Student discounts exist in that small space between corporate goodwill and market strategy - a rare overlap where both parties feel like they’ve won something. Retailers know that today’s budget-conscious undergraduates are tomorrow’s brand-loyal full-timers, and students know a decent deal when they see one. With tuition fees up, rents rising, and London's £4.80 almond flat whites becoming unironically mainstream, catching a break matters. A 10% discount won't fix the economy, but over 36 weeks and 57 oat milk macchiatos, it gets close.
It’s also worth remembering that student offers aren’t seasonal marketing flings - they’re often year-round, update frequently, and can be quietly powerful if you stack them with sales. Just don’t expect miracles: you won’t get a MacBook Air for the price of cheese toasties. What follows is a curated list of ten UK retailers actually offering something useful - or at least marginally better than nothing - for students in 2025.
1. Amazon – Free Prime Student, Then 50% Off
Still the utility player of online retail, Amazon isn’t glamorous - but it works. Prime Student gives six months of free Prime (worth £8.99/month), then cuts the fee in half for the duration of your course. You get next-day delivery, Prime Video, Prime Reading, and a peculiar urge to never leave your house again.
Shipping: Free one-day delivery with Prime. Returns are nearly frictionless, if morally ambiguous. Refunds: Easy enough, assuming you're not abusing the system. Amazon has algorithms for that. Sign-up: Via valid university email or Student Beans/UNiDAYS link. Some users report needing to re-verify termly.
2. ASOS – 10% Student Discount (Sometimes More)
ASOS has effectively become the student uniform supplier. The 10% discount-available through UNiDAYS or Student Beans-is live all year. It occasionally jumps to 15% during sales frenzies and "exam stress" events, which coincidentally happen around major bank holidays.
Shipping: Free over £40, or grab Premier Delivery (£9.95/year). Returns: Regularly updated policy, but still mostly painless. Pro tip: Don't size up "just in case". ASOS has a 1-in-3 chance of running a size roulette anyway.
3. Apple – Education Store Discounts + AppleCare Perks
Apple’s Education Store remains one of the more serious student discounts – not because the discounts are huge (5–10% in most cases), but because the gear is expensive enough that small percentages matter. Bonus: seasonal bundles often toss in AirPods or free Apple Music/TV+ trials. For creative students, it’s pretty much an industry tax write-off in waiting.
Shipping: Free standard delivery, usually quick. Custom builds take longer. Returns: 14 days, no-nonsense. Catch: The Education Store isn't aggressively priced - it's politely cheaper.
4. Boots – 10% Off with Boots Advantage Card + Student Status
Boots doesn’t shout about its student discount, but it’s quietly solid. Link a UNiDAYS account to your Advantage Card and you get 10% off most things - medication, skincare, toothpaste, multivitamins fuelled by exam-season dread. Occasionally includes beauty brands that rarely go on general sale.
Returns: Must be unopened. Yes, even that £28 "emergency skincare" serum. Pro tip: Stack with 3-for-2 offers on basics and you’re effectively living a couponer fantasy.
5. Nike – 10% Off with UNiDAYS
Not just for sportspeople or that one guy in your flat who talks about hypertrophy. Nike’s student discount applies site-wide, including to many limited drops. Combine with Nike Membership for early access, free returns, and vague feelings of athletic potential.
Shipping: Free for members. You probably are one already. Returns: 30 days, worn or not. Nike still ascribes to customer leniency, or selective amnesia.
6. Spotify – Premium Student for £5.99/month
Still the default. Spotify’s student plan sits at £5.99/month in 2025 and is arguably more essential than a library card - nobody's revising to silence. The bundle sometimes includes other streaming services (though this fluctuates). Requires re-validation each year, presumably to stop your cousin in Romford riding your discount.
Cancellation: Easy, via app settings. Very un-Netflix of them. Note: "Student verification failed" errors are a minor rite of passage.
7. New Look – 10% Off + Bonus Flash Codes
New Look isn't leading-edge, but it is functional and affordable - two words that students begin to appreciate by term two. Their 10% student discount is consistent, and limited-time 15–20% vouchers sometimes pop up like rare birds, especially around peak shopping moments or emotional meltdowns known as “seminar season”.
Shipping: Free over £50, otherwise £2.99. Returns: 28-day window. Realistic if you're not chronically indecisive.
8. The Gym Group – Free Joining & Discounted Memberships
Zero sign-up fees and memberships as low as £16/month depending on your postcode lottery. There’s a strange comfort in seeing the same six people on treadmills at 11:37pm. Student access is contract-free, a considerate touch in a world where most gym chains treat sign-ups like prenups.
Extras: 24/7 access, usually no pool, always at least one mystery draft. Caveat: Wi-Fi varies wildly, especially if you were hoping to watch lectures while cross-training.
9. Samsung – Up to 30% Off on Education Store
Often trailing behind Apple in visibility but beating it in quietly substantial discounts. Samsung’s student store offers up to 30% off on premium devices like the S24, tablets, earbuds, monitors, and even the odd fridge. That last one’s a reach - unless your student housing is particularly lawless.
Eligibility: Edu store login via .ac.uk email. Better chances than many student unions. Returns: 28 days, full refund. Free collection available. Always double-check the T&Cs - Samsung occasionally revises them mid-discount.
10. Co-op – 10% Discount with TOTUM Card
Co-op remains the most geographically convenient mercy for student snacking. With a TOTUM card, you’ll save 10% on sandwiches, groceries, chilled coffee you didn’t really need, and emergency garlic bread at 9pm. Not glamorous, but deeply faithful.
Pro tip: Combine student discount with Co-op’s own voucher offers (e.g., £1 pizza + drink combos), and you start approaching budgetary enlightenment. Returns: Rarely relevant unless you’re returning a bruised banana. Co-op staff tend to err on the side of empathetic.
Bottom line: None of these discounts will transform your financial life - but taken together, they start to blunt the costs of modern education’s supporting cast. Study hard. Shop clever. And yes, you do have to re-verify your UNiDAYS account. Again.