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Is it worth getting a NUS extra card when you have a student card??

Hey, im going to uni in october, and dont know whether its worth it to get a NUS extra card for £11 when im going to have a student card soon . Does the student card give you the same discounts?

Reply 1

Norfolkadam

Look at where the discounts are for. Will you use the discounts? If so do you think that you'll cover the £11 cost.

If the answer is yes to that get one.
If the answer is no, don't.

You really needed to make a thread about this?

Reply 2

theronkinator

I never bothered and still got a discount everywhere.

Reply 3

member433252

I was wondering the same thing. Some student ids have the nus logo on the bakc so double up as both right ? But can you get the same discounts without the nus logo ?

Reply 4

Fuzzpig

I am this year. Places like cinemas will almost definitely accept your university ID, but places like Superdrug and some other highstreet stores require the NUS card.

Reply 5

elliegurl297

Okay thanks might get one then if thats the case

Reply 6

wootwootwoot

a lot of uni cards are also NUS cards, and even have the NUS logo on them. I would check before you bother buying another one.

Reply 7

Norfolkadam

Wow. Really.

There is a difference between an NUS Extra card and a University ID card with NUS branding.

You only need to spend the extra money to get these discounts. All other 'standard' student discounts that are not exclusively NUS Extra discounts will not require an NUS Extra card or even an NUS endorsed student ID card.

A lot of the NUS Extra discounts aren't what they seem. For example, McDonalds in student towns usually have a Student Discount offer without the need for an NUS Extra card, the Graze 'free box' offer doesn't need an NUS Extra card or any kind of student ID, Dominos offer much better deals on leaflets that are handed out at Fresher's without the need for any ID, Pizza Hut offers student discount without the need for an NUS Extra card, the Apple Store discount is a universal student one without the need to pay extra for an NUS Extra card.

It's basically an enormous scam run by the NUS to confuse students into spending £11 on something that they didn't need. The few exclusive discounts are ok if you're going to use them but you have to work out which are genuine discounts and which are fake.

Reply 8

FynnAB

I think the 5% amazon discount will make the card worth it for me.

Reply 9

Fuzzpig

Norfolkadam

I'd disagree, in both my uni city and my home town and even out-of-town shopping complexes like Blue Water, almost all high street stores are very good at only allowing the NUS extra.

For something like Superdrug which you may use a lot, and clothes stores, it really is worth getting the NUS extra as they will simply never allow anything other than that card. Unless you get a confused checkout assistant.

Yes your local cinema and McDonalds will let you off with something that says 'student' on it, but for the vast majority of cases that won't happen. As for things like Dominos, it's usually cheaper just to use their own online or instore offers.

Reply 10

Norfolkadam

aliluvschoc

If it is advertised as "Student Discount" then they have to accept any student ID and if they don't then ask to see the manager and make a formal complaint.

If it is a special NUS Extra discount (of which, I will admit, there are a few) then you have to have the £11 NUS Extra card.

Reply 11

Adam92

FynnAB

I think the 5% amazon discount will make the card worth it for me.

Same!

Reply 12

moneyballs2

FynnAB

I think the 5% amazon discount will make the card worth it for me.

Yes, this is what makes it worth it for me, over the course of the year I most likely save £11 on Amazon and with out of the exclusive ones.

For example I save 7p in Superdrug a couple of weeks ago! And £2 in a coffee shop that only took UCL or NUS! Woo.

Reply 13

clarehistory101

the only place i've had to have an NUS extra card to get discount is Superdrug... Topshop and New Look accept university/college cards, so do cinemas and most other places

Reply 14

medusacascade-crow

I have never been refused student discount with my normal University ID card OTHER than Superdrug...which seems to be what a lot of people are saying. It honestly doesn't seem worth the bother.

Reply 15

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper

Norfolkadam

I agree

Reply 16

bananacake14

You need a NUS card for superdrug, republic and la senza. I didn't bother getting one the past 2 years but I think I will this year, I'd would have saved more than a tenner. It's up to you, will you save more than £11 if you get the card?

Reply 17

popodomz

I got one free with my bank (lloyds tsb), and i'll probably save a a little bit using the amazon discount!

Reply 18

Zack

Standard student cards act as NUS cards (well if your uni is NUS affiliated or whatever, but most are). If shops won't recognise that point out the logo to them on the back normally.... most places are fine as soon as they see a student card to be fair.

Some places (McDonalds) do a different discount depending on if it's NUS (/standard student ID) or NUS Extra... I've used NUS extra once, but you get free chips/mcflurey/(can't remember the 3rd option) with a standard NUS, so I just use that.... Some places will not give a student discount whether it's NUS extra or a normal card, so I wouldn't get it for that reason either... I used it another time for a 10% Amazon discount, but I didn't realise you could only do it once so I did it on any old shop and only saved something stupid like a quid! That and McDonalds are the only time I used it in a year.

I got an email about the NUS Extra auto-renewing the other week and cancelled it, I'm not paying for another one that I won't use!