Student Discounts in the UK

Fed up of being a poor, badly dressed, hungry and unequipped UK student? Luckily, there are a heap of student discounts you can get on everything from train fares to pizza delivery, meaning you can maximise your time and importantly, your budget, during your stay here.

With so many student discounts out there waiting to be exploited, we wanted to provide a handy list of stores and retailers that regularly offer student deals both online and in store. Offers include up to 50 percent student discount on laptops and other technologies, as well as up to 25 percent off restaurant food bills and takeaways. For all discounts you should present your student ID card at the time of purchase.

Useful websites for finding discounts

• Save The Student – Provides free, unbiased advice on how to make your money go further, and lists temporary UK student deals to take advantage of (such as free drinks/snacks). It also has search tool to look for student discounts.
• Student Money Saver – Also features a range of student deals and discounts, as well as advice on how to manage your money.

Types of UK student discount cards and online codes

• ISIC (worldwide) – The International Student Identity Card is the only internationally recognised proof of student status and definitely useful if you are an international student or planning on travelling abroad. The virtual card can get you discounts in over 130 countries, with student air fare discounts a major bonus! The cost of the card varies depending on which country you are in, ranging from US$4-25. Although largely US-centric, an ISIC card is considered an accepted form of student ID in many UK stores.
• TOTUM (UK) - Supported by the National Union of Students and the UK’s number one student discount card, TOTUM gets you deals on eating out, fashion, travel, fitness and more. You can pay for TOTUM Pro which costs £12 for one year, £22 for two or £32 for three and enjoy the complete range of discounts. Or, you can get a TOTUM Lite card completely free! Also, you can include proof of age on your TOTUM card, meaning you can keep your important documents, such as your passport and driver’s license, safely at home when on nights out. If you purchase TOTUM Pro you will also get a 12-month International Student Identity Card (ISIC) as part your membership.
• UNiDAYs (Australia & New Zealand, United States, UK, Ireland, Germany and Denmark) – Signing up to UNiDAYS is completely free and makes getting student discounts online completely painless. You will need your academic email address to create an account and then apply the various discount codes to websites at the checkout. UNiDAYS offers student discounts with brands such as Apple, ASOS and Urban Outfitters and is also available as a handy smartphone app.
• Student Beans – Similar to UNiDAYS, sign-up to the Student Beans website for free to gain access to a wide range of discounts. It is worth signing-up to both as they each have slightly different discounts on offer and happily, they’re both completely free. 

UK student discounts for clothing

Watch out for the occasional 20 percent off offers!

• ASOS – 10 percent discount all year round, with occasional 25 percent offers. Claim with your UNiDAYS code.
• Boohoo – 10 percent off all year round.
• Burton – 10 percent  off all year round.
• French Connection – 10 percent  off online and in store.
• New Look – Year-round 10 percent discount using a UNiDAYS code.
• Office (footwear) – 10 percent  off in store and online.
• River Island - Get a year-round 10 percent discount through Student Beans.
• Schuh – 10 percent  off in store and online.
• Topman/Topshop – Get 10 percent off year-round through Student Beans or UNiDAYS.
• Urban Outfitters – 10 percent off all year round.

UK student discounts for food

• ASK Italian – An NUS Extra card will give you 40 percent off your total food bill all day Monday and Tuesday, and 25 percent off your total food bill every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.
• Dominos Pizza – 35 percent off online purchases of £25+.
• Giraffe – 20 percent  off your food bill all day Monday to Friday and Sundays from 6pm. (with an NUS Extra card).
• Gourmet Burger Kitchen – 25 percent for students with the GBK app.
• Krispy Kreme - 20 percent off with an NUS Extra card.
• McDonalds – Free burger, mayo chicken or McFlurry for students with the purchase of any extra value or wrap meal. Valid until 31 August 2018.
• The Cooperative – Use your TOTUM card to enjoy 10 percent off your groceries.   
• Yo! Sushi – Exclusively through UNiDAYS, students get 25 percent off dine-in food purchases from Tuesday to Friday and on Sundays.
• Pizza Express - A very generous 30 percent 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 percent discount from Sunday to Thursday.

UK student discounts for entertainment/media

• Odeon Cinemas – Get an extra 25 percent 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 favorite music on the go.
• The Guardian – 80 percent  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’s also an Apple Education Discount, where you can get up to 15 percent off Macs, iPads and more. Either show your student ID in store or use UNiDAYS. 
• EE - Students get a generous 20 percent 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 percent off the whole range of activities. 

UK student discounts for health and beauty

• Boots Opticians – Save 25 percent  on your first pair of glasses or prescription sunglasses, with every additional pair of glasses or prescription sunglasses half price.
• Supercuts – 10 percent off haircuts and services with a student ID.
• Superdrug – Year-round 10 percent discount through UNiDAYS.
• The Fragrance Shop - Perfect for gifts, you can get 15 percent off when you shop online.
• Toni & Guy - Get 20 percent off your high-end haircut, valid Mon-Thurs with a TOTUM card. 

UK student discounts for school supplies

• Foyles bookshop – Offers 20 percent off in store and online twice a year.
• Waterstones – Get 10 percent off with UNiDAYS.
• Paperchase – 10 percent  off in UK stores and online with UNiDAYS, plus 10 percent  off photocopying, printing and services in store.
• Ryman Stationery – Your go-to shop for all office supplies and printing, Ryman offers 10 percent off for students in store and online. Simply use your student card or your UNiDAYS app. The discount includes photocopying, printing and binding services.
• Cass Art – 10 percent off online with a Cobalt Blue Student Card.
• Amazon.co.uk – Students get a six-month free trial and then 50 percent 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.

UK student discounts for technology

• Adobe Creative Cloud – 60 percent off Adobe creative cloud services.
• Apple for education – Receive up to 10 percent 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 percent 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.

UK student discounts for mobile

• O2 – 20 percent off your Airtime Plan, when you sign up to O2 Refresh.
• Vodafone – 10 percent off selected price plans.

UK student discounts for 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 percent off a one-year railcard. If you’re planning on travelling 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 percent 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 percent 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 percent 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 percent off for students on selected advance tickets.
• TransPenine Express – They offer an amazing 50 percent off advanced fares when you have a 16-25 Railcard and book through their website.

UK student bank account incentives

• Natwest – Free four-year National Express coachcard, giving you a third off coach travel. (Other perks include a gradually increasing overdraft.)
• Santander – Free 16-25 Railcard (see above) for four years with the Santander student bank account, saving you a third on all rail travel within the UK. The free overdraft limit is up to £1,500.

Note: Although these offers are tempting, never let the incentive be the main reason for choosing a particular UK student bank account. Consider overdraft limits, interest rates and whether there’ll be a branch near your university. You can compare student bank accounts and their current incentives here.

This blog post was originally published in September 2014. It was most recently updated in August 2019. Additional reporting by Laura Tucker.

Want more content like this? Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.