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student discount logos roundup showing the apple, spotify, and microsoft office logos

Students can save on subscription services, tech, and more, year-round. Apple; Spotify; Microsoft

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It’s no secret that being a student is expensive. Between tuition, textbooks, commuting, and campus housing, rationing funds for non-essential spending can be tough. Several retailers know this and offer college student discounts to help out. 

You might be surprised by what perks you can get as a student. From free Microsoft Office to half-off popular services like Amazon Prime and Spotify Premium, the exclusives are enough to make alumni jealous. Eligible enrollees can even save on clothing and mattresses, including a whopping 50% off at Reebok and 30% off Helix beds.

With that in mind, we’ve gathered the best student discounts you can score before heading back to school. If you’re on the other side of the desk, be sure to check out our roundup of the best teacher discounts available now.

The best college student discounts available in 2024

How is status verified for college student discounts?

Every retailer has a different method of verifying eligibility regarding student discounts. Mostly, they partner with third-party websites like Unidays, SheerID, ID.me, and StudentBeans to do the job. Services like these take information like your name, official school-issued email address, and planned graduation date to confirm your status. 

If you’re enrolled in an accredited institution but don’t have a school email, you’ll be asked for different information or documentation to prove your status.

Is Unidays/SheerID/ID.me/StudentBeans safe?

If you’re wondering whether it’s safe to provide your personal information in exchange for a 15% discount, I hear you. As a former university student scrounging for discounts myself, I’ve tested Unidays, SheerID, ID.me, and StudentBeans and found them to be valid and safe platforms for verification. The fact that huge companies have partnered with them for years also speaks to their reliability.

In the event that you’re being asked to use a different platform or provide your personal information directly to the retailer, just follow the same safety protocols you’d use anywhere on the internet: don’t offer highly personal, unnecessary information (like your Social Security number), and double-check the URL to make sure you’re at the intended destination site.

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