Student Discount at UK Restaurants 2026
3 of 22 chains publish a scheme we could verify. Updated 12 September 2026.
Student Discounts at a Glance (2026)
Quick Reference
| Chain | Scheme | Value | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Hortons | Tim Hortons® 10% Student & Key Worker Discount | 10% off | valid student ID card is presented before payment |
| Bella Italia | Blue Light Discount | 40% off | terms not published |
| Bella Italia | Cineworld Discount | 25% off | Valid 7 days a week View terms at the Cineworld website Cineworld |
| Zizzi | ZIZZI DISCOUNT PARTNERS OFFERS | not stated | terms not published |
| Zizzi | BLUE LIGHT CARD | not stated | terms not published |
| Zizzi | STUDENT BEANS | not stated | terms not published |
Values and conditions are the brands’ own words. Where a column says “not stated”, the brand publishes the scheme without publishing that detail, and we have not filled the gap.
What Counts as a Student Discount in the UK?
Three different things get called a student discount, and they work differently at the till. The first is a straight percentage off, verified by a student ID card in person, the classic version, and the one you can rely on. The second is a partner scheme: Student Beans, UNiDAYS or Blue Light Card verify who you are, and the brand honours whatever discount it has agreed with that partner. The third is not really a student discount at all. It is an app offer that happens to be aimed at students, personalised to your account and withdrawn whenever the brand likes.
Only the first two can appear on a page like this, because only they are published. That is the whole reason this list is 3 chains long rather than 22.
Key-worker and NHS discounts sit in the same category and are usually run through the same mechanism. Most commonly Blue Light Card, which covers NHS staff, emergency services, social care and the armed forces community. Where a chain runs one, it normally applies the same rules as its student scheme.
Chain by Chain: What Each One Publishes
Tim Hortons
- Tim Hortons® 10% Student & Key Worker Discount10% offbrand’s own terms
Bella Italia
- Blue Light Discount40% offbrand’s own terms
- Cineworld Discount25% offbrand’s own terms
Zizzi
- ZIZZI DISCOUNT PARTNERS OFFERSbrand’s own terms
- BLUE LIGHT CARDbrand’s own terms
- STUDENT BEANSbrand’s own terms
No published scheme we could verify
These 19 chains do not publish a student or key-worker discount anywhere we could read it. Some will still have one inside their app. We are listing the absence of evidence, not asserting the absence of a discount, and their menu prices are worth knowing either way.
How to Make a Student Discount Actually Save You Money
Compare the discount against the bundle before you order. A percentage off individual items frequently loses to a meal deal on the same food, and you cannot have both, one discount per transaction is the norm. Work out both totals on the menu board; it takes ten seconds.
Order at the counter or for collection, not delivery. In-person verification is what these schemes rely on, and delivery menus are priced above the in-restaurant figure before fees, so the discount is applied to an inflated number.
Carry the card, not a screenshot. Staff are instructed to check a physical or in-app credential, and a photo of someone else’s card is the exact thing the check exists to catch.
Check the brand’s page on the day. Every scheme on this page is dated, and a scheme that was live when we read it can be gone this week. The date at the top of this page is a record of when we looked, not a promise about today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Student Discounts
Which UK restaurant chains give a student discount?
Do I need a code, or do I show a card?
Does a student discount work on delivery orders?
Can I use a student discount with a meal deal?
How current is this page?
About This Page
Built from the offers each chain publishes on its own site, collected 12 September 2026. 6 schemes across 3 chains met that standard. We do not list schemes reported second-hand, we do not print a percentage a brand has not published, and we do not claim a chain has no discount, only that it publishes none we could read. UK Menu Prices is independent of every brand named here.