Discounted card has turned into a more reliable and flexible online saver

For the first time since its creation in 1994, the Student Savings Card is no longer a card but a Web site with links to all the businesses that offer student discounts. "The company that was printing the card said they were no longer going to print them, and if students want more information, they could go to the Web site," said Shaleka Jones, entertainment coordinator for the Office of Student Activities. The company, Student Savings Club, offers various businesses a platform to ensure patronage from the student body, while offering discounts to the students and faculty of university organizations sponsoring the program. "We just wanted to use today's technology because we thought it was easier," said Ashley Dobson, program coordinator for the Student Savings Club. That is not the whole story according to Marsha Hahn, program manager for the Student Savings Club. There are two main reasons explaining the switch from the cards to online service. First, the use of online savings instead of cards "enables us to constantly add more businesses throughout the year." Originally, after the card was printed at the beginning of the year, the Club's management usually refuses admissions to businesses until the beginning of another year. This leads to some businesses never returning as they might have other priorities when the time comes to join the club. Furthermore, students lose the discounts of many businesses since they have to wait for the beginning of the year to see what is added to the list. With the new service, however, the Web site is promptly updated and businesses can join anytime. This explains why the OSA still has only 20 businesses on it Student Savings Club cards while the Web site has 41 businesses listed for Roosevelt University. The second reason is "we wanted to make the service as accessible as possible to students and faculty so that in a situation where students lose ther cards, all they need is their Student IDs to receive the discounts," Hahn said. The decision to use online cards also came after focus group studies and feedback received from the sponsoring school's organizations that the club serves....."I never heard about it" said Norris Teague, a psychology major. "The program needs to be unwrapped, and the notice-boards on campus need to give way to these kinds of things, instead of the continuous boring ads of people looking for roommates and stuff." The best way to ensure students' patronage, according to Yu-Ting Huang, IMC student, "is to have the businesses display the discounts and the schools that qualify." With the introduction of the new system, Hahn suggests that "students give it a try and learn a few of the favorite places to start with."

To get a complete and up-to-date list of all the businesses offering discounts, students can log on to www.studentsavingsclub.com, click on Offers & Discounts under the Student section of the Home Page, look for your specific school by state and school and click on it. You will be directed to the Student Discount Page for your specific school with a list of all the participating businesses and their discounted offers. Also, the students can also print a pocket guide of all the offers from their school's list (Student Discount Page). If you have any trouble, please feel free to email Student Savings Club at support@studentsavingsclub.com, and they will send you a direct link to your specific school's Student Discount Page, so you can see all 41 offers.

It's an excellent savings program which could save you hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. Check it out. Show Your Student ID and SAVE!