Which Subscriptions Do You Need?

How do you avail student discounts on subscriptions? Can you use your international Netflix account? What are the must-have subscriptions? What are subscription boxes? Can you get things for free?

This is a great time for me to re-iterate my favorite thing. If you don't know by now - create a budget. It helps you see what fits in, because the dollars add up and subscriptions are notorious for wreaking havoc on your monthly plans. If you're an international student, most of your family subscriptions like Netflix wouldn't work in the States due to different pricing. But I've got good news too! If you're already paying for a few subscriptions, as a college student you can find pretty great discounts. So an option might be to discontinue the old subscription and use your new .edu ID to subscribe again.

Educational

Microsoft Education Store: Microsoft offers special discounts on its software (Office 365, Surface devices, Windows operating systems) for eligible students.

Adobe Creative Cloud: Adobe provides significant discounts on its Creative Cloud subscription (Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro) for students.

Subscriptions to Digital news: Instead of taking your old subscriptions to college, by using your .edu ID, you can find free / reduced rates to in-depth journalism, articles, and digital content. For example:

The New York Times Student Discount: journalism and articles on daily news.

Wall Street Journal Student Membership: access to business news, insights, and analysis.

LinkedIn Learning: thousands of online courses on various topics.

The Economist Student Discount: access a global perspective on politics, business, science, and technology.

Financial Times Student Discount: comprehensive financial news and analysis.

Chegg: Chegg is an online platform that offers textbook rentals, homework help, study resources etc. As a student, you can get discounts on Chegg Study materials.

Barnes & Noble College: Many college bookstores affiliated with Barnes & Noble offer discounts on textbooks, school supplies, and other educational materials for students. Be sure to check it out when you need to purchase textbooks.

Grammarly: Grammarly, a popular writing and grammar tool, and offers a student discount for its premium subscription.

GitHub Student Developer Pack: GitHub offers a collection of free and discounted developer tools and resources for students, including coding and programming platforms.

Scribd: Scribd provides a vast collection of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and documents, which is really helpful for students. Their student discount gives you cheaper for access to their library of educational materials.

Material

Amazon Prime Student:

Amazon Prime can seem really expensive for someone on a college budget. But with Prime Student, you get the first 6 months free. After that, it’s just $7.49/month, which includes benefits like free two-day shipping, access to Prime Video, Prime Music, and exclusive student deals on textbooks and other products. It's a great option to take advantage of this discount and free shipping, and maybe even share the account with the rest of your family.

Apple Education Pricing: Students, educators, and staff members of all grade levels are eligible for Apple's education pricing, which provides discounts on Mac computers, iPads, Apple Music, and other accessories. Now's a great time to pick up new tools!

Look out for opportunities to get discounts as a student!

J. Crew: Get 15% off in-store purchases at J. Crew when you show your student ID.

Kate Spade: Join Kate Spade’s student program and get 15% off purchases made at katespade.com.

Entertainment

Spotify + Hulu + SHOWTIME: You can get Spotify Premium, Hulu, and SHOWTIME at $4.99/month, including a 1-month trial of all these services.Granted, the Hulu you get does have “limited” ads, which from personal experience is pretty annoying. However, it beats other rates.

Apple Music: So maybe you're trying to avoid getting gripped into a TV series. Totally understandable. At the same rate, you can get Apple Music for just $4.99/month (instead of the regular $9.99), as a student.

Sporting Events: Both the MLB and NHL offer discounted student tickets in some cities. And, of course, your campus sporting events are often free if you’re a student (or at least heavily discounted).

Concerts, Performances, and Arts Events: You should know that you can get discounts on classical concerts, jazz shows, ballet, and theater if you’re a student. Check the website of local arts organizations. Or, ask the arts faculty at your college, as they can sometimes get you exclusive discounts. Usually, all you need is a student ID.

Service Discounts

Amtrak: Trains are probably the most viable way to get around some parts of the U.S. Students can get 15% off of Amtrak rides in certain regions. For example, here’s a 15% discount for students in the Midwest. And here’s a 15% discount for students in California.

Public Transit: In many cities, students can get a discount on public transit services. Look out for such deals.

Moving Truck Rentals: This is something I looked into when I had to move out of my dorm for Summer. If you do need such services, visit the company’s website, enter the promo code listed for students, and show your college ID when you pick up the truck. For example, Penske offers a 10% discount on truck rentals when you show your college ID. Budget also offers a couple of discounts: get 20% off local moves and 15% off one-way moves (such as moving to or from college).

Museums: Most museums offer some kind of student discount (or even free admission to students on certain days). The art museum in my home city of Nashville, TN, for example, offers $10 admission to anyone with a valid college ID.

Movie Theaters: Cinemark and AMC both have student discounts available at participating locations. Many theaters also run discounted “College ID Nights” once a month or so. And, of course, see if your local indie theater offers discounted student tickets.