can listen to audiobooks on pretty much anything. Whether you’re going to the gym or walking to class, you can listen to them wherever you are.
You can get a three-month free trial when you sign up below. After that, it’s $14.95/month. It’s a great place to start if you’re trying to read more.
How to get the discount: Sign up for Audible here.
Spotify + Hulu + SHOWTIME
For just $4.99/month, you can get Spotify Premium, Hulu, and SHOWTIME. You get a free 1-month trial of all these services before you pay anything.
Although Hulu has “limited” ads, it’s still better than cable.
How to get the discount: Enter your .edu email address when you sign up.
Apple Music
Perhaps you’re not into Hulu, but you love Taylor Swift and Jay-Z. I totally get it. For just $4.99/month (instead of $9.99), you can get Apple Music.
How to get the discount: Sign up for Apple Music and then enter your .edu email address.
Service Discounts
Digital discounts are cool, but some things still happen in real life (at least until we upload our consciousnesses to a matryoshka brain). Can you get student discounts for in-person services (and services that exist in the real world)? Let’s take a look.
Amtrak
You may think train travel is old-fashioned, but it’s still a great way to get around. I wasn’t allowed to have a car as a Freshman in college and took the Metra from Kenosha to Chicago, then walked a few blocks and hopped on the Amtrak to get me the rest of the way home. Amtrak offers 15% off to students in certain regions.
You can get the discount by visiting Amtrak’s website and booking your ticket online. If your student ID is requested, be prepared to show it.
Your School Library
You can find lots of helpful benefits at the library, and it is both a collection of resources as well as a service. In addition to books and databases, did you know your library likely has access to movies, magazines, online training libraries like LinkedIn Learning, and even rare historical artifacts?
You’ve already paid for all of these services with your tuition, so you don’t need to buy them separately. Make the most of them!
You just have to ask a librarian (or check your school library’s website) about all the free services and resources available to you.
Bonus tip: Check out your local library. They love helping students, and you can usually get a library card if you live on campus. If nothing else, it’s a free place to study when your dorm room is too crowded or your campus library is too full.
Museums
On certain days, most museums offer student discounts (or even free admission). Additionally, if your college has an art museum, it is usually free to the public (and unlikely to be crowded).
For details, check out the museum’s website. It’s usually just a matter of showing your student ID.
Public Transit
Many cities offer student discounts on public transit. You won’t have to worry about this if you live out in the sticks like me. If you go to an urban campus, it might be worth looking into.
Check the website of your local public transit provider to see how you can get a discount. Your student ID or other proof that you’re a student may be needed.
Zipcar
Renting a car can be expensive if you’re under 25. Many universities have Zipcar partnerships that let you use the service.
How to get the discount: Search here to see if your university participates.
Movie Theaters
Both Cinemark and AMC have student discounts. Many theaters also have “College ID Nights” once a month. You can also see if your local indie theater offers student discounts.
Check out your local movie theater’s website (or ask at the box office) for the discount.
Moving Truck Rentals
If you show your college ID, Penske will give you 10% off truck rentals. Discounts are also available from Budget: 20% off local moves and 15% off one-way moves.
Getting the discount: Go to the company’s website, enter the promo code, and show your college ID.
Car Insurance
Student discounts are available from most major auto insurance companies. It’s important to note that you won’t be able to claim these discounts if you pay for your own insurance. These are discounts your parents can get for having a student on their policy.
Usually, you have to be under a certain age and get good grades (a 3.0 GPA or higher). Check with your local insurance agent to see what discounts you qualify for since these discounts aren’t available everywhere.
Software and App Discounts
The cost of software can be high. It’s a shame because knowing how to use certain programs really well can land you some solid jobs (when combined with the right soft skills). Student discounts are available on some popular software products.
It’s worth noting that most software can be obtained for free through your university before I get into the discounts.
Microsoft Office Suite, for example, is free for students. Some programs require that you’re enrolled in a specific class.
Visit your campus IT website or ask a campus IT employee what you can access as a student.
Notion
We love Notion for taking notes…and so much more.
