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Hefty school fees, expensive textbooks, adult transport fares — you name it. At this point, I think we can all agree that being a university student comes at a rather high cost (literally). On the bright side though, we still get to save some money by using student discounts and deals! Since university will most likely be the final chapter of the educational journey for many of us here, what better time than now to enjoy and take advantage of them?
With that being said, here are some student perks ranging from retail and dining discounts to exclusive prices on travel and attractions so that you can spend on what you want and need without worrying about breaking the bank. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All student discounts and deals included in this article are valid at the time of writing. Still, do ensure to do your due diligence in checking the mentioned brands’ websites for the most updated information.
1. Travel
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Want to travel or study abroad for less? Our very own flag carrier, Singapore Airlines, has got your back with their Student Privileges!
On top of saving 10% off your usual fare, you also need not worry about overpacking or bringing too many souvenirs back home because you get to check in up to an additional 15kg of baggage depending on the fare types (Lite, Value, Standard, or Flexi) you have selected in Economy Class or Premium Economy Class. If you face last-minute changes in your plans, Singapore Airlines also waives your first booking change, which usually comes at an extra cost. What a steal right?
Thankfully, the process of enjoying and booking student fares on Singapore Airlines is not too complicated! All you have to do is:
That’s it, and it’s time to count down to the day you fly off! Other airlines that also offer student fares include Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Lufthansa. If you wish to find out more about what they have to offer, click on the respective airlines to read the full terms and conditions on their website.
2. Attractions
ArtScience Museum
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Looking for an artsy and immersive indoor activity to do on your next date or outing? Consider visiting the ArtScience Museum for their top-notch interactive exhibits and experiential installations! With the exception of ‘Future World: Where Art Meets Science’ being the museum’s only permanent exhibition, their exhibitions change once every few months, so repeat visitors will never experience the same thing twice.
Since the ArtScience Museum is also not your typical museum, their tickets can come across as being rather pricey as compared to other museums with free admission. This is where we students get to save some money again because the ArtScience Museum has concession tickets for both local and overseas students! To enjoy this perk, simply bring your student card for verification when you purchase your tickets in-person or online here.
Gardens by the Bay
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Keen to explore the greener side of Singapore? Then, you might as well also take this chance to get up close to the gigantic supertrees and iconic cascading waterfall at Gardens by the Bay! If you are a student who is planning to do just that, even better news for you because they offer two types of discounted 1-year, all-day membership plans for students:
Flower Dome + Cloud Forest + OCBC Skyway: $26 (U.P. $34)
Flower Dome Only: $15 (U.P. $22)
As a Friends of the Gardens member, you will get to enjoy unlimited visits to these attractions along with birthday privileges as well as exclusive retail and F&B discounts! Considering that a one-day admission ticket to Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, and OCBC Skyway already costs $30 combined and entry to Flower Dome alone costs $12, both membership plans will be more worth it if you go there multiple times. So, if you wish to visit Gardens by the Bay more often and get your money’s worth, signing up for their membership here would be the way to go.
3. Retail
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Home-grown fashion brands under the CHARLES & KEITH (C&K) Group, specifically C&K and PEDRO, offer a 10% discount for regular-priced items in-store and online!
Simply follow the steps below to enjoy this perk:
Find and select ‘National University of Singapore (NUS)’ from the drop-down list
Fill in your personal details to create your student account
An exclusive promo code for online use will be sent to your registered email address at the point of sign-up
And you are done! For in-store purchases, you can simply flash your student card at any of their outlets to use the 10% discount. The steps to creating a student account are the same for both C&K and PEDRO, and enjoying the 10% discount is as easy as it can get.
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Also, in case you do not already know, UNiDAYS is another platform you can look at to gain free, instant access to a wide variety of retail discounts exclusively for students, ranging from electronics to streaming media services and more! All you need to do is head on to their website or download their app to verify your student status, and you instantly get to save more while spending less.
4. Dining
Bubble Tea
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Craving for bubble tea but don't want to spend too much at the same time? Look no further than AtTea's all-day $2.50 bubble tea for students on weekdays, which also comes with any one topping of your choice! Founded by popular Taiwanese artiste Jam Hsiao, AtTea is a specialty tea chain that offers classic and unique bubble tea flavours like the Sugarcane Flavour Black Tea Au Lait.
