Chloe Chidester
In Motion Staff Writer
College students are always looking for ways to save money. As part of the population stuck between high school and career, the flow of money into their pockets is notoriously slight. Luckily, businesses seem to have collectively decided that they should help college students out a little bit.
The Daytona Beach Paragon Ocean Walk Theater lets college students pay only $6 for a movie ticket, not including any special fees for 3-D movies or movies in their Fandango 50’ Extreme Theater. This is a 40 percent discount off of their normal evening adult price of $10 for general seating. For a college student that discount means four extra dollars in their pocket at the end of the night.
Ocean Walk manager Jan Ziph says that the theater gets a lot of local students as customers.
“It really depends on the movie, but yes. We got a lot of students for the Martin Luther King movie (“Selma”) that came out, but it just depends on what appeals to college students,” Ziph explains.
“Students come in all the time with their I.D. cards to get the discount, it’s a very popular program.”
DSC Culinary Student Bria Culpepper says, “I go to the movies with my student discount all the time. I used to just go on Tuesdays when movies were all $5, but now that they’re $6, I can go anytime I want for the same price.”
The caveat to this discount, however, is that tickets can only be bought in person at the ticket stand with a college I.D. Students will not receive a discount if they order tickets online.
While discounts on movie tickets mean a nice outing after a long day at school, more companies offer special educational pricing on items that college students really need.
Apple has its own Apple Store for Education where students get a reduced price on all of the computers, iPads and iPhones they have to offer. The items are still priced from $849 to $1,299, but when compared to the retail prices of $899 to $2,499, the education discount saves students a $50 to $1,200 in the long run.
“I go to the movies with my student discount all the time. I used to just go on Tuesdays when movies were all $5, but now that they’re $6, I can go anytime I want for the same price.”
-Bria Culpepper
And Apple is not the only store that offers students enticing deals on things they might require for school. Microsoft also has great deals for students seeking Microsoft Office products.
Microsoft offers students a 10 percent discount on computers, accessories and tablets. They also offer special pricing on software products. Office 365 University costs only $79.99 for a 4-year subscription for two computers plus two phones and includes Skype, one terabyte of storage on OneDrive, and the full set of the most recent version of Office products like Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and all other essentials students need. When purchasing regular Microsoft products, the cheapest alternative to University is Microsoft 365 Home, which is $89.99 per year with the same features.
Students not only enjoy a discount on the necessary, but also on the fun. Many airlines offer a travel discount to students and websites like STA Travel and Student Universe make it easy to find the best deals for specifically for students who can verify their college enrollment.
Students can also purchase an International Student Identity Card to provide them with student discounts in over 120 countries. These cards are a security blanket for students travelling outside their home country, as they provide not only discounts on travel, restaurants, tours and events, but also include insurance coverage so students are not stranded in a foreign country with no medical help. These cards cost as little as $25 for basic insurance coverage up to $199 for a comprehensive insurance package.
Students looking to save a few bucks on essentials for school can rest easy knowing that big companies understand their needs. All students need to do is ask.