I have heard from several people that the International Student card is a must while backpacking through Europe. While others say that they received little recognition and/or discounts with the card. I plan on backpacking for 3 months with my boyfriend (we are both 25) and so we decided to buy the card anyways, but should we be aggressive with it? Or did we just waste 20 bucks...?
Posted by
OP
San Francisco, CA, USA
8 posts
Awesome! Thanks for the heads up! Yeah I figured even if it discounts a few things here and there it helps out. And I just found out it gives you 25,000 worth of medical insurance, so that's not a bad deal.
Posted by
Manchester
495 posts
The not very helpful answer is: it depends.
Some places offer student discounts, some don't. Of those that do they have different ID requirements...
My philosophy is that there is no harm in asking but don't get upset if you're not entitled to a particular discount. I also think being "aggressive" with the card is a mistake. The thing only cost $20 so you only need to use it a few times to break even (I think they were £6 when I last had one, how old I feel.)
Posted by
Puyallup, WA, USA
881 posts
I had great luck with it, and it used to offer some free trip insurance which was nice (not sure now, been a while).
A few places wouldn't accept my college ID< as it had no expiration date, so the ISIC card came in handy.
Also, some hostels gave a discount with it. (I was 29 at the time, going back to school, so kind of close to your ages.)
Totally worth it, for my 2 cents. :)