Before you max out your student loans or shell out your hard-earned summer job money this year, take advantage of student discounts and back-to-school offers that could save you money on everything from new clothes, books, and software to cell phones, groceries, and your plane tickets home.
Get a student discount card
With the Student Advantage card, you can save on pretty much everything a college student needs: plane, train, and bus tickets; all your dorm essentials; a laptop, cell phone, and cell phone plan; books, CliffsNotes, and supplies; clothes and shoes; contacts, glasses, and toiletries; and even movies and music. Participating retailers include Cheap Tickets, Target, Linens ’n Things, Toshiba, T-Mobile, Barnes & Noble, Office Depot, Sports Authority, and Urban Outfitters.
Get a one-year card for $20, plus $2.50 shipping and handling. Add an extra year for just $10, all the way up to a four-year card for $50. Not sure it’s worth it? Think of it this way: With a 10-percent Student Advantage discount at Target, on a $200 purchase, your $20 card will have already paid for itself.
Become a Sam’s Club member
The buy-in-bulk warehouse is now offering a Collegiate Membership: For a $40 annual membership fee, Sam’s Club will throw in a $15 gift card and two membership cards — so you and a roommate can split the membership fee and each get a card. All you have to do is show a valid student ID and provide a school e-mail address (ending in .edu).
Use your membership to go bulk-shopping with your friends and roommates. Share the cost on things like snacks, detergent, and printer paper, and then split up the goods.
Book your trips through student travel sites
Whether you just want to fly home for Thanksgiving or you’re trying to arrange your travel plans for your study abroad program, sites like StudentUniverse offer discount airfare, car rentals, train tickets, hostel rates, and travel insurance. To be eligible for StudentUniverse deals, you’ll need to be an undergraduate or graduate student (part-time and community college students are also eligible) and have a valid school e-mail address (ending in .edu).
For money-saving deals and trip ideas to help you plan your spring or winter breaks, check out sites like EF College Break, StudentCity, and Student Travel Services.
Take advantage of academic discounts
Don’t buy a flash drive, laptop bag, or that copy of Photoshop you need for your Digital Media class before stopping by sites like JourneyEd and Academic Superstore. These online retailers sell software, hardware, electronics, books, and book bags to students at a discount. Right now, on JourneyEd, you can get the Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 — that includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Acrobat — for just $399.98; retail price is $1,199.
To qualify for an academic discount, you’ll need to show proof of enrollment: a copy of your student ID, a current class schedule, or a letter from your school on school letterhead.
Buy a Mac for college and get a free iPod
If you’re in the market for a new laptop or desktop to take with you to school, buy a Mac through Apple, and you’ll get a free 8GB iPod Touch or 8GB iPod Nano to go with it. Apple’s back-to-school deal is good through September 15 with the purchase of a MacBook or iMac through the Apple Online Store, any Apple Retail Store, or your Apple Campus Store.
The catch? You’ll have to buy and pay for your iPod upfront, at the same time you get your Mac, and then submit a rebate claim online. You’ll have until October 15 to claim your rebate. For an iPod Nano, you’ll get a rebate of up to $199; for the Touch, up to $299.
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