It turns out that there’s a lot of people out there who feel really bad for university students. The number of businesses and companies out there that have student discounts is larger than you think. Odds are, many company policy-makers have experienced post-secondary education themselves, and are looking to give a little extra help to students drowning in debt.
So pull out your student ID and get shopping at the places you were going to be shopping anyway but enjoy saving some of your precious cash.
Here’s a list of some of the places with some sweet student discounts:
Sobeys
Is that grocery bill really adding up each month? By showing a form of student ID, you can get 10% off your grocery run on certain days of the week and even rack up some Air Miles along with it.
Apple
The Apple Education Pricing program can get you a nice discount on a new MacBook or iPad. Also, the reason why every other person on campus has a pair of Beats headphones is that they come for free with the purchase of a Mac or MacBook as part of Apple’s “Back to School” promotion. Also check out the 20% student discount on extended AppleCare warranty.
Adobe
Gaining access to software like Photoshop and Illustrator is typically pretty expensive, but fortunately, as a student, you can save big. You can save over 60% on a full Adobe Creative Cloud membership, which ends up being around $20/month. Not ready to commit? Check out one or two of their many free trials!
AirCanada
AirCanada has the “Student Pass,” a prepaid package of 6 one-way flight credits that’s designed to make it easier for you to get home throughout the school year. It works for travel within North America as well as most international destinations. Check out their website for more details.
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
If you’re an art gallery nut, check out the AGO’s reduced student membership fee (with proof of valid student ID) of $45, which is a huge step down from the regular membership fee of $110. And on Wednesdays, from 6-9 pm, admission is free for anyone!
You might be thinking that it’s going to be hard to keep track of all these amazing student deals, but fortunately for you, there are several programs that collect them all in one spot for you:
International Student Identity Card (ISIC)
This card gives you access to thousands of discounts worldwide, but in Canada you’ll find many travel-related deals such as hotels, museums, attractions, and much more!
Student Price Card (SPC)
This is my personal favourite way to get student deals. For just $10, you get access to thousands of discounts in many essential Canadian stores. You can save money on accessories, fashion, food, and lots more. Just look for the little SPC sign at checkout, you’ve probably seen it more times than you think while shopping. There’s also an SPC app where you can keep track of new deals and discounts. Check out their website for more details.
There are so many places out there that are looking to help you out, you just have to look a little harder in some cases. While many student discounts are only in the range of 10-20%, these little bits of money saved can add up quick and give you a little more wiggle room in your monthly budget. I hope that this list opened your eyes to your saving potential in your coming years as a student!