Your College ID: A Diamond in the Rough

There are a whole slew of firsts that come along with the first week of college.

There’s move-in day, orientation day, saying goodbye to family, locating the laundry room, living in a building full of other humans who are all roughly the same age as you (whoah!), keeping track of your own schedule (for better or for worse!)… aaaaaand posing for your first-ever college student ID picture.  Exciting stuff, huh?

*smile*

*click*

*done*

Hopefully you like the picture because you are stuck with it for a while! Haha!  That is, unless your college allows you to submit a selfie to be used as your student ID picture!  (That is actually something we are doing now at TBC in an effort to make the process less painful.)

Overall, student ID’s get a bad rap.  In some ways that is understandable.  Who needs one more thing to keep track of?  But wait a minute!  What if we told you that those little ID cards are actually quite useful?  That you would actually benefit from having it on you at all times?  And by “benefit“, we mean: get discounts!

Cha-ching!

OK, so maybe comparing a discount to a diamond is a little over-the-top, but you get the point.

Student discounts can be found at participating restaurants, cell phone carriers, electronics stores, bookstores, and museums or local events and entertainment! (Think movie theaters, plays, symphony productions, etc.)  If you look hard enough, you can even find discounts on airfare or insurance!

So, along with all the other “firsts” coming your way, you should research (for the first time) what kind of deals you can find in your area just for showing your ID card!  Showing a less-than flattering picture of your face in return for a break on a killer pair of jeans?  Why on earth would you not?

Here are a few ideas to get you started in your search:

Here in Jacksonville, FL, our symphonic orchestra offers a fantastic discount for students!  (Take full advantage of this if you’re at all interested in the arts, because after graduation it all disappears and you’re stuck paying full, staggering price like the rest of the world!) https://www.visitjacksonville.com/travel-tools/deals/jacksonville-symphony-student-discounts/

Amazon Prime membership deals for students can be found here (hello, online shopping and free shipping!): https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=tb_surl_astudent/?node=668781011

American Eagle Online:  https://www.myunidays.com/US/en-US/partners/americaneagle/view/online?p=AQI

American Express: https://www.express.com/g/student-discounts

Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/clp/college-student-deals/pcmcat276200050000.c?id=pcmcat276200050000

FedEx: http://www.fedex.com/kr_english/about/local/currentattractions/sdc.html

Another idea is to check out The Student Advantage Card — it will get you additional discounts at various locations (sometimes including places like Footlocker and Groupon) when you sign up: https://www.studentadvantage.com/content/?id=762

Of course, there are all sorts of store discount cards available to the general public, and while you do have to give up your email address to be added, it can be worth it if you’re a frequent customer.

Pro Tip #1: Just ask!!!  Many businesses that offer student discounts won’t actually advertise the discount but will apply it when asked at checkout (similar to a senior discount).  Also, keep in mind that just because one business location may participate, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the one across town will.  Call ahead and find out.  Even a small percentage off will add up over time – it’s definitely worth flashing that college ID!

Pro Tip #2: Use an app (such as Stocard) to keep all of your discount cards in one place and available at all times!