Everyone loves a good deal.
But students, who often have to reconcile low funds and pricey school fees, especially hate paying full price for anything.
Around Portland State, many places offer discounts or special offers to those who flash a student ID.
Both Chipotle and Qdoba, Mexican-style restaurants within blocks of PSU, offer free drinks for students with IDs.
Movie theaters often have discounted tickets for students. The Living Room Theater, a small theater located at 341 SW 10th Ave. that serves food and beverages during shows, offers a $3 admission discount for students.
Hotlips Pizza, Pizza Schmizza and most other local pizza shops also have punch cards available, meaning that after you buy a number of slices, you get a final one for free.
Many coffee shops around campus also offer punch cards, including Chit Chat Café on the corner of Southwest Sixth Avenue and Hall Street and the Starbucks located inside the Smith Memorial Student Union building.
Though you’re not actually getting a discount most of the time, using these punch cards will end up benefiting you in the long run. Say you buy five coffees at $1.50 each. That adds up to $7.50, and if you get a sixth one free, you’ll really be paying $1.25 for each one: 25 cents off.
Aside from the little everyday things, students may also be eligible for discounts on big lifetime items: insurance, some home loans and even electronics.
Both Apple and Microsoft offer deals for students buying laptop or desktop computers, and many antivirus programs give students great breaks. Ask this question when you’re shopping around for the best price: “Do you have a student discount?”
A long list of various student discounts around the world can be found online. For example, on giftcardgranny.com, there is a piece titled “85 Student Discounts,” which gives examples of discounts available in many areas.
In the U.S., check out the Student Advantage Discount Card. For $20 you can become a member, and you’ll get a card that will allow you to get even more discounts as a student. You can find it at studentadvantage.com/discountcard.
For traveling abroad, there is a similar card called the International Student Identity Card. This card can get you discounts on travel fares, hotels and hostels, and some food and shopping areas. It’s $22 dollars a year, and that money can easily be gained back as long as you remember to use it. Find it at isic.org/student-card/the-isic-student-card.html.
A key to getting discounts is to make sure you ask around at all sort of places to see if they offer any sort of discount. It never hurts to ask, and it’s always a possibility that you could save a little here and there.
