The ultimate uni freebie guide for your child – get £220 free cash, £120 Apple voucher and subscription that saves £532

AS YOU’RE helping your teen to pack their bags for university, don’t forget to include these top discounts, deals and freebies. Before you drive them to campus make sure to read our money guide, where we explain how they can get £1,636 of free cash, discounts and perks to stop them asking the bank of mum and dad for more money. Make sure your teen doesn’t forget to pack these freebies and discounts when heading to uni Credit: Alamy We’ve tracked down thousands of pounds worth of perks your child can get their hands on this autumn Credit: PA Making student loan payments last is no easy feat. That’s why two thirds of those at university run out of cash before the end of term, according to research by Santander. The maximum student maintenance loan, which pays for their living costs, is £14,135 for full time students living in London. But high inflation between 2022 and 2024 means that the value of this loan has fallen in real terms. But fear not. There are plenty of top freebies and discounts that can help your teen to stretch their finances further, including £220 free cash, a £120 Apple voucher and a free Amazon Prime subscription. Here we reveal ten of the best on offer… Save £467 on council tax Students can save £467 on council tax but they may need to apply Credit: Getty One of the biggest discounts your child can get their hands on is a council tax exemption, so make sure they don’t miss out. Households where everyone is a full-time student don’t pay council tax, which can save them thousands of pounds. The average council tax bill is £1,868 a year in England in 2026/27. If your teen lived with three friends then they would save £467 each. Students living in halls are automatically exempt from council tax. But they will need to apply for an exemption from their local council in their second or third year and live in a private rented home. You can check their council tax band and local council by visiting gov.uk/council-tax-bands. Pocket £220 in free cash and vouchers Banks are offering hundreds of pounds of free cash and vouchers to students Credit: PA Banks compete to attract new customers by offering students top perks including free cash and vouchers. Choosing a student bank account is a big decision so you should help your teen to weigh up any perks and free cash with the service they offer. Nationwide offers £100 free cash to students who sign up for its FlexStudent account, as well as £120 in Just Eat vouchers over 12 months. It also had an interest-free overdraft of up to £1,000 in the first year, which rises to £2,000 in the second and £3,000 in the third year. Students will get the £100 within 14 days of making five debit card payments and paying at least £500 into the account, which includes student loans. The Just Eat vouchers will be sent in 12 instalments of £10. The account can be opened online, via app or in store. Lloyds also offers £100 in cash, plus £120 in Deliveroo vouchers to people who open one of its Student current accounts online, via app or in store. They will need to pay at least £500 into the account by October 30 to get the cash in November. They will get the £20 Deliveroo voucher for every month they make 20 or more debit card transactions between November and April. The NatWest student account offers £100 free cash plus a four-year Tastecard which is worth £79.99 a year. Students can apply for the account online or via app. The account also has a £500 overdraft, which increases to £2,000 from the second term of first year and £3,250 from year three onwards. It’s important to remind your teen that overdrafts need to be paid back eventually and will start to earn interest once they graduate. Free £120 Apple gift card Your teen could get £100 off the cost of a MacBook Credit: Reuters Apple rarely offers discounts on laptops, but it’s currently giving students around £100 off the price of a MacBook. Meanwhile, until October 22, they can get a £120 gift card when buying a MacBook Pro or £80 if they opt for a MacBook Air. They’ll also get an £80 gift card if they buy an iPad Pro or Air. To unlock Apple’s Education Savings, they’ll need to download the UNiDAYS app or sign up online then verify their student status. The offers will then automatically be added to their account. Get creative with free Canva subscription worth £100 Some universities offer students a free Canva Pro subscription which is worth £100 a year Credit: Alamy Depending on which university your child is attending they may be able to unlock a free Canva Pro subscription worth £100 a year. The programme gives students the tools to easily create professional portfolios, CVs, graphics and presentations. Some universities including the University of Birmingham have signed up to offer free subscriptions for every student. To get the deal they’ll need to check with their university if they can access it. Tap into free Microsoft 365 worth £85 Students can also save by getting their hands on free Microsoft software Credit: Alamy Students can also get top savings on Windows software. Lots of universities offer Microsoft 365 free for students, which unlocks access to Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, saving them £84.99 a year. Institutes offering it to students and staff include the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, as well as the University of Southampton and Liverpool Hope. If their uni isn’t offering the deal, they can still get 50% off as a student, which would save them £42.50. They can get the deal by signing up through the Microsoft 365 website. Students can also save 15% off Surface laptops through Microsoft’s student savings through the Microsoft Education Store. Save £54 on Amazon Prime Amazon Prime offers six-month free subscriptions to students Credit: Getty Students can also get their hands on a whopping six months of Amazon Prime for free. They’ll be able to watch their favourite TV shows and films and get their hands on exclusive discounts and savings. Customers usually have to pay £8.99 a month, so the offer would save them around £53.94 over six months. If they decide to continue with their studies after graduation then they can get the service for half price – at £4.49 a month. It’s important to set a reminder before the service ends to avoid being charged. To get the deal they’ll need to visit the Amazon Prime website and verify they’re a student using their ac.uk address. Stream music through Spotify and Apple Music and save £25 Students can listen to their favourite tunes for free with a Spotify or Apple Music subscription Credit: Reuters Spotify and Apple Music are giving away one month free to students. Spotify Premium usually costs £12.99 a month while Apple Music is normally £11.99, so the two together would save £24.98. If they want to continue using the service then they’ll pay a discounted price of just £5.99 a month. To get the Spotify free trial they will need to sign up by visiting spotify.com/uk/student. Meanwhile, to get the free trial of Apple Music they will need to visit offers.applemusic.apple/en-gb/student-offer. Free £20 Ikea voucher Your teen could get a £20 free Ikea voucher when stocking up on uni essentials Credit: Alamy If you’re moving your child into new student digs then don’t miss out on a free home voucher. Ikea is giving away £10 vouchers when you spend £75. Meanwhile, you’ll get a £20 voucher when you spend £150. But you’ll need to be quick as the offer runs until October 25. To get the cash they will need to complete an online form on the Ikea website. Once their account is verified they will be emailed a coupon they can use at the checkout. Dinner at Prezzo Italian for £2.88 A Prezzo student subscription could save £532 over the course of a year Credit: Getty Pizza and pasta chain Prezzo has launched a subscription where students can sign up to get a meal at one of its restaurants each week for £150 a year. Over 52 weeks that works out at a bargain price of around £2.88 per dinner. A main meal typically costs around £16, so they would save around £13.12 a meal. Once they’ve subtracted the cost of the subscription they would save £532 over the course of a year. To get the deal they’ll need to buy a drink to get the meal and show student verification. The offer is only available for dining in and applies to a main from the standard or specials menu. The subscription can also be gifted, so it could be a good Christmas or birthday present. Students also get 25% off at the chain if they want to visit for a one-off dinner, through Student Beans or UNiDAYS membership. Free Tastecard trial worth £13 Tastecards can save students money when eating out at cafes or restaurants Credit: Getty Tastecard unlocks heaps of restaurant and café deals, helping students to save if they’re eating out or on the go. They can typically bag two for one meals or 25% off the total bill at chains including Pizza Express and Burger King, as well as discounts on Caffe Nero. The discount card is usually worth £79.99 a year, working out at about £6.66 a month. But with a StudentBeans free membership they can get a free 60-day Tastecard trial worth around £13. To get the deal they’ll need to sign up for a Student Beans account online or through its app.