The power of student card in Poland. Where can you get discounts?
No matter how you look at it, going to university isn’t cheap. If you are looking for ways to save money — there are ones that don’t require you to do anything except being a student. We have gathered the information on the student discounts in Poland. Check it out!
1. Traveling is cheaper
Traveling between different cities is much cheaper for the students in Poland. Students who travel by passenger trains have a discount of 51% for a single ticket and 49% for a monthly ticket. Students traveling by public buses can also benefit from a 49% discount. Public transport passengers with a valid student ID pay exactly half of the fare rate for the ticket.
2. Discount for students at PKP (railway)
When choosing a trip by train, the student can count on a 51% discount.
Plan your trips in advance! Students who purchase a ticket in advance will receive an additional discount as part of the "Super Promo" or "Earlier Cheaper". Students who find the cheapest "Super Promo" ticket for a journey
- from Warsaw to the Tri-City, Kraków, or Katowice will pay only 24 Zloty
- from Warsaw to Wrocław will pay 29 Zloty
- from Warsaw to Jelenia Góra will get the ticket for less than 39 Zloty
After the cheapest tickets have been sold out, students can count on discounts (30, 20 or 10%) as part of the "Earlier Cheaper" offer. In this case, the amount of the discount depends on the moment of purchasing the ticket.
24 Zloty for the Pendolino train trip from Warsaw to Krakow ... what a great offer :)
3. Ryanair student discount (for Erasmus Student Network members)
Students with an ESN card can buy air tickets at Ryanair with a 15% discount and take 15 kg checked-in baggage for free. To take advantage of the discount, you have to register an ESNcard at Ryanair.com.
4. Culture and recreation
By showing your student ID, you will pay less in theaters, museums, and galleries. Discounts rarely reach as high as 50%, but even a small discount will allow students to participate more often in cultural events. Private companies also seem to understand that studying is a hard time for young people`s wallets. Therefore, it is worth asking about student discounts at cinemas (both small and in multiplexes) or at amusement parks.
In some museums, visiting may even turn out to be completely free. For example, in Warsaw you can visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum for free on Sundays, the Zachęta Art Gallery for free on Thursdays, or the permanent exhibitions of the National Museum for free on Tuesdays.
- Cinema City
Cinema City offers quite substantial student discounts. In Krakow prices for students range from 16 Zloty to 18 Zloty (a normal ticket costs around 25 Zloty). In addition, there is a promotion called "Cheaper on Wednesday".
- Multikino
Students can purchase tickets with discounts. The cost of the ticket depends on the price list of a particular cinema.
- Aqua Parks - student discounts
Most of the water parks in Poland offer students cheaper tickets. Although it must be admitted that, unfortunately, not much cheaper ... For example:
Aqua Park Wrocław: student ticket for 2 hours - 22 Zloty (instead of 27 Zloty)
Krakow Aqua Park: student ticket for 2 hours - 34 Zloty (instead of 38 Zloty)
Aqua Park Sopot: student ticket for 1 hour - 25 Zloty (instead of 30 Zloty)
5. Apple Student Discount
If you use an iPad or MacBook, remember about the discount offered by Polish iSpots. As part of the educational discount, students and teachers can get a 12% discount on the purchase of an Apple computer and a 10% discount on the purchase of an iPad.
6. Spotify: 50% discount for students
Spotify offers 9.99 Zloty instead of 19.99 Zloty for a monthly premium subscription for students. To activate the promotion, you should provide your university's details in the verification system. The promotion is valid for 12 months.
7. Restaurants
Many restaurants (especially chain restaurants) offer discounts for students. So sometimes, instead of avoiding places that seem inaccessible to your student budget, check their websites and see if you can find a discount for yourself.
The Sphinx restaurant chain came up with an interesting initiative. They offer a special "Student Menu" available upon showing your student ID.
8. Bookstores
Academic textbooks are a considerable expense. That is why many students avoid bookstores and use photocopied materials. Large bookstores often offer a discount of several percent if you show your student ID.
9. Banks
It also happens that some financial institutions offer bonuses to students and young people. These are mainly student accounts and special credit cards for young people. When choosing a student financial product, we can often count on slightly more favorable conditions.
Current bank promotions for students:
- mBank: 100 Zloty for opening an account, card payments, and using the mobile application
- PKO BP: refunding of up to 50 Zloty per month for card payments in restaurants
- ING: 100 Zloty bonus for opening an account and card payments
Ask for a discount!
Even if you are in a place that you are not convinced of, whether it offers cheaper tickets for students, ask about it. It happens that private companies, although they do not display information about discounts for students, offer cheaper tickets when you show your ID card. Just try!
Photos by Juan Encalada, Brooke Cagle, Proriat Hospitality, Markus Winkler, Igor Miske, Darwin Wegher via Unsplash.com