With the start of school right around the corner, Mr. Thrifty is feeling nostalgic as he reflects on all the great student discounts he was able to enjoy over the years — so he has spent some time mining his sources for the best current student discounts. And now he wants to share his best ideas with you.
Here are Mr. Thrifty’s Top Ten student discounts:
Travel Discounts
1. Via Rail Student Pass. 50 credits for one-way travel for a flat price, starting at $459. That’s under $10 per trip! And that’s a terrific deal. Note that the 50 credits need to be used in 120 days, so if you want a student discount that covers the school year you would need 2 passes. Click here for further details.
2. Air Canada Student Pass. While we love the Via Rail discount, it’s not a practical option for students who attend school far away from home. Enter the Air Canada Student Pass. This discount provides students with 6 one-way flight credits for Standard or Flex travel within North America or to international destinations, for a flat fee (pricing varies by travel zone). The Air Canada Student Pass is particularly good if you want to make a quick trip home without much advance notice — even our best strategies on how to save money on air travel are unlikely to work in that situation. Click here to learn more about this discount.
3. Greyhound. While we would prefer the train or plane, sometimes a bus ride is your best option. And, if that’s case, you can get discounted fares at Greyhound — students can save up to 45% on trips to and from certain university cities. In addition, a student ID or ISIC card (discussed below) will save you 10% on a regular adult fare. Click here for more information.
4. Zipcar. OK, maybe Zipcar was, so, 5 years ago. But Zipcar is an option for local transportation when you need a car to, say, do some Ikea shopping or buy a few cases of beer. Zipcar offers students discounted memberships, which vary by school — look for your school in the Zipcar site to see if it is a participating member. Zipcar often has free trials so you may be able to test it for free to see if you like it. If you do take the plunge, the discounted student membership rate is typically about $20. Click here for details.
Technology – Parents Save Too !
5. Apple Education Pricing. Apple’s special discount program for post-secondary students, parents buying an Apple product for a post-secondary student, or faculty and teachers has been around so long that Mr. Thrifty took advantage of this great deal in his student days. And, while Mr. Thrifty’s Mac and stylewriter printer are no longer in use, the Apple discount has stood the test of time. Find out if you qualify for Education Pricing by clicking here.
6. Microsoft Education Pricing: Microsoft has an education discount program that gives Apple’s program a run for its money. And, unlike in Mr. Thrifty’s student days, Mr. Softee now has more to offer than MS DOS. Click here to visit the Microsoft Education Store, where students and parents can save up to 10% off regular retail prices.
Education
7. The New York Times. We’d love to refer you to The Globe and Mail but it seems to have dropped its student discount (what’s up with that ?). Fortunately, for those of you interested in world news, if slightly U.S.-centric, The New York Times has a terrific offer — currently $1 per week for online access. Now, that’s a terrific deal. Check out the site for all the details.
General Discounts
8. Prime Student. Of course, Amazon reserves its best discount for students ! With Prime Student, students get a free 6-month trial and then 50% off Amazon Prime membership. If we could turn back time we would jump all over this one. And we would also buy Amazon stock (but that’s a different discussion altogether). Click to here sign up. And, while you’re at it, check out Amazon’s Off to University Store.
9. Unidays. Looking for a student discount? Well, there’s an app for that. Of course there is! Check out Unidays, available through Google Play or the App Store. The student discounts available through Unidays are too many to mention and, best of all, it’s free.
10. ISIC Canada Card. Last, but certainly not least, we direct you towards the ISIC Card. Think Mr. Thrifty is old ? Well, he’s got nothing on the ISIC Association, which dates back to 1953. The ISIC Card has been saving students everywhere money for decades. Unlike some of the other offers listed here, the ISIC Card is not free (it costs $20) but it provides some terrific student discounts. If you travel internationally the ISIC Card tends to pay for itself, many times over. Click here for more details.
Looking for a Discount on Bank Account Packages ?
Check out our recent article on The Best Student Bank Accounts.
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