You can organize a lot of information with Notion’s extensive database features (looking at you, Chem 101).
With nearly endless formatting options, you can make your workspace look however you want.
Educators and students can get Notion’s Personal Pro plan for free. You get unlimited file uploads and 30-day version history.
How to get the discount: Visit this page and sign up with your school email address.
Adobe Creative Cloud
For just $19.99/month, students can get Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects. You’re saving almost 60% compared to the usual $54.99/month.
Get the discount by clicking “Buy Now” on this page, then entering your .edu email address.
The Photography Plan is $9.99/month (whether or not you’re a student) if you just want Photoshop. With this, you get Photoshop and Lightroom, plus 20GB of cloud storage.
Shopping Discounts
The majority of things you might want to buy are available on Amazon with free two-day shipping.
If you’d rather buy directly from a store, want exclusive discounts, or want to try on clothes first, here are some places where being a student can help you save money:
Chegg
There are still a lot of classes that require textbooks. Those who are in such classes shouldn’t pay more than the bare minimum.
We love Chegg for textbook deals. If you compare it to the campus bookstore, it’s usually a better deal.
Here’s how to get the discount: Visit this link and start shopping.
Lenovo
Get 5% off at Lenovo if you’re buying a new laptop or another computer for college
Get the discount: Verify your student status with ID.me. Learn more here.
Microsoft
Are you interested in purchasing a Surface? If you’re a student, you can save 10%.
For the discount, you’ll need a Microsoft account (which is annoying, but you’ll have to create one anyway if you’re getting a Surface). After that, you’ll need to enter your .edu email address to verify your status as a student. Learn more here.
HP
Want to buy an HP product? When you register for the HP Education Store, you’ll get free shipping and up to 40% off.
Get the discount by registering with your .edu email address on this page.
Apple
Apple offers a variety of student discounts throughout the year, especially around back-to-school time.
Find out what student discounts are available on this page. You can also ask someone at an Apple Store.
Best Buy
Similar to Apple, Best Buy offers different student discounts based on the year.
Additionally, Best Buy will match prices on sites like Amazon. In other words, if you’re willing to pick up the items at a local Best Buy, you can get free “same-day delivery.”
Check out this page for the current student discounts. Using your school email address, create a free My Best Buy account and enroll in the college student discount program.
Logitech
You can get 25% off at Logitech.com if you’re a student.
Sign up for a Logitech account, then verify your student status through UNiDAYS.
Local Businesses
Many of these will be specific to your college town. I found student discounts at coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and even “boring” services like dry-cleaning in my college town.
Even if they don’t advertise a discount, it’s worth asking. You never know, they might just be feeling generous (especially if it’s a mom-and-pop).
Special Discount Sites and Programs
As a student, you can sign up for a few different discount sites and programs. All you need is a valid .edu email address to join. There’s a small yearly fee for one of them, but depending on your life, it might be worth it.
UNiDAYS
You can get discounts on food, clothing, tech, and more with UNiDAYS.
Join for free with your .edu email. You can get deals on both products and services.
How to get the discount: Sign up here using your .edu email address.
ID.me
ID.me is primarily a digital identity verification service. If you verify your student status with them, they offer a variety of student deals.
Their discounts include shopping, services, and travel (including an absurdly large number of casino discounts).
Sign up with your .edu email address here to get the discount.
StudentRate
A student discount site like StudentRate is a classic. You can find all kinds of deals on tech, travel, services, school supplies, and more. Just use your .edu email to join.
How to get the discount: Sign up here using your .edu email.
Sales Tax Holidays
Definitely worth mentioning, even though it’s a little weird. As of 2022, 18 states offer “Sales Tax Holidays.” You can buy certain things tax-free on these days.
My home state of Iowa, for example, has a tax holiday that lets you buy school supplies tax-free (even laptops).
See what programs your state has on this list from the Federation of Tax Administrators. There’s no need to be a student to take advantage of them.
Start Saving Money Today
As a student, you have a lot of chances to save money.
Obviously, I don’t want you to buy anything you don’t need. Money can be saved by not spending it in the first place.
But if you’re going to buy something, you might as well get a deal.