Calling All Students: 50+ Places Where Students Get a Sweet Student Discount
Last week, I wrote about all of the best Teacher Discounts I could dig-up, so I figured it only made sense to do the same thing with student discounts. I can remember being in college, living off top ramen and Jägermeister, and looking for every discount I could possibly find. My favorite was at our local Subway which offered students 2 foot-long subs for the price of one.
I actually once ate both foot-longs in one sitting. Ironically, I also once clogged the dorm toilet. But anyways, here are the best discounts for students that I could find for savings on food, clothing, books, insurance, and entertainment. Bookmark this list and use it often as it serves as a small hedge against inflation.
Food/Restaurant Student Discounts
Arby’s: The next time you are craving a Beef ‘n Cheddar at 2am, you can save 10% off your entire meal when you whip out your Student ID.
Buffalo Wild Wings: At many BWW locations you can score 10% off your meal. Just ask!
Burger King: Who knew The King handed out deals to students? Not I. But yes indeed, you can use your Student ID to get 10% off your next meal.
Chick-fil-A: Thirsty? Use your Student ID to get a free drink when you buy anything at Chick-fil-A.
Chipotle: The next time you get a burrito the size of a log, use your Student ID to score a free soft drink.
Dairy Queen: From Consumer Reports, “High school and college students are eligible to receive a discount card or a “Student Meal Deal” at participating locations. The amount of the discount depends on location.”
McDonald’s: At many golden arches locations you can use your ID to get 10% off your purchase.
Pizza Hut: Flash your Student ID and get 10-20% off your next pie. Amount depends on location.
Subway: At participating Subway locations you can use your Student ID to get 10% off your subs, salads, and snacks.
TCBY: Just show them ANY form of student ID and get 15% off your yogurt goodness.
Waffle House: Nothing better than a visit to your local Waffle House after the bars close. Next time save 10% off by showing your server your Student ID.
Book & Newspaper Discounts
Barnes & Noble: While B&N does not offer a flat discount, they do offer deals on textbook rentals with savings up to 50% off.
New York Times: College students can save 50% off the regular rate. Check the College Rate page for all the details.
Wall Street Journal: Students can get the amazing rate of $1 a week for the WSJ. Click Here for all the details.
Clothing Retailer Discounts
Adidas: Get 15% off your full-priced order. Details here.
American Eagle Outfitters: Get 20% off your full-priced order, both online and in-store. Details here.
Ann Taylor: Get 15% off your full-priced order with your Student ID. Details here.
ASOS: Just fill out this form and get 10% off until you graduate.
Banana Republic: Save 15% off your full-priced order with your Student ID. Details here.
Charlotte Russe: 10% off your entire purchase with your ID card.
Goodwill: Yes, even your local Goodwill will give you 10% off with ID.
H&M: Save 15% off your entire in-store purchase with your ID.
J.Crew: Save a cool 15% off (some stores offer 20%) when you present your ID card at checkout. In-store only.
Juicy Couture: Save 15% off your in-store purchase with your ID card.
Limited: Save 15% off every purchase made in-store with your ID.
L.L.Bean: College students get 10% off their entire order, verify your eligibility here.
ModCloth: The popular online vintage clothing retailer offers a 10% discount with registration.
Nike.com: Students get a 1-time use discount for 10% off your online order. Details here.
Sally Beauty Supply: Just register for your beauty school ID and get exclusive savings and coupons.
Steve Madden: Save 10% off with your Student ID.
Target: For 2024, students can save 20% off any single purchase through September 28th, 2024. Details here.
Toms: Save 10% off with your Student ID at Toms.
Urban Outfitters: Save 10% off specific days with your Student ID. Sign-up for their Student Program to be kept in the know.
Tech/Wireless Discounts
Adobe: Students can save up to 80% off popular Adobe software titles. Click here for the details.
Apple Music: Similar to Spotify, students can get the Apple Music service for $4.99 month.
Apple Store: Check out the Apple Students section of their website and save up to $200 off a new computer. They also offer a discount on a Apple Music subscription. Details here.
AT&T Wireless: Click HERE to enter your school email to see if you qualify to get a 10% discount.
Best Buy: Check out the College Student Deals program for exclusive deals on laptops, tablets, desktops, and small appliances. Details here.
Dell: Via Dell University, students can qualify for some really good savings on new laptops and desktops.
Fujitsu: Students are eligible for a 5% coupon on select LIFEBOOK notebook and Tablet PCs. To receive the discount, call 1-800-FUJITSU.
Hewlett Packard: Check out the HP Academy program for some exclusive discounts.
Microsoft: Visit the Microsoft Store for Education and save 10% off software, Windows PC’s, accessories, and more.
Norton: Check out their Discounts page and save up to 50% off titles like Norton 360, Anti Virus, and Internet Security.
Spotify: Students get a 10% discount on the Spotify music service, premium too. Premium comes out to only $4.99 per month. Thanks to reader Andrew for this one!
Sprint Wireless: Visit the Sprint Discount Request page and enter your email address. Expect monthly savings in the 10-15% off range.
T-Mobile Wireless: Visit StudentRate.com and get a 10% discount on your monthly bill. It looks like they will even pay your early termination fee with your current provider.
