Link your student railcard to your Oyster card
If you haven’t already, apply for a 16-25 railcard with National Rail. You can then take it to any Transport for London (Tfl) office and link it to your railcard and get 30% off all underground travel. That’s some serious savings! Not only is it great for saving money as a student in London but also all around the UK. With the 16-25 railcard you can get discounts on all rail travel across the UK. You can get a digital railcard on your phone so it’s really easy to access.
Attend travel & orientation fairs put on by your host university
London’s student services have some fantastic offerings. In my experience working with organisations in London, they really take care of international students and you can benefit it from this. Attend your freshers’ fair or orientation fair and you’ll no doubt come across some companies offering discounts on travel, clothing, accessories, nights out and more. Check out Student Beans & UniDays for more student discounts. It’s also worth getting yourself an NUS card.
Walk around the city
It can be very tempting to only move around London by public transport because the networks in London are so efficient and easy-to-use. Unfortunately when you go underground, you’re missing out on a whole world of opportunities above ground. London has so many historical routes and it’s actually really fun walking around. Give yourself a bit of extra time to get to work/college, get your steps in and it’s free! Who knows what you’ll come across. Check out CN Traveller’s guide to walks around London.
Use study spaces such as libraries
If you’re like me and tend to spend a lot of time working or studying at home, you’ll know what I mean when I say it can get quite expensive when I want to work in cafes. I can’t help but order myself a flat white and perhaps a cake in the afternoon and it certainly adds up. One top tip to save money as a student in London is to use the many free co-working spots around the city. London has a lot of beautiful and quiet libraries scattered around available to use. The resources available are endless and it’s really a great place to be inspired.
Use Olio and TooGoodToGo for discounted food
I didn’t know these even existed when I was a student but then my house mate started bringing back all these salad boxes and sandwiches from different places such as Pret a Manger and Cafe Nero. Sign up to Olio and TooGoodToGo to get access to a range of foods that are fresh on the day but won’t be able to be sold the next day. This is a really good hack if you’re looking to save money as a student in London.
