I spent many days (and nights!) studying at my local Barnes and Noble. WHich got me wondering.
Does Barnes and Noble have a student discount? We looked into it and this is what we found…
Does Barnes & Noble Have Student Discounts?
Barnes & Noble retail bookstores do not offer exclusive “student” discounts. They do, however, offer a variety of regular discounts and book deals which anyone can access whether they are a student or not.
This article takes a look at Barnes & Noble discounts and deals: where to find them, who can access them and how to do it.
Is The Barnes & Noble Member Discount And The Student Discount The Same Thing?
Barnes & Noble membership is open to anyone who wants to join, regardless of ‘student status”. In other words, “member discount” and “student discount” are the same thing and have the same eligibility criteria.
All you need to do to access member discounts is to sign up and pay the yearly subscription fee, which is $25.
However, it’s important to remember that Barnes & Noble offer a range of discounts regardless of whether you have membership or not. This means that you can get some discounts even without the membership.
For example, anyone who shops at Barnes & Noble online can qualify for free shipping provided they satisfy the “eligible” items rule – and you don’t have to be a student to get this one.
But if you sign up for a membership, your shipping will be free no matter what the total of your order comes to. The usual exclusions apply: free shipping totals won’t include “non-book” ware, such as gift cards, magazines, and the B&N range of digital products.
Other Barnes & Noble discounts include their “bulk order” offer (discounts on orders of 50 copies or more of the same title). An order of this size would also qualify for free shipping.
An Educator Discount Programme, which offers Pre-K through Grade 12 educators, librarians, and homeschoolers a 20% discount off the publisher’s list price on select “educational” items.
You May Also Be Interested In: Does Barnes and Noble Price Match?
How Do I Get Free Shipping At Barnes & Noble?
When you’re shopping at B& N online, all you have to do is fill your shopping cart with at least $35 worth of eligible items and then be sure to select “standard shipping” at checkout. If you have the right amount of the correct items, you won’t pay any shipping.
This offer only applies to domestic shipping and it’s important to remember that not all Barnes & Noble items are eligible for free shipping. Items which do qualify are all clearly marked “Qualifies for free shipping”.
Items which don’t contribute to your $35 worth of items include gift cards, gift certificates, magazines, digital products such as eBooks, SparkNotes, Quamut Charts, digital magazines, PDF files, and audiobook MP3s, and the Barnes & Noble Membership fee itself.
What Are The Barnes & Noble Member Discounts?
The discounts offered by Barnes & Noble in exchange for membership are very useful for the regular Barnes & Noble shopper. You’ll get rewards and discounts all year round ranging from instore offers to a special gift on your birthday.
Here’s what you can look forward to:
- Member only offers online and instore throughout the year
- 40% off hardcover bestsellers instore
- Early access to sales and other store events
- Free shipping with no minimum purchase
- 10% off the lowest price instore, including magazines and Café items.
- A little something on your birthday
- 10% off the regular price of all NOOK devices and accessories online and instore
How Do I Get A Barnes & Noble Membership?
To become a B&N member and enjoy exclusive benefits, just head to their membership page and read the membership details and rewards.
You’ll see a “terms and conditions” button. Click on this to read them through before you accept. Especially note the cancellation terms.
You’ll read that member costs $25 a year and will renew automatically – although you can opt out of automatic renewal any time before the automatic charge.
You’ll also see three more points of note down the bottom of the page, one of which reminds you that you need a working email address in order to sign up.
Once you’ve made up your mind, simply click “join now”.
As soon as you’ve joined you can take advantage of your membership, but any purchases made before you joined up cannot be credited with discounts. Note also that benefits cannot be used in conjunction with any coupons or with any other discount such as staff or corporate discounts.
Want to learn more about Barnes and Noble? Check out our related posts:
- Does Barnes and Noble Take Apple Pay?
- Does Barnes and Noble Price Match?
- Why Is Barnes & Noble So Expensive?
Conclusion..
Barnes & Noble don’t offer discount exclusively to students. However, they do offer excusive discounts to members. Anyone can become a member: you’ll need an email account and $25 each year membership fee.
Alternatively, you can qualify for free shipping (without the membership) if you purchase at least $35 worth of eligible items at any one time. When you shop online, you’ll notice that eligible free shipping items are all clearly marked.