Subscription Discounts
Amazon Prime: Join Amazon Student for a cool $49 a year (Regularly $99) and get free 2-day shipping, free Kindle books, and free unlimited streaming of 41,000+ TV shows and movies.
Sam’s Club: Sign-up for a Sam’s Club Collegiate membership and get a free $15 Sam’s Gift Card. They’ll also mail you “student only” deals and coupons.
Insurance & Transportation Discounts
Allstate: If you’re a student under the age of 25 Allstate offers a savings up to 20% off for full-time students.
Esurance: If you’re under 25 years old and maintain at least a 3.00 GPA in high school or college, they’ll lower your premiums by a cool 10%.
Eurail: While they don’t offer a specific discount, any person under the age of 26 can get a youth pass which is good for 35% off the adult fee. Detail here.
Farmers Insurance: They offer a Good Student Discount which entitles students to a nice discount if the can carry a “B” average.
Geico: Must be age 16-24 and maintain a “B” average and you’ll be eligible for the Geico Good Driver Discount.
General Motors: When buying a GM car make sure to get the College Discount when financing the purchase. The cool thing about it is that you can combine it with any current incentives GM is offering.
Greyhound: Get the Student Advantage Discount Card and save 20% off your next ticket. Also, you can save 40% off and package shipping.
Progressive: If your student is a full-time student, under the age of 23, and has at least a B average they can get a 10% discount.
State Farm: State Farm has a really cool student program that not only gives you 25% if you get good grades, but the savings lasts even after you graduate until you reach the age of 25.
Travelers Insurance: Travelers also offers a great discount if you maintain a “B” average. Must be a full-time student and between the age of 16 and 25.
Entertainment Discounts
AMC Theaters: Many AMC theaters (almost all, actually!) across the country offer discounted ticket prices every Thursday. Just present your high school or college ID to get your savings.
Cinemark Theaters: Check this list of all the Cinemark theaters in the U.S. that offer a discount. Who doesn’t love a cheap night at the movies? ID is required to get your discount.
Chicago Art Institute: While not free, the Chicago Art Institute offers a nice 20% discount.
Denver Art Museum: Colorado college students get in for a measly $8.
Houston Ballet: College students, show up early and buy Rush tickets for only $10. Available only 90 minutes prior to the show.
Regal Theaters: Many Regal locations offer discounts on select shows.
Ask the Reader: What other places offer student discounts? Let me know and I’ll check it out and maybe add it to this article.
By Kyle James
I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)
This is an incredible list! Almost makes me wish I was a student again haha. Definitely hope people take advantage of these discounts.
I know huh? If I didn’t look like such an old dude I might dust off the old ID card. 😉
Some museums give free student entry to certain students too. I went to the City University of New York (CUNY) school Queens College. All CUNY school students get free admission to the Museum of Modern Art which I still can take advantage of even though I graduated from my master’s program in ’11…. 🙂
Great list, thanks for the suggestions! I might still try a few with my ID, lol.
Great tip Tara! Always worth a shot to just ask when going into any museum, art center, or movie theater.
IHOP also offers a student discount.
Wanted to write to make sure y’all realize that most of the places listed here won’t/don’t actually give student discounts. When I inquired as to why, I was told that most of these places are franchised and can choose whether they want to offer discounts of any sort.
Example: McDonalds in my area (Tampa, FL) are almost all owned by a franchise known as Capsers Company. Most of their McDonald’s I have visited do not offer any form of discount. They do have one McDonald’s, however, that will give you a free medium fry with the purchase of a large sandwich if you show them your student ID.
Thanks for commenting Stephen.
I never would have spent the time writing this if most of the places didn’t actually offer a student discount. Sure, some might be region specific but for the most part these hold true across the country.
H&m only gives discounts during gall or spring break fyi. Tried several times n they won’t do it unless it’s during those times or if you bring in a bag of clothes for donation.
Charlotte Russe does not offer any student discounts, I’ve asked their helpline and they said they don’t extend that offer although they did offer me a one-time 10% off discount.
I use the Charlotte russe discount like once a month throughout east texas.
Kyle, I found a great discount for students at SmartStop Storage when I was moving out of my dorm and back home. They offered me a huge discount of only paying 1 dollar the first month and then the next 3 months were 50%. I thought they would be a good addition to your list.
Also another one for traveling is STA travel.
Would you consider those to be sweet discounts?
Spotify has half off subscription to premium too, that’s pretty cool.
Chipotle does not offer a free drink with student ID.
Are most of these college students or can they be high school also
Just college students.
some are highschool you just have to look at the description
I just say JUST ASK, it doesn’t hurt… We live West Coast.. visited AZ and girls wanted to see a movie…told the group bring your high school ID..girls paid student discount price. SCORE! saved money on this trip.
I will admit we forget to ask when shopping at the mall 🙁
We are visiting NYC on Dec 10-15. My daughter studies in New Zeeland and has a NZ Student ID. Will she get the student discount for the above listings or is it only for US students?
Thankful for a quick reply.
Warmest greetings from Oslo, Norway
RadioShack offers 10% for students on everything except Beats, Apple, gift cards, and services.
This list is not accurate for the student discounts for high school students because majority of the food places that are listed do not honor the high school students at all.
I ended up getting a 25% discount on AT&T att
See this confuses me because I’ve asked twice in two different locations if McDonalds offered student discounts and they both said no. I just don’t get it.