Budgeting Tips for Students in London
London is a busy and modern city full of opportunities and fun activities for students to explore.
However, it can be expensive, especially with the rising cost of living.
If you are university student studying in London – here are some budgeting tips and tricks that you may not know that will save you loads of money!
Coffee subscriptions
If you are a caffeine addict and cannot live one day without an iced latte – invest in a subscription!
You may be aware that Pret has stopped their OG subscription that provided 5 free drinks per day for £30, however their new subscription still remains affordable in comparison to buying a full priced coffee everyday!
For £5 a month, Club Pret allows you to get any hot or iced Barista-made drink half price, up to five times a day. Assuming you get one coffee per day, this subscription will save you £52 per month on coffee in comparison to if you paid a full priced coffee everyday!
If you already previously had the Pret subscription but cancelled after they announced their new plan, and miss the 5 free drinks per day – we have good news!
LEON does a coffee subscription called Roast Rewards where similar to Pret’s old version, you can unlock up to five free barista-made drinks a day for £25 a month!
You also will get 20% discount off breakfast and all-day food menus (excluding meal deals).
So technically free coffee and cheaper food means that you’re actually earning money with this subscription - if you follow girl math.
Discounted Travel Cards
Taking the tube everyday to get to your campus and lectures will add up to expensive travel costs, if you pay the regular fare.
Make good use of your student status and follow these hacks to get discounted tube fairs for your commute!
Connecting your Railcard to your Oyster card
If you often travel within the UK and own a railcard, you can link your railcard to your Oyster card to get 1/3 discount on off-peak pay as you go travel.
All you have to do is register your Oyster card online via the TFL website, and once done you can go to any tube station and ask a TFL staff member to link your Railcard to your Oyster.
You also can earn this discount on top of your 18+ Student Oyster photocard (see next paragraph).
Student Oyster Card
If you are 18 or over, are a student and living in a London Borough, you can get discounted travel with a Oyster photocard.
With this Student Oyster Photocard you can get 30% off on adult-rate Travel Cards and Bus and Tram Pass Season Tickets.
You also can connect your railcard to this student oyster card to additionally get 1/3 discount on pay as you go off-peak fares.
Student discount websites
If you want to browse through other student deals across the UK, websites such as StudentBeans and UNiDAYS collate all of them in one place.
Following these three tips will allow you to fulfil your coffee cravings, travels across London and shopping - under student-friendly prices!
Looking to save on student storage this summer? Check out Lovespace.