Once you become a student at UoA, you’ll find you get access to many new things. They come with hyperlinks hidden inside websites, newsletters, and emails; pamphlets are sometimes thrust into your hands, bullet points… often information overload. I’ve ended up spending an entire semester (or more) not knowing there was a certain resource I had access to. Here are some great perks to being a student – make the most of them ! :
The basics:
The University offers free Microsoft 365: this includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and OneDrive, OneNote. For OneDrive, you get 1TB of storage for free.
The instructions to download are in the below link:
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/my-tools/ms365/365-apps/365apps-install.html
Grammarly Premium
Grammarly Premium is such a useful resource – I can’t recommend it enough. No matter how good your grammar may be, Grammarly is useful to avoid repetition and improve your vocabulary, tailoring language to the purpose of the text.
https://uoa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16193/~/getting-started-with-grammarly-premium
Spotify student discount
With a student discount applied, a Spotify premium account costs $7.49 per month, (otherwise ranging between $14.99-$22.50)
https://www.spotify.com/nz/student/
UniDays
A UniDays account is free to create – it offers discounts on a range of clothes, beauty and exercise products, subscriptions, books, and so on.
https://www.myunidays.com/NZ/en-NZ
StudentCard costs $20 to sign up, but gives discounts to a range of much-used services – Noel Leeming, Dominoes, Puma, Coffee Club.
https://studentcard.co.nz/discounts/
The full list of discounts is here: https://studentcard.co.nz/images/Banners/PFDigital-2021-Small-20210122-015524.pdf
Phone and Internet: Students can get better plans, or those more tailored to our needs (extra data).
Spark: the Spark student plan offers an extra 1GB of data and unlimited calls to other Spark users.
https://www.spark.co.nz/shop/student-special/
With 2degrees, you can get 500MB of extra data.
https://www.2degrees.nz/perks/offers/student/
Vodafone
If you show your ID at any Vodafone store, you get a free 500MB of data every time you top up $20.
Banking:
(ASB) It’s cheaper to have a tertiary account, since you aren’t charged every time you make a transaction, and there are no base fees. Additionally, you’re given a Visa Debit card for no charge,. And you get free small fries at McDonald’s if you show your ASB Tertiary Visa Debit card at the counter. 🙂
https://www.asb.co.nz/bank-accounts/tertiary-student-package.html
ANZ are also on campus. Their Jumpstart account comes with special lending conditions, free Visa debit card, and no monthly account or transaction fees.
https://www.anz.co.nz/personal/accounts/everyday-banking/jumpstart-account/
Like ASB, Westpac doesn’t charge a fee for an account or a debit card, but you can also get a fee-free savings account and transaction account. There are two additional benefits: no establishment fee for an Renters’ Content Insurance and/or Vehicle Cover, interest-free overdraft of up to $2000 and no establishment fee either.
https://www.westpac.co.nz/accounts-cards/tertiary-account/
Transport
With an AT Hop Card tertiary student concession, you can get 20% off transport. To apply for a concession, visit an AT Customer Service Centre with your AT HOP card, student ID, and tertiary sticker, or apply online. The concession applies for three years.
Food Discounts:
At Gong Cha, you can get a free upsize for the calendar year if you show your student ID (they put a sticker on it).
Another great way to get discounts on food is through clubs. Next year at the clubs expo, wander through the stalls and ask if there are any student discounts for the clubs you’re interested in. You can get coupons and discount cards for some – just make sure you use them before they expire. 😊
If you take your student ID to New World on Metro Street, you can get 10% off when you spend over $50.
If you’re living in accommodation, keep an eye out for Countdown/food vouchers in hall activities. They can add up to a lot.
Entertainment
On Wednesdays, you can get $5 movie tickets at Academy Cinemas in Lorne Street, just downstairs from the Auckland Central Library (a 5 min walk from campus)
The student entry fee at the MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) is $10. (The regular entry is $19.) Just bring your student ID with you.
The pennies all add up! Studying at a large university has its benefits – your bank account will thank you. 🙂