Money Moral Dilemma: Should I continue using my student card?

YORKSHIRE_GUY

I say use it for as long as you can.

jmwillow

Definitely use it for as long as it is valid.

dodgymix

Seriously... talk about "1st world problems"


the retailers getting a sale they are happy to offer a discount on.. who cares

happyinflorida

Of course you can still use it - don't you have to pay to get one of these? So you are therefore entitled to get discounts.

I'm surprised you are even asking this!

markow83

cheesetoast have you been able to renew your NUS card using the Endsleigh deal as I cant get it renew mine this year?

crmism

It isn't only wrong to continue using it - it's dishonest.

Now that you've entered the real world, ie work, you need to shrug off an attitude that might have been acceptable as a student, but isn't any longer. The world doesn't owe you anything. You should strive to do to others what you would expect of them.:mad:

warehouse

crmism wrote: »

It isn't only wrong to continue using it - it's dishonest.

Now that you've entered the real world, ie work, you need to shrug off an attitude that might have been acceptable as a student, but isn't any longer. The world doesn't owe you anything. You should strive to do to others what you would expect of them.:mad:

How honest is it to force students to leave uni with a £50K+ debt?

LKAY

Of course you should keep using it. You have to pay (£12 annual) to join NUS and obtain the NUS card, so you have paid for the privilege of using it for the full duration until it expires.
You legitimately obtained it (whilst a student) and paid for it, so no need to feel guilty about using it now.

As someone else already pointed out, some Alumni and University staff can be entitled to apply for an NUS card, despite not being students. This is through an agreement with their Students’ Union and the NUS. I speak from experience as a University staff member who has had an NUS card for the last 7 years.

If you have paid for it and it hasn’t expired then carry on getting those discounts whilst you can…. GUILT FREE.

koru

One factor to consider is whether the company would object if they knew you were not a student. If not, then it can't be immoral.

Most companies don't offer discounts to students because they want to be nice. They offer discounts because it is the best way to maximise their earnings from certain people who are likely to be poor.

Companies set their prices to get the optimal balance between profit per sale made and the volume of sales they make. If prices are lower, punters tend to buy more, so they can potentially boost their overall profits by reducing the price. But if they drop the price too much, the extra sales might not be enough to compensate.

This is made more difficult because the optimal price will be different for people who are rich and poor. A rich person will often be willing to pay more than a poor person, so if they set a price to entice a poor person to buy, they will be losing profit on their sales to richer people. So, it would make sense for companies to set lower prices for poor people, if they could.

Trouble is, you can't really have two price lists on the wall, one for poor people and one for rich. Everyone would get huffy. But what you can do is offer discounts to some people who tend to be poor, such as students.

So, although it is labelled a student discount, it was offered because they think that if they charged the full price you wouldn't buy. If your job doesnt pay well and you are still too poor to afford full price, I don't think many companies would mind you claiming the discount, because they prefer to make a sale at a lower profit than no profit at all. But if you are earning well, and would buy even without the discount, the company would probably object if they knew you are not a student.

Gadgetmaster

The way I see this is that the discount is for NUS cardholders, not for students. If it were a student only discount, then surely all you would need to do is prove that you are a student without needing to pay for an NUS card.

Ergo, if the discount is for holding a NUS card, and you have a valid and paid for (or gifted) card, then use it without guilt. you are entitled to do so, and the retailer is potentially gaining business, and profit, from you, which you would potentially otherwise give to a competitor.