ELIGIBILITY BEFORE YOU REGISTER

Check Beans, UNiDAYS and TOTUM before you register.

A comparison of what Student Beans, UNiDAYS and TOTUM say about who can join, which evidence they accept, what it costs, when status expires, and whether a discount is online or in-store. Student Sterling does not verify your student status and does not offer exclusive codes.

Checked 6 November 2026. Figures can change. Tell us if a figure is wrong.

Links to those three platforms are their own web addresses. They are not tracking links. There is no link from this page to a betting site. Age limits below are each platform’s own rule.

What each platform states

Swipe sideways to read every column.

Student Beans, UNiDAYS and TOTUM. Each cell links to the page it came from. Last checked 6 November 2026. “Not cited” and a dash mean that point was not on the pages opened.
Platform	Eligibility	Evidence accepted	Cost	Reverification	Online vs in-store
Student Beans	Student Beans says its discounts are for people in full-time education who have a personal institution email or a credit-card-style student ID. That page includes high school students over 16, sixth-form students, college students, university students and apprentices. A help page says the same full-time group, including high school students over 16, college, university and apprentices. It does not repeat the words “sixth form”. Whether part-time study qualifies is not cited. — How it works Course or institution	A recognised institution email domain is verified straight away. Student Beans describes that address as the one the institution gives you, for example name@institution.ac.uk. With no institution email, it asks for a photo or scan of an institution student card, an acceptance letter or an academic transcript. The document must show your full name, the institution’s name and the current year of study. Apprentices are asked to send proof of the course. Cards that an official academic institution did not issue are refused; NUS and ISIC are the examples named. If the place of study does not support the learning-portal option and email does not work, the help page says the alternative is to upload proof. It says there are three methods, and that a manual review can take up to 3 days. Institution email Manual verification Course or institution	Student Beans describes registering as fast, free and easy. A paid membership price is not cited. — How it works	Student status lasts one year. Student Beans says it asks you to re-verify each year to show you are still in full-time education, and that it emails you when the ID is about to expire. The how-it-works page says you need to confirm you are still in full-time education for another 12 months. Why the iD expires How it works	Online, Student Beans says you search the brand on the app or website, copy a code and apply it at the basket or checkout. In-store, it says you show a Student Beans ID, including from an in-store tab or filter in the app. How it works
UNiDAYS	UNiDAYS’ UK support page says students over 16 who attend college or university, and who are given a personal institution email or a credit-card-style student ID issued by the institution, qualify. The same help centre says UNiDAYS supports apprenticeships, traineeships and professional placements, alongside schools, colleges and universities. Under 16s are not eligible. The UK homepage addresses people studying at college, sixth form or university, and says sixth forms and colleges are included. A part-time rule is not cited. — Who qualifies Apprenticeships UNiDAYS UK	A personal institution email is an address from the institution. Hotmail, Gmail and similar home addresses are not accepted, and neither are @gmail.com or @yahoo.com. Portal verification uses the login for the institution’s online learning platform. With no institution email or portal login, UNiDAYS says you can use the student ID card. Manual documents must show your name and the institution, and be valid for the current year. Accepted: student ID, or an admission or enrollment letter (UNiDAYS’ spelling). Refused: residential documentation, passports, driving licences, bus passes and citizen cards. The UK homepage says that where automatic verification is not available, a physical student ID from a school, college or university can be used, and that this can take up to 7 days in busy periods. For an apprenticeship, documents must show your name, the name of the apprenticeship and be valid for the current year. Accepted: student ID, an enrollment letter