Student life and tight budgets have always gone hand in hand, but now those in education are finding their finances being squeezed even more, thanks to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Technology such as laptops, printers and tablets are some of the more expensive kit required when you’re in full-time education, which may leave students (or their parents) worrying about how to buy essential tech without breaking the bank.
However, there are a few ways to get your hands on new tech such as laptops and tablets for less. Here are our best tips to help you grab a bargain.
Do students get a discount on laptops in the UK?
A laptop or tablet is one of the most expensive gadgets students need. Thankfully, university students in the UK can get reductions on brand new laptops and tablets, as a number of tech brands including Apple, Microsoft, Dell and Lenovo, offer student discounts of up to 10%.
Apple discounts for students
At the Apple Education Store you get up to £100 off a Macbook, iMac, Mac Mini, iPad Air or iPad Pro with education savings, and if you purchase selected devices before 21st October 2024 you’ll also nab a gift card worth up to £120. Students also get Apple Music at a discounted student rate every month of £5.99 for up to four years, plus free Apple TV. The student rate on the music and TV streaming service is open to all those in education, even if they don’t make a purchase from the Education store.
The reductions on each item equates to around 10%. Even better, the discount isn’t just for students, it extends to teachers and staff in universities too. Students are also eligible for 20% off AppleCare+ (Apple's extended warranty programme) and reductions on select accessories such as the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard for iPad.
As well as buying via Apple, you can access these offers and many more by signing up to Unidays, a student discount scheme, that requires you to be over 16, in full-time education and with a valid .ac.uk email address to access these discounts.
GHI Tip: Prefer Spotify to Apple Music? Students can save £5 on a premium subscription, making it just £5.99 per month, for up to four years.
Microsoft discounts for students
Microsoft also has a dedicated student store, where those in education can snag a 10% discount on tech like laptops, Microsoft 365, and the latest version of Windows for school, which includes student essentials like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Teams. All you need to sign up is your school log in.
Other discounts for students
Both Dell and Lenovo offer student discounts on a number of laptops. Students that sign-up to Dell’s Advantage for Students program with their education email address will receive discount codes that knock up to 15% off some XPS laptops and U series monitors, even if the items are already reduced in seasonal sales. Meanwhile, Lenovo offers up to 10% off laptops and 20% off monitors for students in its Education Store – you’ll need to sign up for a free Lenovo account before you can visit the store.
GHI Tip: If you're a student, you can get a six-month free trial of Amazon Prime. You'll need an ac.uk email address or you'll have to send proof of enrolment to Amazon from the email address linked to your Amazon account.
Argos discounts
The retailer is running a range of offers for students ahead of the start of the new term. Students can also receive a free Argos Gift Card worth £50 when purchasing selected Windows Laptops over £500 (available until 24th September) and a free Argos Gift Card worth £30 when purchasing any Chrome Laptop over £200 (until 27th August). Top picks include the ASUS Vivobook S 15 OLED 15.6in Ryzen 7 16GB 512GB Laptop (£899) and the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3 11in Snapdragon 8GB 128GB Chromebook (£399).
Free Microsoft 365 is also available with all Apple Mac purchases on Argos until 30 September and students can get 12 Months Google One and Gemini+ (AI) with any Chromebook+ Device purchase, available until Tuesday 1st October.
Trade-ins
Plenty of retailers allow you to trade in your old laptop, saving a couple of hundred pounds on the purchase of a new one. How much you get will depend on the age and condition of the laptop. With Currys laptop trade-in, you can get a free, instant valuation online and you can trade in your laptop even if you didn't buy it at Currys. It's worth noting if you drop off the laptop in store, you’ll be given gift vouchers, whereas if you use its free postage option to trade-in the laptop, you’ll receive the funds by bank transfer.
Meanwhile, Apple lets you trade in Apple devices in return for an Apple Store gift card which can be worth between £80-£960. You can get an estimate online, and then trade it in at an Apple store, or send your device in via post.
Remove your data first
Before trading-in or selling your old laptop, tablet or smartphone, make sure you remove files, photos and videos, plus any stored information such as passwords. Currys says it will wipe all the data from any laptops that have been traded-in but you can do it yourself, too.
If you opt to wipe the data from your device yourself, deleting files isn’t enough.
...from a Windows PC
To reset your PC, go to Start > Settings > System > Recovery . Next to Reset this PC , select Reset PC.
...from a Mac
On a Mac, the steps differ depending on how old the laptop is. For Macs running MacOS Ventura, click on the Apple menu icon in the corner of your screen, and choose System Settings, followed by General. From here, select Transfer or Reset on the right, then click Erase All Content and Settings and follow the steps on screen.
If your Mac is running the earlier MacOS Monterey, you can find Erase All Content and Settings, by selecting System Preferences from the Apple Menu, and then choosing Erase All Content and Settings.
...from a Chromebook
Getting rid of a Chromebook? Be sure to Powerwash the device using the option in the Settings menu to erase everything on the laptop.
Cashback sites
Cashback sites such as TopCashback or Quidco for example, have been known to have some great deals on laptops, printers and other tech when purchased through the likes of Currys and AO.com which could see you claw back as much as £100, so it's worth checking what the latest deals on them are. Deals change regularly on these sites, but they are great for making savings on online purchases.
GHI Tip: Install the free TopCashback browser extension onto your laptop, so you'll be alerted to any offers available when your browsing the web.
Buy refurbished
Online auction site eBay has a refurbished tech hub where retailers including Argos and Tesco sell heavily discounted items, including laptops and tablets, that have been returned by the original buyer. This may be because of a fault or because they have simply changed their mind.
These gadgets are checked and tested before being listed on eBay. In cases where the device was faulty, the parts are replaced. For example, a laptop may have been given a new hard drive. All items come with a 12-month guarantee, just as a brand-new product would, so there’s no need to worry if there’s a problem.
If you pay using PayPal, you are also covered by eBay’s money back guarantee. This means if the item doesn’t arrive, it will make sure you get your money back or a replacement.
Amazon Warehouse is a similar online store that sells returned and mildly damaged goods, including laptops, which have originally been sold by the online retailer for a discounted price. Just like with eBay, Amazon says it “thoroughly tests the condition of the item” before it’s put on sale.
Amazon also says that if the item becomes defective after its 30-day returns period, it will repair any defective item and if a repair is not possible, it will refund the purchase price.
In both cases, before you buy an item it’s important to consider what condition it’s in. eBay and Amazon provide a ‘grade’ based on the imperfections of the product, which can range from ‘Like New’ with the defects being on the packaging only through to Good or Acceptable with moderate wear and tear, but crucially still in good working order.
Back Market global marketplace for refurbished devices is an increasingly popular site thanks to great word-of-mouth recommendations. It works with professional refurbishers to guarantee that every device has been tested and restored to perfect working condition according to industry standards and costs up 50% less than brand new. On top of that, students can save an extra £20 per cent on everything from laptops, phones and TVs.