While you can order most medium-sized drinks from their menu, some bubble tea flavours like those in the Jam’s Style Tea Latte Series are not included in this deal. Of course, with bubble tea being so well-loved by Singaporeans of all ages, AtTea is just one of the many chains to offer such deals to students! Alongside Bober Tea and Sharetea, Gong Cha also has two ongoing student promotions, which include free upsize offers and $1.90 pearl milk tea. Now, you can feel less guilty by treating yourself to refreshing, discounted bubble tea!
Paradise Hotpot
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Love eating hotpot? In that case, rejoice because Paradise Hotpot offers an 80-minute all-you-can-eat buffet with individual hotpot sets throughout different times of the day! The buffet consists of the value and premium sets starting at $18.90++ and $24.90++ respectively. Here, you can choose from 8 different soup bases as well as indulge yourselves in a scrumptious spread of hotpot ingredients and cooked food. And the best part? It all comes with free-flow homemade drinks, condiments, snacks, and ice cream for you to eat to your heart’s content!
Not to mention, your student card entitles you to an additional $3 discount on their all-you-can-eat buffet during the weekdays from 11.30am to 4.30pm! Personally, the only notable con would be that Paradise Hotpot’s only outlet is located at Compass One, so it can be a hassle for those living in the west and north to travel all the way to Sengkang for their buffet. Even so, for the great value they offer, you should still consider checking them out if you are nearby!
5. Entertainment
Karaoke
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Surely many of us have had the experience of singing karaoke with our loved ones at Teo Heng before it shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and re-opened again in 2022. It was undeniably the most affordable and accessible KTV for students back then, but price and value-wise, HaveFun Karaoke is now a strong contender that can possibly beat them in these aspects.
Truthfully, I have never heard of HaveFun Karaoke until I wrote this article and found out that they have a daily student promotion (with free flow soft drinks too!) on top of their happy hour rates, whereas Teo Heng only has the latter. Besides, they also have spacious and themed rooms that elevate your karaoke experience. Due to these reasons, HaveFun seems to be widely raved about by other students who have gone there on social media!
For those of you who are curious, here is a gist of how their student promo works:
Outlets | Weekday: $10 Nett/Pax | Weekend: $12 Nett/Pax |
SAFRA Toa Payoh | Mon - Thu (Before 7pm) Fri (Before 5.30pm) | Sat & Sun (Before 5.30pm) |
SAFRA Yishun | Mon - Thu (Before 7pm) Fri (Before 5.30pm) | Sat & Sun (Before 5.30pm) |
Lucky Chinatown | Mon - Fri (Before 5.30pm) | Sat & Sun (Before 5.30pm) |
*Thomson Plaza | Mon - Fri (Before 5.30pm) | Sat & Sun (Before 5.30pm) |
*Only 1 soft drink per student
Before proceeding to make your way down, do note that you will need a minimum of 3 people in a room, make a reservation ahead by calling any of the above outlets, and most importantly, bring your student card along for verification purposes to enjoy this exclusive rate.
Movies
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Watching movies at the cinema is undeniably one of the most popular after-school activities among students because of how chill, affordable, and easily accessible it is. Thanks to our student cards, watching movies is more affordable than ever!
If you are looking to see which cinemas in Singapore offer the most value-for-money student movie tickets, here is a simplified guide for your comparison:
Cinema | Lowest Price | Validity |
$6 $7 | Tuesday (Before 6pm) Monday, Wednesday - Friday (Before 6pm) | |
$7 | Monday - Friday (Before 6pm) | |
$7 | Monday - Friday (Before 6pm) | |
$7 | Monday - Friday (Before 6pm) | |
$7 | Monday - Friday (Before 6pm) | |
2D: $7 2D Atmos: $9 | Monday - Wednesday (All Day) Thursday - Friday (Before 6pm) |
*Also offers a $10 bundle deal including 2D movie ticket + 1 small popcorn + 1 small drink
Some things to know beforehand are that the above only includes prices for movie tickets and cannot be used on the eve of public holidays and public holidays that fall on weekdays.
Well, there are definitely a lot more of such discounts and deals available here in Singapore. Nonetheless, I hope that sharing these student perks helps you save money to some extent. A little goes a long way once we become working adults, so let’s go and take advantage of these student perks while we still can!