Ah, college. It’s an investment in your future, but it demands time and money.
You might need a break from thoughts about ramen noodle recipes and how much you’ve been blowing on takeout and delivery.
And thoughts about debt, including when interest starts on student loans (immediately).
And whether that first job will pay the bills, and what the average student loan interest rate is.
And whether someone can be arrested for abuse of a credit card.
And whether it’d be better to pay overdraft fees and bum off friends or get a budget tracker.
Speaking of budgets, if you’re a student looking to keep yours in line, we’ve rounded up discounts from national companies for clothes, restaurants, travel and transport, and entertainment.
Note that discounts are subject to change and may vary by location. You may want to contact your local stores in advance to ensure they participate in the student discount program or to see if they may offer a slightly different discount than other branches.
Clothes
This list includes 10 nationwide brands that offer student discounts on clothing.
1. Aeropostale
Aeropostale offers a 15% student discount. You can cash in on this deal online or in-store.
2. J.Crew
J.Crew gives students (and teachers!) 15% off purchases in-store and online.
3. Hanes
Need some basics, like tees or undergarments? Hanes offers students 10% off online purchases.
4. The North Face
The North Face gives students 10% off at its full-price locations, meaning it doesn’t apply to outlet stores. You can also use this discount online, plus score free shipping.
5. Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger offers students 10% off. However, you’ll first have to sign up with UniDAYS , a popular site that helps stores verify that customers are students. It’s free to sign up, and it can help you find additional stores with student discounts!
6. Levi’s
Levi’s offers students 15% off online purchases.
7. Club Monaco
Students who are Club Monaco fans can cash in a cool 15% off online and in-store.
8. Docker’s
Docker’s offers students a generous 25% off purchases made online.
9. Outdoor Voices
Students shopping on the Outdoor Voices website can score 20% off. You’ll first have to join StudentBeans , a site similar to UniDAYS that helps verify student status and offers discounts to partner stores.
10. Champion
Champion also offers 20% off to students who sign up with StudentBeans.
Restaurants
These 10 national chains offer college discounts. Local restaurants may also offer student discounts, but these are some of the most common student discounts from national chains that we found.
11. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Name one college student who couldn’t use 10% off coffee (or tea)!
12. McDonald’s
McDonald’s is already a pretty fast and cheap option, but it also gives students an extra 10% off.
13. Chick-fil-A
Most Chick-fil-A locations offer students a free drink with any purchase.
14. Dunkin’
Flash your student ID and you could get 10% off your order at your local Dunkin’.
15. Arby’s
Arby’s offers 10% off to students.
16. Buffalo Wild Wings
Want to catch the game and eat some wings with friends? Go to Buffalo Wild Wings and score 10% off, too.
17. Waffle House
Need a late-night meal? Waffle House offers students 10% off.
18. IHOP
If you don’t have a Waffle House nearby, IHOP also offers 10% off.
19. Qdoba
Qdoba has two discount options for students: either a free drink with your purchase or a burrito meal for just $5.
20. Taco Bell
Trying to get your next Taco Bell fix? Satisfy your craving while earning 10% off.
Travel & Transportation
Need cheap transportation home for your next break? Or maybe you need an inexpensive hotel or moving company. These 10 discounts can cover an array of your travel and transportation needs.
21. Greyhound
Through Student Advantage , Greyhound offers 10% off travel and 15% off package shipments sent through Greyhound Package Xpress. The Student Advantage card costs $30 a year and offers students — and parents — a wide range of discounts.
22. Amtrak
Amtrak offers students 15% off on purchases made one day in advance; plus you can earn extra bonus points.
23. Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels offers students 10% off its hotels, which include:
• Ascend
• Cambria Suites
• Clarion
• Comfort Inn
• Comfort Suites
• EconoLodge
• MainStay Suites
• Quality Inn
• Rodeway Inn
24. United Airlines
United Airlines gives students 5% off flights. StudentUniverse provides a range of other flight and hotel deals.
25. Hotels.com
Hotels.com offers up to 40% off select hotels booked through the website.
26. FlixBus
Flixbus gives StudentBeans members 15% off tickets.
27. Hertz
Hertz offers students 21 and older 15% off cars and 20% off vans.
28. Budget Truck Rentals
Budget Truck Rentals offers students 20% off local moves and 15% off one-way moves.
29. Penske
Penske shaves 10% off truck rentals when you book online.
30. Red Coach
Red Coach , a popular bus company like Greyhound, offers students 10% off tickets.
Entertainment
Many students may think they don’t have the money for entertainment, but 10 national companies offer some sweet student discounts.
31. AMC
AMC discounts depend on location, but they are usually 20% off.
32. Cinemark
Cinemark discounts also vary by location, but you can plan on scoring about 10% off.
33. Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime Student offers students six months of Prime for free. After that, you can get Prime for $59 a year.
34. Apple Streaming
Students can get Apple Music at a discounted rate for up to 48 months and then can get Apple TV+ for a limited time.
35. Hulu
Hulu offers students its ad-supported plan for just $1.99 a month.
36. Spotify Bundle
Students can get a Spotify, Hulu, and Showtime bundle for $4.99 a month.
37. The Washington Post
The Washington Post has a digital student subscription plan for just $1 a month.
38. Paramount+
Paramount+ offers students 25% off any monthly subscription.
39. YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium is available to students at a discounted rate of $6.99 a month.
40. The Economist
The Economist offers students an annual digital subscription for a steep 75% off.
The Takeaway
Student discounts may add up to some serious savings, but lots of undergraduate and graduate students will face a challenge to repay loans.
Refinancing student loans is one option. SoFi refinances both federal and private student loans.
Refinancing, or taking out one new private student loan, ideally with a lower interest rate, to pay off the old ones, could be a good move for someone with private student loans or higher-interest federal student loans who doesn’t plan to use federal programs like income-driven repayment plans, loan forgiveness, or forbearance.
Using SoFi’s student loan refinance calculator, you can get an estimate of how much you could save by refinancing with SoFi. You can also check out an example of student loan refinance rates.
While rates remain low, see if student loan refinancing makes sense for you.
Photo credit: iStock/Moyo Studio
SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.
Student Loan Refinancing
If you are a federal student loan borrower you should take time now to prepare for your payments to restart, including the opportunity to refinance your student loan debt at a lower APR or to extend your term to achieve a lower monthly payment. (You may pay more interest over the life of the loan if you refinance with an extended term.) Please note that once you refinance federal student loans, you will no longer be eligible for current or future flexible payment options available to federal loan borrowers, including but not limited to income-based repayment plans, such as the SAVE Plan, or extended repayment plans.
Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.
External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.
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