How Discounted Gift Cards Can Help Disabled Students and Parents Save Money

Going to university is a major milestone for any student, but it can also be a significant financial commitment. For disabled students, managing everyday expenses alongside disability-related costs can make budgeting even more important.

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For disabled parents sending their child to university, there can be a different set of financial pressures too. You may be helping with accommodation, food, clothing, technology, books and other university costs while managing your own household budget.

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Whether you're a disabled student budgeting for university or a disabled parent helping your child prepare for university, finding small ways to make your money go further can help.

One option available to National Disability Card holders is discounted gift cards.

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💡How to use our discounted gift cards

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Why budgeting is important for disabled students and their families

University costs can quickly add up. Students may need to budget for:

• Accommodation and household bills
• Food and groceries
• Books and study materials
• Laptops and technology
• Clothing
• Travel
• Social activities
• Sports and hobbies
• Everyday essentials

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For some disabled students, there may also be additional disability-related expenses. Depending on individual circumstances, these could include specialist technology, equipment, accessible transport or other costs associated with studying independently.

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At the same time, disabled parents sending a child to university may be contributing towards some of these expenses while also managing their own financial commitments.

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This is why finding legitimate ways to save on purchases you're already planning to make can be useful.

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What are discounted gift cards?

Discounted gift cards allow National Disability Card holders to purchase gift cards for less than their face value.

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For example, if a £50 gift card has a 6% discount, you would pay £47 for £50 spending power, creating a £3 saving.

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The principle is simple:

Plan your purchase → buy the discounted gift card → use it for your planned spending → keep the saving.

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It's not about buying things you don't need. Instead, it's about looking for a saving before you make a purchase you're already planning to make.

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Current discounted gift cards include some of your favourite brands below, but there are many more on our website.

💡How to use our discounted gift cards

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For disabled students: make your university budget stretch further

If you're a disabled student, you may already be carefully planning how to manage your money throughout the academic year.

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💻 Technology

Starting university may mean buying a laptop, accessories or other technology.

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Currys offers 4% off, so a planned £1,000 purchase could provide a potential £40 saving.

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For disabled students who rely on technology to support their studies, planning technology purchases carefully can be particularly important.

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👗 Clothing

You may need new clothes for university, placements, sports or everyday life. Through the National Disability Card, you can benefit from discounted gift cards on the following, plus many more:

• H&M – 7% off
• Primark – 6% off
• Gymshark – 5% off
• Foot Locker – 8% off

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A £45 planned Primark purchase at 6% off would save £2.70, while if you wanted to spend £50 at Foot Locker with an 8% discount you'd save £4. Every little helps!

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📚 Books and study materials

National Book Tokens offers 6% off gift cards, enabling student National Disability Card holders to save on buying course materials (or reading for fun!).

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For disabled parents: helping your child prepare financially for university

If you're a disabled parent sending your child to university, you may be looking for ways to support them without putting unnecessary pressure on your own finances. Discounted gift cards can be useful whether you're:

• Buying university essentials for your child
• Helping them with their monthly food budget
• Contributing towards clothing
• Buying technology
• Purchasing books
• Paying for occasional treats or entertainment
• Helping them set up their student accommodation

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If you're planning to support your child financially, using gift cards instead of transferring cash can help you not only save money yourself, but also help your child with their own budgeting, where money intended for groceries can't be spent on clothing or nights out, or vice versa!

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A realistic monthly student budget

Here's an example of how discounted gift cards could fit into a student's monthly spending.

💡 That's a total of £31.90 of potential savings per month

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If the same spending pattern and discounts continued for 12 months, the potential saving would be £382.80.

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This is an illustration rather than a guaranteed saving. Actual savings will depend on what you buy and how much you spend (you can potentially save much more).

How parents and students can use gift cards together

Discounted gift cards don't have to be something a student manages alone. A disabled parent and their university-aged child could sit down together and create a monthly spending plan.

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For example:

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Step 1: Work out the monthly budget

Calculate how much is available for food, clothing, books, entertainment and other expenses.

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Step 2: Identify planned purchases

Look ahead to see what the student actually expects to buy.

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Step 3: Check for available discounts

Before purchasing, check whether the retailer offers a discounted gift card through the National Disability Card's online portal.

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Step 4: Only buy what you need

Don't increase your spending simply because a discount is available.

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Step 5: Keep track of the savings

Record how much you save each time. This can help both the parent and student see how small savings are contributing to the overall budget.

Make your university budget work harder

Whether you're a disabled student preparing for university or a disabled parent sending your child to university, budgeting is about making the money available to you go as far as possible. There are opportunities to save across everyday student spending thanks to your National Disability Card.

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Rather than simply giving a student extra money whenever they run short, using our discounted gift cards can help with budgeting and building financial skills as well as making your university budget go further.

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The offers and brands mentioned in this post can change, so check the latest available discounts before purchasing.

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About the National Disability & Carers Card Scheme‍

The National Disability & Carers Card scheme was set up in 2019 by carers to make everyday life and access easier for people with disabilities and those who care for them. The scheme supports 250,000 card holders and provides easy-to-carry visual identification that helps users avoid repeatedly explaining their disability or caring role. The National Disability Card is accepted as proof of disability at 600+ venues across the UK and abroad. If you're looking for ways to communicate your access needs at 600+ locations, including at Royal Collection Trust venues, consider applying for your card today.