or a signed apprenticeship agreement. Manual verification Verifying Apprenticeship documents UNiDAYS UK	The UK homepage says current students can join for free and that the app is free to download. A paid UNiDAYS membership price is not cited. — UNiDAYS UK	UNiDAYS says you are verified for one year at a time. Expiry is based on the student ID card expiry, or an annual expiry if you verify by portal or email. An email is sent as the account nears expiration. If it has expired and you are still a student, you reverify from your profile with portal login or an institution email, or contact UNiDAYS with a copy of a credit-card-style student ID. The verifying page also says you can open a retailer’s offer and follow “reverify now”. The UK homepage says you re-verify every 12 months. It also describes a graduate GRADLiFE period of three further years. On that page, one answer says you reverify onto GRADLiFE and another says full members are enrolled automatically. Both sentences are on the page. This guide does not choose between them. Verifying UNiDAYS UK	The UK homepage says offers are in-store and online, and that in a partnered store you show the UNiDAYS ID from the app at checkout. Support says in-store redemption uses the app or the mobile site, and that a photo must be assigned to the UNiDAYS ID. Without the app or mobile site, support says in-store discounts cannot be used. UNiDAYS UK Verifying
TOTUM	TOTUM’s eligibility page says TOTUM and TOTUM+ are for students aged 16+ in further or higher education at a sixth form, school, college or university. The course should be at least 10 hours a week for 12 weeks, or 120 hours in total, and a recognised accredited qualification. The same page lists UK apprentices on an Intermediate (Level 2), Advanced (Level 3), Higher (Level 4/5) or Degree (Level 6/7) apprenticeship. The student page says you are likely eligible at 16+ at a UK school, sixth form, college or university if the course is at least 10 hours a week for 12 weeks and is a recognised accredited qualification. It also says a part-time student can join when the course meets that hours rule. Eligibility Student discounts	The eligibility page says you confirm with the email from your organisation (it gives a university email as the example), apprenticeship details, proof of study, or a verification or voucher code. Help says the methods you see depend on the organisation: organisation sign-in, the organisation’s email, a document, or a verification or voucher code. If sign-in or email does not work, a document may be accepted instead. Student documents listed: a letter or email confirming enrolment or student status, a student-portal screenshot, or a student ID card with an expiry date. The document must show your name, place of study, and current course dates or an enrolment date within the past year. Apprentice documents listed: a letter or email confirming apprentice status, an apprenticeship agreement or training plan, or an apprenticeship-portal screenshot. It must show your name, the provider, and current dates or an enrolment date within the past year. The student page says the fastest way is an academic email ending in .ac.uk, and otherwise portal login or a photo of a student ID or learning agreement. The help pages describe the organisation’s own email and do not say every address must end in .ac.uk. Eligibility Confirm membership Document Student discounts	TOTUM describes the free membership as digital, for online offers. TOTUM+ is priced at £14.99 for one year, £24.99 for two years and £29.99 for three years. The help page says TOTUM+ includes a physical NUS-endorsed card for in-store discounts. Savings averages printed on TOTUM’s marketing pages are not repeated here. Cost Eligibility	You can renew up to 120 days before the expiry date shown on the card or app. Time left on the current membership is added to the new one. If the membership has lapsed, TOTUM says you reverify with one of the options available to you. An expired TOTUM+ card can still be renewed by choosing Upgrade on the account. A rule that you must re-prove student status every 12 months is not cited. — The lengths that are cited are the one-year, two-year and three-year TOTUM+ prices, and the expiry date on the card or app. Renew Cost	Free TOTUM is described as digital-only, for online offers. In-store use is tied to the paid TOTUM+ physical card. The student page says the same split: free membership for online discounts, and a physical card on TOTUM+. Cost Eligibility Student discounts

