In addition to browsing student discounts on brand and retailers’ websites, platforms like UNiDAYS, Student Beans, SheerID and more act as student discount finders
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To recommend the best student discounts, we consulted sites like UNiDAYS, Student Beans, SheerID and ID.me, which aggregate student discount offerings from brands and retailers across shopping categories. Some also act as a third-party verification service to confirm your student status. I rounded up a handful of student discounts below from brands and retailers we’ve previously covered, in addition to a few others I think you should know about.
Keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive. Thousands of companies offer student discounts in stores and online, so check if the brand or retailer you’re shopping from offers a student discount program before you make a purchase and how you can take advantage of it.
Amazon: Students (or young adults from ages 18-24) can get a free six-month trial of Amazon Prime Young Adult, which is usually limited to one month. Once the trial ends, students can continue their subscription for $69 annually, rather than the usual $139. The membership comes with offers like a free monthly Grubhub+ Student membership with unlimited delivery and up to 10% off flights and hotels through StudentUniverse.
Target: Students with a Target Circle membership can get 20% off one qualifying store purchase now through Sept. 27, and 50% off an upgraded Target Circle 360 membership. Target Circle is a free loyalty program through which you get exclusive coupons year round.
Walmart: Students can get a Walmart+ membership for $6.47 per month or $49 per year, roughly half off a standard membership ($98 a year). The membership comes with free delivery on orders $35 or more, free shipping with no order minimum, an included Paramount Plus subscription, savings on fuel and more.
Groupon: Groupon’s Select Student Program gets you up to 25% off every time you shop a local deal, and up to 10% off travel, tickets and events and more.
Student discounts are available to undergraduate and graduate students with proof of enrollment at a college or university, which is often in the form of a .edu email address. Sometimes, student discounts also extend to high school students if they have a school-issued ID or a .edu email address, but the majority of discounts are for college students.
If a brand or retailer offers a student discount program, you’ll likely have to prove that you’re a student before gaining access to the promo code, says Kristin McGrath, a shopping expert at RetailMeNot, a deal-finding and cash back site.
In stores, you can usually just show a cashier your ID. But if you’re shopping online, some brands and retailers use third-party verification services like UNiDAYS, Student Beans, SheerID and ID.me to verify your student status. These services may require you to make a free account with them by inputting your .edu email address, college or university name and graduation year. Once you’re a verified student, the service saves your information and automatically applies the discount when you purchase from the student discount page on an affiliated retailer’s site.
Time frames on student discounts vary, so it’s important to read the fine print before using a promo code online or checking out in-person. Some student discounts are available year round, while others have expiration dates, says McGrath. A handful of brands and retailers, for example, only offer student discounts around the back-to-school season.
It’s also important to understand whether the student discount applies to your entire cart or a single item, says McGrath. Some merchants offer a deep, one-time discount on your entire cart, so shoppers can stock up on everything they need and apply the promo code to a pricier transaction, says Vipin Porwal, CEO and consumer savings expert at Smarty. Other merchants, however, allow you to take advantage of their student discounts multiple times, whether it’s on every purchase you make or one item every month or so.
If you’re shopping from a site that offers a student discount year round but you can only take advantage of it once, strategize before using the promo code, says McGrath. She recommends using bigger, non-student specific promo codes while they’re live and saving your student discount for a time when no better discount is available.
In addition to acting as third-party verification sites, UNiDAYS, Student Beans, SheerID and ID.me also aggregate student discounts offered by brands and retailers, making it easy for you to learn which companies offer savings opportunities. All of these websites allow you to search for specific brands and retailers, or you can browse discounts by category like office supplies or fashion. You can also see if savings are available in-person, online or both.
Beyond browsing the student discounts brands and retailers offer, be sure to check with your school to see if it offers its own exclusive discounts, says Porwal. “Often schools negotiate excellent deals with manufacturers that compete, or exceed, what retailers can provide,” he says.
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Kristin McGrath is a shopping expert at RetailMeNot, a deal-finding and cash back site.
Vipin Porwal is the CEO and a consumer savings expert at Smarty.
Zoe Malin is a reporter at NBC Select, where she’s written a variety of articles for sales events including Amazon Prime Day and Labor Day. Ashley Morris is an associate SEO reporter for NBC Select, covering topics like weekly sales and gift guides. For this article, Malin spoke with two retail experts about how to find the best student discounts, and rounded up options based on their guidance.
