EduTech is a new 9to5Mac weekly series that will focus on technology’s application in education, lower and higher level, both for productivity and enjoyment. If you have suggestions for topics or specific questions you’d like to see answered, feel free to let me know.
In the first installment of EduTech, we’re going to focus on something a bit broad and geared primarily towards current and (in some past college students. If you attend most universities, you’ll be given an email address that ends in .edu. In some cases, you’ll get that email on your acceptance to a university rather than when you fully commit, so you may have .edu email addresses that you don’t even know about.
With an .edu email address comes a variety of benefits, including discounted (and sometimes free) software, discounted subscriptions, and much more. And in most cases, redeeming those benefits is incredibly easy. Read on to find out some of the benefits…
Amazon Prime
One of the biggest benefits of an edu email address is discounted Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime allows access to free two-day shipping, which is an incredible deal if you shop even remotely often on Amazon. Additionally, Prime gets you access to Amazon’s streaming video library and music library as well.
Amazon Prime usually runs for $99/year, but with a Prime Student membership you get six months free and then it’s just $50/year after that. Though, you don’t get access to Prime Video or Prime Music during that six-month trial.
How to redeem:
- Go to Amazon’s Prime Student homepage
- Complete the signup process
- You’ll either be approved or asked to verify via email
Apple Music/Spotify
Both Apple Music and Spotify offer deep discounts to students. Apple Music runs $10/month for normal customers, while the student plan runs just $4.99 per month. Apple uses a service called UNiDays to verify your eligibility, so you don’t technically even have to have an edu email address to redeem this offer.
- Open the Music app on iOS
- If you’re joining Apple Music for the first time, tap Start Free Trial.
- If you previously used the three free months, tap Get 3 Months Free.
- If you’re an active member of Apple Music, tap Sign In, then change to a Student Membership.
- Choose the “College Student” or “University Student” option.
- Tap the “Verify Eligibility” option.
- Either enter your edu email address or verify via UNiDays
If you’re a Spotify user, head to the company’s website to sign up for the $4.99 student tier.
Discounted Apple Hardware
Apple has its own Education store that’s accessible via the Apple Online Store. Here, you can get decent discounts on some of Apple’s hardware, including the Mac and iPad. Not every product is eligible, though.
The heaviest discounts apply to the Mac, which can be discounted by as much as hundreds of dollars. For instance, I got around $200 off my purchase of the 2016 Touch Bar MacBook back in October, which is really steep discount for an Apple product.
Head to Apple’s online education store to view all of the deals.
Free/Discounted Software
A variety of companies offer free or discounted software to students. Apple, of course, just recently introduced its student software package, bundling Final Cut Pro, Logic, and other ‘Pro’ apps for $199.
Keeping track of what companies offer discounts and freebies is tricky, but here are the best deals I’ve been able to find:
- Apple’s Education Bundle – Bundled apps for $199
- AutoDesk – Free software such as Fusion 360, AutoCAD, and Maya
- LastPass Premium – 6 months free
- Adobe – 60% off, All Apps plan for $19.99/mo or Photography Plan for $9.99
- Microsoft Office 365 – Four-year subscription for $80
- Fetch File Transfer – Free License
Discounts from cellular carriers
One of the lesser-known benefits of an edu email address is a discounted phone bill each month. All of the “big four” United States offer some sort of deal While it’s a bit more limited in scope than other deals, most universities are supported.
If you don’t have an edu email address, you can bring your student ID to the carrier’s retail location to enroll. Head to the links below for all of the deals from your carrier:
Discounted newspaper subscriptions
Chances are, at some point in college, you’ll have a class that requires you to have a subscription to newspaper such as The Wall Street Journal or New York Times. Luckily, both of those papers offer discounts to students
Contrary to what some might say, subscriptions to newspapers are actually growing thanks to the election, making it all-the-more tempting to join the trend. Of course, supporting journalism is also always a good idea.
- The New York Times – $4/month for basic access
- The Wall Street Journal – 15 weeks for $15
- The Economist – 12 week for $12
Other
A variety of other companies offer discounts to students but it’s somewhat hard to track as it various by location. For instance, restaurants such as Chick-fil-a, Chipotle, and McDonalds claim to offer student discounts with a student ID, but availability varies by each location and is sometimes even more limited in college towns.
My suggestion is to always check before you go someplace if that business offers a discount. It might be something small or it could end up saving you a lot of cash, but especially in college, every penny counts.
- FedEx – 20% off shipping w/ ID or email
- MLB TV – 35% off annual subscription
- Best Buy – Various (rather limited) discounts w/ email
- Levi’s – 15% off online purchases w/ verification
- Student Advantage card – discounts at various businesses including Lyft, Greyhound, Footlocker, and more
Availability also varies internationally as many schools don’t use the .edu email standard, instead opting for something else. Nevertheless, many of the aforementioned deals have multiple ways to verify your eligibility.
Another important thing to note is that many universities have their own partnerships in place with companies like Microsoft and Adobe to offer free software. That’s definitely something to look into before pulling the trigger on any purchases.
Do you have any other tips for getting the most out of your edu email address? Let us know down in the comments.
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