Visit Student Beans Visit UNiDAYS Visit TOTUM

Visit the site and read the current terms before you register. A discount only helps if you were going to buy the thing.

Apprentices

Student Beans

Documented. The how-it-works page includes apprentices, and the course page includes apprentices in full-time education. With no institution email, apprentices are asked to send proof of the course. How it works Course or institution Institution email

UNiDAYS

Documented. Support says yes to apprenticeships, traineeships and professional placements. Manual documents are a student ID, an enrollment letter or a signed apprenticeship agreement, showing your name, the apprenticeship name and validity for the current year. Apprenticeships Apprenticeship documents

TOTUM

Documented for Intermediate (Level 2), Advanced (Level 3), Higher (Level 4/5) and Degree (Level 6/7) apprenticeships. Evidence on the document page is a letter or email, an agreement or training plan, or a portal screenshot, showing your name, the provider, and current dates or an enrolment date within the past year. Eligibility Document

Sixth form

Student Beans

Documented on the how-it-works page, which names sixth-form students, and high school students over 16. The course help page names high school students over 16 and does not use the words “sixth form”. How it works Course or institution

UNiDAYS

Documented on the UK homepage, which names sixth form as well as college and university. The “who qualifies” support answer says college or university and does not use the words “sixth form”. A later answer mentions schools alongside apprenticeships. UNiDAYS UK Who qualifies Apprenticeships

TOTUM

Documented. The eligibility page lists sixth form, and the student page lists UK sixth form among school, college and university, with the hours and accreditation rules above. Eligibility Student discounts

Institutional email

Student Beans

Documented. A recognised email domain verifies straight away. The help page’s example is name@institution.ac.uk. No institution email: use the documents in the table, not a home address. How it works Institution email Course or institution

UNiDAYS

Documented. The address must be the personal one issued by the institution. A general institution inbox, Hotmail, Gmail, @gmail.com and @yahoo.com are not accepted. Alumni addresses are not accepted. No institution email: student ID card, or portal login where the institution supplies it. Verifying Manual verification

TOTUM

Documented as the email the organisation gave you. The student page calls an address ending in .ac.uk the fastest route. Help also offers portal sign-in, a code or a document when that email is not available, so this guide does not treat .ac.uk as the only pattern. Eligibility Student discounts Confirm membership

If verification does not work

Student Beans

A new place of study is reviewed by Student Beans’ support team, who say they confirm within 3 days whether the account is verified or rejected. Manual verification can take up to 3 days. If you have not heard by then, the help page says to write to help@studentbeans.com. That address is theirs. Do not send the document to Student Sterling. Course or institution Manual verification

UNiDAYS

If the institution is not supported, UNiDAYS says it does not meet current requirements. A missing verification email: check spam, then contact UNiDAYS. A portal error: the help page says there is likely a technical issue and that you can use a student ID card instead. Further help is the support contact pages, not an upload here. Apprenticeships Verification email Verifying Contact Verification contact

TOTUM

If organisation sign-in or email confirmation is not working, TOTUM says you may be able to upload a document instead. If none of the methods work, the same page says the support team can help. If the student portal is not working, the portal article says to get in touch. The help home is the support front door. Confirm membership Portal sign-in TOTUM Help

If your status has expired

Student Beans

The ID expires after one year. If you are still in full-time education, Student Beans says you can re-verify, and that it emails you before the ID expires. Why the iD expires How it works

UNiDAYS

Use the reverify route in the table: profile, “reverify now” on an offer, or contact UNiDAYS with a credit-card-style student ID if you are still a student. This page does not collect that copy. Verifying Verification contact

TOTUM

Renew from 120 days before the expiry date on the card or app, including after a lapse, by logging in. TOTUM says an expired TOTUM+ card can be renewed with Upgrade. Student Sterling does not renew it for you. Renew

Student Sterling does not take identity documents

Do not send a student card, enrolment letter, apprenticeship agreement, passport or driving licence to Student Sterling. This page has nowhere to upload one. If a platform asks for a document, use only the official help page linked above and cover anything that page says it does not need, such as a home address.

Banking, living costs and universities

This comparison stops at the discount platforms. Student accounts, living-cost funding and university guides are separate pages. The university hub, shortlist and compare are not paid placements.

Student bank accounts — Overdraft, eligibility, pay-in and what happens after graduation.
Living costs and funding — Funding by home nation. Figures only where an official page stated them.
University living guides — Twelve cited guides. No paid placement on the university pages.
Compare universities — Up to four guides, on this device, separate from saved deals.

Student bank accounts Living costs and funding University living guides Compare universities

Other everyday savings

Save Sterling covers everyday savings. It is not this comparison. Save Sterling

Sources

Opened 6 November 2026. Marketing totals for members or brand counts are left out.