September brings Fresher’s week and exciting new moves for many individuals joining a new University, college or returning for further years.
But perhaps you are studying in a new town or city and want to know how you can enjoy the area, find local events and grab a bargain along the way!
Moving to a new place can be daunting, especially trying to navigate your new home and find new networks of people, so here are the top five ways to help you settle in:
1. Follow ‘Student Beans’ to find new exciting discounts
Student Beans offers student discounts and deals online. You can also download their app to get the latest discounts directly to your phone – The app gives you a free student iD card on your smartphone to use in-store!
Student Beans is available across the UK and has exclusive discounts in your favourite stores including Boohoo, Samsung and Amazon. You can filter their website to shop more efficiently, selecting whether you would like to shop for fashion, study & stationary, gifts & gadgets, finance and more!
Find out more here: https://www.studentbeans.com/uk
2. Use the LoyalFree app to bag a bargain and explore the area
The LoyalFree app is available in 15 UK towns and cities. The app pulls together local deals and exclusive discounts for you to enjoy around your new city. This could be on high street food and drink, travel or fashion stores, but also includes discounts at local independent shops based on your location.
The app also features digital trails, which are really useful to explore your new home, in addition to a ‘Local Guide’ listing the top attractions in the area. Popular trails include Cocktails, Independent Stores, Dog Friendly and Entertainment!
The best part? The app is completely free to download, hosts regular flash competitions and Student specific promotions.
You can download LoyalFree here: https://www.loyalfree.co.uk/download
3. Read UNiDAYS’ Fresher’s guide
UNiDAYS offer free discounts for sixth form, college and university students. Discounts include everything from ‘tonight’s outfit to food comas to (finally) getting fitter’, with deals including ASOS, Nike and Apple.
UNiDAYS write Fresher’s guides on their site such as ‘Dealing with change’, ‘Managing your money’ and ‘Finding your tribe’ – free tips to help you settle in and embrace your independence!
You can use their website or download their app to find your deals, as well as ‘meet the team’, finding out more about the staff who create the blogs and video content based on their own experiences.
You can see their Fresher’s promotions and guide here: https://www.myunidays.com/GB/en-GB/list/freshers
4. Get a TOTUM card
The TOTUM card is a student discount card which provides more than your Student ID – it unlocks special discounts for stores across the world.
TOTUM is perfect for international students as it is the only internationally accepted card with a free ISIC status which can be used in over 130 countries. TOTUM cards are also perfect for students of all ages – providing PASS accredited proof of age ID to prove that you’re over the age of 18, or if you’re 16 or 17 you can prove you’re under 18 and save on public transport.
TOTUM is approved by the National Union of Students (NUS) who aim to help student’s money go further.
To find out how to buy your TOTUM card, click here: https://www.totum.com/about
5. Keep an eye on Skiddle for tickets to the best upcoming events
Skiddle is an events guide for live music gigs, clubs, exhibitions, sports, arts, theatre and festivals. Skiddle features thousands of events from around the UK (and some abroad too!), making it easy to find the perfect event for you.
You can filter their website to find events in your local area or favourite cities when you want to go, as well as buy tickets directly from their website.
It is also free to upload your own event and sell tickets through their site – something to keep in mind for the future!
Find events with Skiddle here: https://www.skiddle.com/
About the Author
Sophie Hainsworth is co-founder of LoyalFree, a multi-award winning innovative mobile phone app which helps connect people to special offers in their area. The app combines this with local digital loyalty schemes, tourism information, tours & trails and events. Users benefit by using one app across the UK – so they can tap into the local area wherever they are.