Compare UNiDAYS, Student Beans and TOTUM, and how to combine student discounts with cashback for more savings.
Best Student Discount Apps
Compare UNiDAYS, Student Beans and TOTUM, and how to combine student discounts with cashback for more savings.
By Scrimpr
Updated 25 Apr 2026
Students can save around 10% on most things they buy, online and in shops, using three UK discount platforms: UNiDAYS, Student Beans and TOTUM. I use all three. UNiDAYS and Student Beans are free. TOTUM has a paid tier you can skip. Add cashback at the checkout and you save even more.
The Three Student Discount Platforms
All three work the same way: verify you’re a student (usually with your university email), then either grab discount codes to use at online checkout or show an in-app student card in physical shops. What actually differs is which brands each one partners with — and there’s less overlap than you’d think, which is why most heavy users end up on all three.
UNiDAYS
Get £2 Starbucks every Tuesday, 20% off Nike, 25% off M&S Food to Go.
UNiDAYS covers most of the major UK high street and online retailers. Sign up with your student email (anything ending in `.ac.uk`) and you’re verified for around a year before you need to re-confirm you’re still studying. The app gives you both online discount codes and an in-app student card the cashier can scan in shops.
Example brands: Fashion (ASOS, Nike, Adidas, New Look, Levi’s, Sports Direct, Schuh, Dr Martens, UGG, Pandora), beauty (Sephora, Cult Beauty, Boots, MAC Cosmetics, Charlotte Tilbury, Rituals, Holland & Barrett), food and drink (Starbucks, M&S Food, Black Sheep Coffee, Boost Juice Bars, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Domino’s, Krispy Kreme), tech (Apple Store, Currys, Samsung, Dell, Sony, Three, Sky Mobile, Prime Video, Apple Music).
How I use UNiDAYS: M&S Food to Go is the standout — 25% off a meal deal feels like cheating. The £2 Starbucks Tuesday deal is the easiest weekly win. I also check it before clothes shopping at Adidas, Nike, or ASOS.
Worth knowing: When you graduate, you can keep your UNiDAYS access through their Gradlife alumni programme — the discounts shift toward grad-specific brands but a chunk of the regular ones stay.
Student Beans
Get a free Greggs sausage roll, 25% off boohoo, 20% off Odeon, 25% off FlixBus.
Student Beans covers many of the same retailers as UNiDAYS but wins on groceries, takeaways, travel and entertainment. Sign up with your student email — verification is also slightly more flexible than UNiDAYS if your institution doesn’t issue a `.ac.uk` address. The app gives you both online discount codes and an in-app student card the cashier scans in shops.
Example brands: Groceries (Co-op), takeaways (Just Eat, Deliveroo, Domino’s), food (Greggs), travel (FlixBus), fashion (Schuh, boohoo), beauty (Superdrug), mobile (Voxi), and cinema (Odeon).
How I use Student Beans: The free Greggs sausage roll is the easiest weekly win. 25% off boohoo and Schuh for clothes. I check it before any cinema trip (20% off Odeon adds up) and any Deliveroo or Just Eat order over a tenner.
Worth knowing: The same retailer is often on both UNiDAYS and Student Beans at different discount rates — always check both before paying. Sometimes the gap is significant (one might do 10% where the other does 25%).
TOTUM
An option if you can’t verify on UNiDAYS or Student Beans.
TOTUM is the old NUS Extra card under a new name. The free tier picks up some online offers; TOTUM+ at £14.99/year adds a physical card, PASS ID (proof-of-age), TOTUM Cashback, and an ISIC international student card.
UNiDAYS and Student Beans both want a ‘.ac.uk’ student email. That leaves out apprentices, FE college students, mature learners, distance students, and anyone whose institution doesn’t issue one. TOTUM accepts a wider range of evidence, so for those students it’s often the only one of the three they can actually use.
If you can use UNiDAYS and Student Beans, TOTUM doesn’t add anything of value. Most of what’s in the app is generic affiliate offers dressed up as student deals, not actual student-only discounts. TOTUM+ used to be worth the £14.99/year for 10% off at Co-op — that partnership has ended, so now it only makes sense if you need the ISIC card for travel.
How I use TOTUM: I don’t. UNiDAYS and Student Beans are free and are better. I rarely open the TOTUM app.
Worth knowing: TOTUM+ is worth the £14.99/year if you’re going on a year abroad — the ISIC card gets you flight, museum, and transport discounts overseas. For everyone else, the free tier is fine.
