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How to live your best student life without breaking the bank. No, seriously

Budgeting tips for getting the most out of uni life, from our 2024 Student Life guide

Famously, student life means being permanently broke – but they’re also a huge market for companies keen to build loyalty earlier or make their brand seem cooler (often both). Happily, that means offering student perks is a win-win move.

Especially with student discount schemes like Totum (formerly NUS Extra), Student Beans and UNiDAYS, you’ll barely have to pay full price while you’re studying. So make the most of it! Here are our favourite perks and discounts.

Beauty, health and wellbeing

Rejoice! The two big high street pharmacies, Boots and Superdrug, both offer a 10% discount, which shaves pounds off essentials like hair products, makeup and medical supplies. To get money off at Boots online and in store, join its loyalty programme and show your student ID in store to link them. It’s a similar process for in-store purchases at Superdrug. But to get 10% off online, you’ll need to get a code from the Student Beans website.

Entertainment

An excellent music collection is a student essential, and it comes at a reasonable price with Spotify. They have a deal for students who’ve never tried a Premium account – it costs £5.99 instead of the usual £11.99. The discount lasts 12 months or until you graduate – whichever comes first. It’s worth looking into what student discounts your local cinemas offer – there are some great deals at loads of cinemas. For cheapie cinema trips Student Beans is a great starting place.

Travel

The 16-25 railcard is already a huge money saver, as it cuts the price of eligible journeys by one-third for a full year – all you need to do is pay the annual fee of £30. And you can even get an extra 20% off that by using a code from Student Beans. Or, if you travel by coach, Student Beans also offer 15% off National Express journeys.

Eating

Socialising outside of the student union doesn’t have to break the bank. Greene King pubs offer a 20% discount on all their food and drink. Just show your ID to pick up a Greene King student card. Other foodie bargains include 50% off Dominos Pizzas via Student Beans, or 25% M&S Food on the Move range via UNiDAYS.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

Tap here to download our free 2024 Student Life guide

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