When Age Matters: Discounts for the Young Students

by Jessica Sommerfield · 4 comments

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Financial obligations are a part of adulthood no matter how old you are, as only their categories and amounts change from one decade to the next. The good news is that adults at either end of the age spectrum get better deals when it comes to discounts. In these situations, age does matter. Take a look at these discounts for students and see if there are any you’re not taking advantage of. After all, you’re only young once!

Discounts for Students and Young Adults

Students are overwhelmed with college debt more than ever before, and they deserve a little break. Merely being enrolled in a community college or university is enough to get you a discount on many items, services and venues, whether you’re 18 or 30. In most cases, simply provide proof of student status (your ID card or a university email account), and you’ll have access to the following items:

Music and Performing Arts:
Cultural venues are starting to realize the importance of getting the younger generation engaged in the arts while recognizing that pricey symphony tickets aren’t in the budget for the college-aged. The Kennedy Center in D.C. offers a discount not just to students, but anyone from ages 18 to 30 through a program called MyTix.

Student discounts are also common at other major concert halls across the country (Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, etc.). If you’ve always wanted to take in some jazz or an opera, your student discount could make it happen!

Movie Theaters/Sports/Shopping/Transportation & Lodging:

  • Movie chains Regal Cinema and Cinemark offer students discounted theater tickets (and it doesn’t even have to be an educational film). Smaller chains and local theaters might offer discounts, too – just ask.
  • As a student, you can also get discounted tickets to Major League Baseballs games and National Hockey League games in addition to college sporting events you might already frequent.
  • A long list of major retailers give student discounts anywhere from 10 to 20%. Categories include clothing, merchandise, services and electronics — especially hardware and software companies. I took advantage of this a few years ago when I purchased my MacBook Air for about $100 less than retail.
  • Signing up for a student advantage card (currently $22.50 a year) entitles you to discounts from a long list of not only retailers and theaters, but hotels and transportation companies like Greyhound and Lyft… even mechanic services.

Insurance/Phone Service:

  • Being young usually means sky-high car insurance, right? Not if you’re a full time student who makes decent grades. Many insurance companies simply require proof of enrollment status and grades to qualify for a 10 to 20% discount.
  • Mobile phone providers AT&T, Verizon and Sprint all offer their own deals for students, as well. For instance, Sprint’s is called the “My Way Student Promotion.” Even if you have different providers in your area, it doesn’t hurt to ask if they have a student program.

Of course there are more than what’s listed here, but you get the idea. Virtually anywhere you buy anything is going to offer a discount if you’re a student. The one exception seems to be restaurants. Only a small selection of fast-food chains offer student discounts, but that’s not counting restaurants and snack shops located near campuses, which cater to their main cliental.

You’re only an 18 to 30-year-old student for a short time. Take advantage of free money you can get just for being you!

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  • Alexis @FITnancials says:

    I’ve gotten student discounts all over the world with my STA travel card. The card paid for itself with my savings on my Machu Picchu trip. Being a student is already so expensive, we might as well try to save as much as we can with the discounts that are available to us.

    • David @ MoneyNing.com says:

      Yup. The key is to just remember to show the card and to research a bit to see what type of benefits and discounts you are entitled to. Otherwise you are leaving money on the table every time you forget to tell them you should get a discount.

  • Latoya @ Femme Frugality says:

    Man oh man how I remember the days I could whip out my student i.d. and receive some of these discounts. I especially miss doing this at the movies!

    • David @ MoneyNing.com says:

      I missed using my student ID card too but it was at local restaurants close to my campus. I remember getting 10% off basically everything back then.

      Those were the really good old days though since I haven’t been a student for a really long time but those were definitely good memories!

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