Saving Money
How can I get student discounts?
Student discounts are widely available. Lots of businesses and organizations want to attract students to them, and will offer discounts because they're aware that students don't always have a lot of money. One of the principal means of getting a discount is buying an NUS extra card, which costs 10 pounds and you can get from your students' union or you can order from www.nusextra.co.uk, and that gives you lots of discounts that you can't get otherwise, in places like Topshop, Topman, and lots of other retail outlets, restaurants, and so on. It's always good as well, even if you're not sure if a place takes a student discount, to ask for one, and you don't know what will happen.
How can I find out what discounts are available?
Student discounts will often be advertised on the front entrance to shops or on websites. If you have an NUS Extra Card the web site will list all of the outlets, businesses and so on that offer student discounts and how much those student discounts are. So you can look on the NUS Extra web site for student discounts. Otherwise, sometimes it pays just to ask at the checkout if a student discount is offered. Sometimes they are but the shop doesn't advertise the student discounts.
When am I eligible for free health services?
Students, as a general rule, aren't entitled to free health services as a right, but it will depend on where you are and what your circumstances are as to whether you do get free health services. In Wales, for example, if you're under 25, you get free prescriptions. In other areas, you might get free or paid dental charges, paid charges. If you have certain medical conditions, if you've recently had a baby or you're pregnant, there's complications on what sort of benefit you want and what your circumstances are. Full-time students, once they're 19 or over, don't automatically get free health care and their services paid for, but you can apply the NHS "low-income" scheme which, assuming your income is low enough, will give you either partial or full remission on those charges so you won't have to pay the full amount, and most students will qualify for at least some help, so you should apply for that if you think you're eligible.
How do I apply for cheaper health services?
With regards to saving money, you can apply for cheaper health charges. The ways to apply for cheaper health services will depend partly on under what conditions you are applying on. In other words, if you're applying because you're pregnant or you've recently had a child there's one form, but if you're applying because you have a low income there's another form. So the important thing to do is to speak to the health professional that you are dealing with about how you can apply for those cheaper health charges to save you money and they'll give you forms or point you in the right direction. For most students, that would be through the low income scheme and so therefore you should apply using that form to save money on health charges, which you can download from the website.
How can I save money on travel?
In relation to saving money, you can save money on travel as a lot of areas will have student discounts on travel. There are new uniform policies, the important thing is to have a look around and find out what in your area is discounted on bus or rail travel. There's the Young Persons Railcard for the under 26, who will get a third off rail travel if they have that Young Persons Railcard uniquely. National Express does, and other such long distance bus companies do student cards or youth cards, and often as in case the Young Persons Railcard a full-time mature student can apply for that card as well. Otherwise it's looking for local schemes and seeing what's available, for example, in London you can get 30% off on travel cards if you are a full-time student.
Can I get discounts on London Transport?
There is a London Transport scheme in place where you can get 5% off London Transport travel cards. You can apply on the Transport for London website, www.tfl.gov.uk. This is available to full-time students.
