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The best student discounts, deals and shopping hacks for 2024

Heading to uni? Get organised with all the best student discounts and deals and life hacks you need to know at Ealing Broadway.

Whether it’s the best places for two-for-one cocktails, mochi and room-filling plants; deals for students on travel, fashion, beauty and the essential loyalty cards and student discount schemes, here’s everything you need to know for the new term.

The student essentials

First thing’s first: sign up for the TOTUM card and app from the NUS which will give you discounts at Ealing Broadway’s stores including Accessorize, H&M, Primark, Clarks, Decathlon, Foot Locker, Vision Express, JD Sports, Marks & Spencer, Pandora, River Island, Waterstones and more (see the full list here)…

Once you have that – make sure you keep checking our student offers page for the latest deals, menus and discounts.

Download the UNiDAYS and Student Beans apps to get even more brilliant discounts. There are lots of offers to be had when setting up bank accounts and phones too – Monzo do amazing cashback offers; Natwest offers a four-year Tastecard while Santander covers your railcard.

But, be mindful of hidden fees and overdraft interest… Money Saving Expert has a great guide here.

Unmissable food and drink student discounts

Flex your student discounts at itsu (15% off), Comptoir Libanais (10% off), wagamama and wasabi (10% off the entire menu).

Check the websites for the latest offers and details that apply – deals change all the time with special finds for students popping up all year round so keep checking our offers page.

Image provided by Comptoir Libanais

Fashion discounts

If you’re away for the first time, think comfort. A stylish-and-very-practical winter coat, waterproof trainers or boots, a comfy onesie you can climb into after a long day and a cosy beanie will get you through the first term without a case of freshers’ flu (hopefully).

With UNiDAYS and Student Beans, you can get discounts at Ealing Broadway stores including Accessorize, H&M, River Island, Pandora, Clarks, Decathlon, Foot Locker, Vision Express, JD Sports, Marks & Spencer and more.

Image provided by River Island

Student beauty offers to know

You know your self-care routine so let’s get to the important bit: your student beauty discounts. Sign up for Boots, Holland & Barrett and Superdrug loyalty cards for discounted prices and vouchers.

Essential tech for students

Tech wise you really need the following: a laptop, phone, chargers, an extension cable, headphones for noisy halls, a portable hard drive and, possibly, an ethernet cable so you can connect directly to the router. A lamp and Bluetooth speaker can be handy too.

See the latest offers from Vodafone, Three, O2 and EE & BT; Robert Dyas is great for student essentials and offers 10% off too.

Going out together

Keep an eye on special student nights, workouts and offers…

• Live music, cult classics, repair cafes and a £6 student night every Thursday including a free drink and 30% off any other food and drink – the Ealing Project is a must-know destination.
• Nuffield Health are offering a special student rate: £62 month instead of £75 to keep your workout endorphins flowing.
• Head to Castano Lounge for Cheeky Mondays (free wine or pudding with mains); Tapas Tuesdays – three plates and a glass of wine for £13.75 – and two cocktails for £12.75 every Tuesday. They also do amazing lunchtime specials.
• For mochi, bubble tea and sweet treats together, head to MochiKori, Lola’s Cupcakes, Leonidas, Heriots Patisserie, Bubble Magik and Benji’s Buns.
• Enjoy rum, reggae and jerk menus at Turtle Bay – their Happy Hour means two-for-one cocktails every day with special student deals on their app.

Stationery and books student discounts

If you’re away for the first time, you’ll need a host of documents (offer letter, accommodation details, valid ID etc) so keep them safe and locked up in a handy folder that has everything you need when you need it.

Useful tip: make a list of useful phone numbers/bank account details/emergency contacts in a small notebook in case you lose your phone.

Invest in pens, notebook, academic diary, highlighters, Post-its and a noticeboard so you can meet deadlines and make notes without any stress. Head to Waterstones and WHSmith with your student discount and check out Flying Tiger Copenhagen and Miniso. For relaxed study spaces, computers and printing, head to Ealing Central Library.

Interiors hacks for your room

The most useful things you can take to uni (outside of plates, glasses, bowls, cutlery, pan and a baking tray) are:

• A laundry bin (great for storage and moving around)
• An over-the-door coat hook (you can never have too many hooks)
• Collapsible storage for under the bed and on shelves
• A kettle so you can make tea and coffee in your room
• A bathroom caddy to keep all your stuff in
• A cheering rug and duvet set can make all the difference
• A decent mirror
• Some wellbeing-boosting plants

Be inspired at Greenka, Miniso, Primark and Flying Tiger Copenhagen (make your own cushion covers with a sewing machine from the Library Of Things).

Other bits and pieces

Plasters, scissors, tweezers, daily Vitamin C, bin bags, bottle and tin openers and kitchen roll. These are the everyday things you’ll be so grateful you remembered. Pick up everything you need at Boots, Tesco (get the Clubcard app for special deals) and Poundland.

Travel

Always check for student discounts on buses and trains (it’s definitely worth getting the 16-25 railcard) and split any taxi rides via an app.

Stay in the know

Make sure you know about the latest student events, deals and offers. Sign up to our newsletter here.

*All details correct as of July 2024

Last updated Wednesday 2 October, 2024