Have You Signed Up for the Target Student Discount?
I get it. College is expensive, and college students (and their parents) don’t have a lot of extra cash. Do you know about the Target student discount for college students?
What is the Target Student Discount?
The student discount is a one-time 20 percent off your entire purchase discount that you can use online or in stores generally from mid-July to the end of September. Once you’re signed up, you’ll get notifications in the Target app when it’s available each year you’re eligible.
There are some restrictions on this, but it’s pretty generous and generally includes everything you may need to send your kid off to college. For example, online it excludes Target partners, and overall, there are some categories excluded like Barbie, Apple products, prepaid cards, and the like.
Who Qualifies for the Discount?
To be eligible for the Target college student discount, you must be a Target Circle member and currently enrolled in a degree-granting college or university. This means high school students and those not actively pursuing a degree do not qualify.
The discount is valid for three years, and you will need to verify your status again after three years if you are still in school. This is a free program and absolutely worth the effort to sign up.
How Do I Sign Up for the Target College Student Discount?
To take advantage of the Target college student discount, you’ll need to verify your student status through Target Circle. First, make sure you have a Target account.
Once you sign in and join Target Circle, you need to go to their verification page. You need to include your school name, your name and birthdate, and your year in school.
You’ll also need to provide proof that you are enrolled in the school. You’ll need to upload a copy of your student ID that includes the expiration date, tuition receipt, or class schedule.
Make sure that you type the information carefully or it may delay or prevent your verification. You have to use whatever name is on your official documentation, as well, just like when you book a flight, so no nicknames.
Once you are successfully verified, your status will change within about an hour generally. Make sure you give yourself enough time before you do your big Target purchase to have this go into effect.
What if I Can’t Get the Verification to Work?
If you checked to make sure that you have no typos in the information you provided, then you can contact the team that does verification for help. That said, be sure that the name you sign up with and the name on the document you use exactly and that you have no typos in the dates.
SheerID does the verification process for Target, as well as for other large companies. They have a contact form for you to fill out to request assistance. They don’t have an instant turnaround time, so expect that it may take two to three days.
The offer name field is “Target Student Discount,” and the rest of the fields are pretty self explanatory. The only other caveat is that the support comes in English only, but they can work with you to resolve any issues you may have.
What Other Benefits Do I Get From the Target College Student Discount?
While the primary benefit is that 20% discount on your purchase, Target often has college related discounts throughout the year for those who have a student verified account. It is often things like frozen foods or cleaning products but changes regularly.
Target has also added some really useful benefits recently for those who have a student verified account. I’m actually a little jealous of my kids now.
They just added a significant discount on the Target Circle 360 subscription. The regular price is currently $10.99 per month, but it’s discounted to $4.99 per month for anyone who has that verified status, or better yet, sign up for the yearly plan for just $49.
For kids who don’t like the dorm food or live off campus or who need to pick up something at Target but don’t have time, this is a game changer. This gives free delivery for order $35 and greater to multiple adddresses, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never walked out of Target spending less than that.
The benefits also include access to dozens of retailers through the Shipt Marketplace, and you get an extra 30 days to make any returns on eligible items. You can also cancel the membership when your kid isn’t at school if you choose, though I suspect most of us will keep the membership going as long as we can.
This is perfect if you have some Target-related items in the open when envelopes you gave your college students. And remind them to ship things to your house, too, when you need them – of course you’ll pay them back!
Verified account holders also get Apple Music free for four months and access to Apple TV+ when they sign up for the Apple Music Student Plan with a verified student account. After four months, the plan costs $5.99 per month.
If you sign up by February 1, 2025, you’ll get an email with a redemption code that’s valid until March 1, 2025, so get on the stick with this one. That said, you do need to be a new subscriber or a qualifying returning subscriber, which usually means that you haven’t just canceled to get this offer.
Note that this is a partnership offer, so you will be billed through Apple, not Target. You also won’t get a notification from Target that your free trial is ending, so just like any other Apple subscription, keep an eye on your account for your renewal date.
Pro Tip for Using the Target Student Discount
That 20 percent off is significant, especially when you have to purchase alllllll the things for your college kid. Make sure that you decide the best time to use it and when you’ll save the most money.
And if you’re planning to shop around move in time for your kid’s college, know that the stores get picked over fast. But you don’t have to be disappointed when you arrive and the exact sheets or dishes or laundry backpack you wanted aren’t available.
Every year, I make a wish list for my kids of what they need for college from Target. I set the store to the one closest to my kids’ university so I can check what’s available there versus what I may need or want to have shipped to them.
And then I place a store pickup three days before we plan to move in. That’s generally before others have shopped and cleared out the store like locusts, and I don’t have to deal with searching through an unknown store.
I just show up at the customer service desk, provide the order info, and they hand me my bags. You’re welcome for that.
Do you have any other questions about the Target college student discount?
