NUS Extra

Former Member

WTF actually is it? Is it replacing normal NUS cards or just an additional card? I'm confused because it doesn't really sound any different to the 'standard' NUS card (except maybe for the bit about it being a "International Student Identity Card", but for all I know the NUS card could have been as well - I had one at college but I just filled out the form & got my card & didn't pay too much attention). The website (http://www.nusextra.co.uk/) doesn't really tell you anything, just makes vague reference to getting discounts on stuff. And there's no photo of you on it (I can't see any photos on the site, but I got a flyer with my fresher's week stuff which show what it looks like - just a grey credit card type thing). I'll probably get it anyway cos it's only a tenner, but is it replacing the 'old' NUS card? Cos if I pay a tenner & find out later I could have got pretty much the same stuff for free I'll be pissed...

Former Member

The other card was free and i barely used that one so doubt i'll waste a tenner of potential beer money on the new one

Former Member

I don't know anything about it, but if the extra thing is an ISIC card as well then that can be useful abroad, if you go travelling and whatnot you can use it for hostels and stuff, where the NUS card alone would not be any use.

Former Member

What's the point in the NUS?

Former Member

makes you a member of the national union of students? gets you discounts?

Former Member

The basic idea of the NUS Extra card is to bring some money into the NUS. From the projections I heard a couple of years ago, if they didn't do this they would be bankrupt within about 10 years. Whatever you views of the NUS as a campaigning organisation (i'm certainly not convinced), they are a broadly good thing.

The aims at the start of the project was to introduce many more discounts to the card, something that they appear to have done, although they haven't managed to get a supermarket onboard as they had hoped.

We were initially assured that a basic NUS card would remain to act as membership of the NUS and the particular union; for the purposes of admission and voting in union elections. The basic card would be similar to the current NUS card but without any discounts.

Former Member

Mich wrote:

We were initially assured that a basic NUS card would remain to act as membership of the NUS and the particular union; for the purposes of admission and voting in union elections. The basic card would be similar to the current NUS card but without any discounts.

Ah! I see! Nice to have a clear explanation as to WTF is going on.

Former Member

Also, the NUS Extra card hopes to raise some money for the students' unions that sell it (it's something like £5 goes back to NUS and £5 to your own union). For now, I think a lot of the discounts will still be on the basic card but they are trying to shift the balance so that it's worthwhile getting NUS extra.

Don't forget, though, that a lot of student discounts don't depend on you having a NUS card, just student ID (e.g. HMV, Topshop, some branches of Waterstone's are running 10% off at the moment, etc.).

Former Member

sorry, what I meant was- why would I want to be a memeber of the national union of students?

Former Member

My Uni Student ID automatically includes the NUS card so... it doesn't really make a difference to me. ISIC cards weren't that useful either lol

Former Member

queenmab_roo wrote:

My Uni Student ID automatically includes the NUS card so... it doesn't really make a difference to me. ISIC cards weren't that useful either lol

That's coz your uni is affiliated to the NUS. Some Uni's are not.
I've got a friend on the exec in Bournemouth Uni and yes, the NUS extra card is there to raise money for the organization, but you are obviously not forced to get it. ISIC card is useful when buying pizzas i am led to believe!!!