NUS Card- Worth it if you already have a Uni ID Card?

rageagainstessays

Hi,
I'll hopefully be registering for University in 19 days (depending on A-Level results, sadly). During sixth form I never thought that getting an NUS card would be useful for anything other than ID, because I shopped on line a lot and couldn't use it in most outlets, and for things that I did buy on the high-street such as school supplies such as textbooks, pens, paper and etc, could be obtained at a greater discount than the prices at W.H. Smith and Rymans (with the discount) for example you could just go to Wilko's or B&M.
Classic example- post-it notes (£3.50 from W.H.Smith, £1.00 from Poundland for the same amount).

Despite this, I think the discount will become more useful to me when I have more spare money at University.

But then I'll have the Uni ID card which most retailers will accept anyway.

Therefore, is the NUS card worth it?

Helix

Some retailers don't accept Uni ID cards if they don't have an expiry date on them (not all Uni's put expiry dates on them as it saves them from having to produce new cards when they can handle the expiry electronically). However its probably worth just seeing how far you get with your Uni card when you start, especially now that NUS lasts a year from when you start it now, rather than a year from Sept.

The Spotify deal is good if you use it, you make the price of the card back within 3 months.

Noctu

I balked at the price but you can get 15% off at Virgin Mobile which is pretty good - makes a £10 30 day rolling sim only contract £8.50 for example...

Quite a few of the retailers round here won't accept a Uni card, just NUS which is annoying.

flea72

The nus card can be used online and at amazon. I would say thats the only benefit as all other high street retailers just accept a uni id card

However most student unions now sell and print the cards, sometimes selling at a reduced rate. So maybe wait until you are at uni before signing up

Or lloyds are offering the card for free with their student account

Rhydem

I never use my NUS card instore. Simply a Student card will do.

However if you plan to use ASOS etc, then maybe. But there's a site dedicated for students where you get 10% off anyway.

So in my opinion I don't find them useful at all.

rageagainstessays

I have just seen an example of a student ID for the Uni that I hope to be accepted into (sadly, not sure yet). The Card has the university name,
then your title, first and last names. a barcode, some other numbers, d.o.b and end date.

Would that be enough to get discount locally?

alisont

I work in a college and from what I've seen it can be a good thing to have.

Students use it in places like Superdrug 10% off, to get a 16-25 railcard but then you can still get one without it.

They are good if you go site seeing or travelling with the International card part which is about £2.50 more. I know abroad you can get in half price to lots of places (I was in Berlin recently and the museum pass was half price with NUS card id of saved 12 euros with one, some places like the Acroplis is free to students.

By me you need NUS card not college ID for discounts but that's a college town not a uni one.

I'd say wait a bit as the union will have lists of where does a discount and if there are places in town you use it's worth asking what cards they accept for discounts. You can always buy one later on or if you go travelling in the future.

I did have one in the past and really only used it when I shopped at Superdrug and at some coffee shops that did student discount and for entrance to a few museums.

As others have said some bank accounts offer a free one and some offer the 3 year 16-25 railcard too.

GoldenShadow

Never been worth me having one. Its a minute amount of offers that wont take a normal student card from uni. Not worth the price for me, anyhow.

Fluff15

I never used a NUS card during university and only my student ID. This worked in my university city, London, my home town and the two surrounding towns. The only trouble I had was online discounts, but if you sign up to Unidays, you get a code for each shop and it works the same.

rageagainstessays

Fluff15 wrote: »

I never used a NUS card during university and only my student ID. This worked in my university city, London, my home town and the two surrounding towns. The only trouble I had was online discounts, but if you sign up to Unidays, you get a code for each shop and it works the same.

The University where I'm going (hopefully) is very well known so I'm hoping that It'll work like this

Noctu

A lot of my local shops won't accept Uni student cards though - I'm at Durham (very well known!) and they still won't, they want NUS or nothing. Showcase Cinemas the first example that comes to mind.