We do a lot of very serious and important work in the postgrad research world… developing medicines, devising new technologies, creating solutions to problems, figuring out how things work, and building a deeper understanding of the world in which we live.
But let’s talk about another very serious and important topic for a moment: DISCOUNTS!
If you’re going to forgo a full-time income to do valuable postgrad research, you absolutely deserve to take advantage of student discounts. So flash that AUT student ID card and score these sweet deals.
Essentials & bills
Most of the major NZ banks offer some form of tertiary banking package. These vary by bank, but typically they include reduced or free transaction fees and account fees. See your bank for details, and be prepared to show evidence of your student status to sign up.
Students can also get little extras on several smartphone plans. With 2degrees, you can get 500MB extra data per month on eligible phone plans. At Spark, it’s a year of 1GB monthly bonus data and free calls to Spark mobiles and landlines. Make sure you enquire with them and sign up to access these deals. Vodafone also offers broadband credit to StudentCard members – see below for more on that.
Entertainment
Cheap movies are the reason to be a student, right? At Event Cinemas, the student prices are usually about $2 cheaper than regular prices. That still makes it $19 for a standard session, though. To amp up the discounts, you can get a Cinebuzz student membership for $10. That’ll make standard 2D sessions only $10 for a year.
For discounts on arthouse and indie movie tickets, you can head to Academy Cinemas (next to the Auckland central library). They offer $9 student tickets before 5pm on weekdays, or $12 in prime time (after 5pm weekdays, weekends, school and public holidays). Plus on Wednesdays their tickets are just $5 all day – no student ID needed for that one!
The Classic Comedy Club offers great student discounts on the door. These vary by show, but can be as generous as 2 students for the price of 1. Grab some student friends and get ready to laugh!
You can also have a cheap day out at Western Springs. MOTAT (the Museum of Transport and Technology) and the Auckland Zoo are right next to each other, and both offer student discounts. Get $10 MOTAT tickets (usually $19), and $19 day passes to the Auckland Zoo (usually $24) for a big day out under $30 total. Bonus: your MOTAT ticket includes a tram ride between the venues.
Tech
Apple and Microsoft both offer their education pricing to tertiary students, so you can save a chunk of change on that new laptop or tablet. Apple is also including some other student perks right now, like free Beats headphones, Apple TV+, and more.
And before you go spending lots on software, remember that AUT students get Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus for free. That means you don’t need to pay for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote or OneDrive for Business. Details here.
Many tech retailers and repairers offer discounts through membership schemes – see below for more on those.
Travel
You may already know that you can get tertiary discounts for most bus, train, and ferry travel in Auckland. First though, you’ll need to apply to load the concession onto your HOP card. Details on how to do that are here, and the team at the Auckland Transport customer service centre on Hikuwai Plaza can help you figure it all out.
If you’re going further afield, STA Travel specializes in flights and travel packages with student discounts. Plus many of the membership schemes below include deals on things like travel insurance and adventure tourism.
Student Discount Memberships
Besides the usual student discounts that you can get with just your student ID card, there are a few membership-based schemes you can join to access more student discounts. These typically charge a small membership fee in exchange for a special card and/or app entitling you to discounts with their retail partners.
StudentCard is the biggest of these membership schemes in NZ. Membership costs $20 for one year, $35 for 2 years, or $45 for 3 years. Once you’re a member, you can flash your StudentCard for discounts at loads of NZ retailers and businesses, including:
- $3 small hot drinks at AUT’s own #newsfeed, KaiFe, Counter, and Refuel cafes
- 10-30% discounts at eateries like Zambrero, Habitual Fix, Revive, Domino’s, and many more
- Broadband credit with Vodafone, wholesale prices at PBTech, and discounted device repairs with many other providers
- Discounts on lots of NZ adventure experiences like zorbing, skydiving, and bungy jumping
- And many more deals… view them all here
UNiDAYS is another membership discount scheme. They offer discounts with Lorna Jane, Hello Fresh, General Pants Co., Adidas, Asos, Sephora, and more. Plus they do limited time deals as well, so there’s often something new to get your hands on. View all their deals here.
Niesh is another local option, with lots of deals at Gong Cha, Boohoo, Holey Moley, Yoyoso, and more.
Share your tips
Do you know of any other great discounts we haven’t listed here? Share them in the comments!