Combine Student Discounts With Cashback for Bigger Savings
A student discount reduces the price before you pay. Cashback works the other way round: you pay first, then get a percentage back afterwards. There are several ways to earn cashback — cashback websites, receipt-scanning apps, and cashback debit or credit cards. Thankfully, you can usually combine cashback with a student discount on the same online order — two savings on one purchase. My cashback stacking guide covers the order to apply them and the exceptions to watch for.
Example: 20% off at ASOS via UNiDAYS + 5% cashback via TopCashback = 24% total off the original price (cashback is calculated on the discounted total). That’s the difference between a £20 saving and a £24 saving on a £100 order — an extra £4 for about ten seconds of work.
I’ve used cashback sites for over 15 years, and I’m always looking out for which one offers the best cashback before I buy something — no single app or website has the best rate everywhere. For a comparison of the UK cashback websites and apps, see my best UK cashback websites guide, or jump straight to the cashback comparison tool to see live rates side by side.
Three Steps For Combining Discounts And Cashback
Check both free platforms before buying
Same retailer, different discount. UNiDAYS might have ASOS at 20% this week and Student Beans at 15% — or the other way round. It takes ten seconds to open both apps and the gap between offers is often more than a few quid on anything over £50.
Visit the retailer through your cashback site or app first
Order matters. Copy the discount code from UNiDAYS or Student Beans first, then open your cashback site or app and use the link from there to visit the retailer. Add items to your basket, paste the code at checkout. If you visit the retailer directly and try to claim cashback afterwards, it usually doesn’t track and you lose the cashback. See my cashback tracking troubleshooter if anything goes wrong.
Check the cashback terms before using a discount code
Not every retailer lets you use both. Some cashback sites list “approved” discount codes that are safe to use; others cancel the cashback if any code is applied. The terms are always on the cashback retailer page — a ten-second check before you buy. If the discount is bigger than the cashback, use the discount; if both work together, use both; never guess.
Student Discount FAQs
Which student discount platform is best?
UNiDAYS for mainstream tech and fashion, Student Beans for food delivery, fast fashion, and entertainment. Sign up for both — they’re free and cover different retailers. TOTUM’s free tier is worth adding if UNiDAYS or Student Beans won’t verify you (apprentices, mature students, no `.ac.uk` email); the £14.99 paid tier isn’t worth it for most students now the Co-op discount has ended.
Can I use student discounts online and in-store?
Yes. Online uses codes pasted at checkout. In-store, all three platforms have an in-app student card that you can show at the checkout. TOTUM+ also sends a physical card if you pay for the upgrade.
Can I use cashback alongside a student discount?
Usually yes, and it’s where the bigger savings are. 20% off via UNiDAYS + 5% cashback via a cashback site = 24% total off your order. Get the discount code from UNiDAYS or Student Beans first, then visit the retailer through your cashback site or app, then paste the code at checkout. A minority of retailers void cashback if any code is applied — check the retailer’s terms on your cashback site before buying. See my cashback stacking guide for the full rules.
Do I need a `.ac.uk` student email to sign up?
For UNiDAYS and Student Beans it’s the easiest route, and many institutions only allow it. TOTUM accepts a wider range of evidence — apprenticeship documents, college enrolment letters, NUS membership — so if you don’t have a `.ac.uk` address, TOTUM is usually the only one of the three that will verify you.
Can I share student discount codes with friends?
Against the terms of all three platforms. UNiDAYS and Student Beans issue single-use codes that won’t work twice anyway. TOTUM+ is tied to a named card.
What happens to my student discounts after I graduate?
Officially, access ends at your next re-verification. UNiDAYS has a Gradlife alumni programme that keeps you signed up with a reduced brand list. Student Beans technically lets some grads keep accessing offers but you’ll get blocked at the next re-verification prompt. If you want grad-specific offers deliberately, sign up to a cashback site instead — those don’t expire.
Is TOTUM worth the £14.99 upgrade?
For most students, no. The Co-op grocery discount that used to justify the cost has ended. TOTUM+ still includes PASS ID and ISIC — ISIC is genuinely useful if you’re travelling abroad as a student, PASS ID is redundant if you already have a driving licence or passport. If you’re not travelling and have ID sorted, stick to the free tier.
Why did you remove the discount search tool?
The directory pulled live offers from Student Beans, UNiDAYS and TOTUM, and the data was rarely accurate for more than a few hours. Rather than show you stale offers, I’m pointing you straight to the platforms — they’re the authoritative source for what’s currently live.
