Being a college student can cost a huge amount of money. But the years you spend in college are also the best years of your life for discounts. Extreme couponing has nothing on the power of flashing your student ID to receive exclusive discounts reserved just for Cal Poly students.
We’ve compiled some of the best price cuts that you have access to as a student. All you have to do is show your student ID or use your calpoly.edu email address to receive discounts of up to 50 percent off on products and services ranging from apparel to shipping.
1. Entertainment
Keep up with the news and binge on your favorite shows using your Cal Poly email address. Students living on campus get free access to HBO GO by signing up online using their email. There, you can watch hit HBO shows including “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld” from the comfort of your dorm room.
Additionally, get access to a library of thousands of shows and movies as well as two-day shipping with Amazon Prime. After six months free, you get 50 percent off the regular $99 per year subscription cost. This makes renting textbooks fast and easy along with even more Prime member-only discounts on Amazon products.
Finally, get your newspaper and magazine fix for less. Many publications, including The New York Times (online for $1/week) and The Wall Street Journal (up to 84 percent off regular rates), give college students big discounts.
2. Music Services
Don’t pay full price for the most popular music services. Rock out to Apple Music and Spotify — both only $4.99 a month for all students after a three-month free trial.
3. Retail
Keep up with the latest trends for less with your student ID. From Banana Republic and J.Crew (both 15 percent off in-store) to American Apparel (20 percent off), there is no shortage of retail sites and stores offering discounts to students. Make sure to ask if your particular store location offers the discount for students.
4. Shipping
Cal Poly students rely on package deliveries for everything from textbook rentals to groceries. Save big with FedEx including 30 percent on FedEx envelope/package and 20 percent on packages with FedEx IP service using your student ID card. Simply drop off your shipment and show your Cal Poly ID.
5. Travel
Save 15 percent on Amtrak tickets while traveling home for a long weekend or heading cross-country. Book online by selecting “Student” in the discount section and have your Cal Poly ID ready when the conductor comes around.
6. Technology
Easily make your presentations and reports with Word, PowerPoint and Excel. As a Cal Poly student, you have access to Microsoft Office for free. Go to your portal and click on the OneDrive tab to download it. For department-specific software, see the Cal Poly IT Support site for a full listing of software complimentary to students.
Many of the top tech companies also have student discounts. Apple will give college students up to $200 off a new Mac and the Microsoft Store deducts 10 percent from your entire purchase with a valid school email address.
7. Mobile
As a student of Cal Poly, you can cut down your mobile phone bill. With AT&T, students get 10 percent off qualified wireless plans and services in addition to waived activation fees.
Verizon also gives students 15 percent off eligible plans and features along with discounts on phones and accessories.