As a student there are lots of discount providers out there that you should take advantage of to make your money go further.
TOTUM
TOTUM, the new name for the NUS extra card, brings you over 400 UK student discounts. Choose from a 1-year card which is currently free for a digital card and will need to be renewed every year or just £14.99 or a 2-year card/3 year card which both have additional benefits . Many discounts are online only so you can’t get them without your TOTUM card. Buy here
UniDays
Whether you’re in college or university (or even sixth form in the UK) you can get more while spending less on everything from fashion and food to music and tech. UNiDAYS is a Student Affinity Network. That means we’re all about making student life more rewarding, whether that’s saving on the latest must-have gear. Free to sign up to. Register here
Loyalty Cards
An essential cost for all of us is food shopping, and if you don’t have the loyalty card for your go to shops then you are missing out on free money. Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s two of the big 4 supermarkets both have points based loyalty cards, and many people can rack up enough points throughout the year for a cheeky treat at Christmas or a free weeks shopping when you really need it. The local Coop is often a go to for students, as they tend to be conveniently placed and open later. The Coop can be a little pricier that than the big 4 but they have some great reductions and you will get 10% off when you present your NUS Card, and if you also use your Coop loyalty card you will get a further 5% off on certain own brand products.
Cashback
Using cashback sites (e.g. Quidco, Top Cashback) is a really easy way to get money for free. You will need register an account with them, search their database for the shop/service you intend to use and then purchase your item as normal. For example if you’re going bowling, search for Tenpin bowling, reserve your slot and after your visit and the retailer has confirmed your visit, your account will be credited with the specified amount. The rate of cashback varies and there are often additional incentives so it is wise to keep checking what is available.
Eating out v’s Eating in
It’s a fact of student life that you are going to eat out and order takeaways. Make sure you do it as cheaply as you can.
Voucher cloud is a popular app that once installed on your phone, tells you useful information such as Nandos currently has a 20% off code or that there is a free cup of coffee from Nero if you pay with Mastercard.
If you have an TOTUM card then it is always worth asking if a discount is available. The worst they can say is "No" but you may benefit from discounts such as 40% off at Pizza Express on certain nights of the week.
If you order takeaways through Just Eat it can also take some of the sting off of the cost, particularly if done through the cashback sites which have promotion codes available from time to time.
Meerkat Meals
For those students who have worked out how to get access to Meerkat Movies for an initial annual outlay of around £1 (a google search will help with this) there is also the option of discounts through Meerkat Meals
Other sources of free or discounted food
Join Our Food Waste Movement - Too Good To Go
Olio - Your Local Sharing App (olioapp.com)
Last Updated: January 2025