While doing research for my trip to Egypt I stumbled across a mention of an International Student Identity Card that offered a ton of discounts. Since I am always looking for discounts, I decided to check it out. I came across STA Travel and the MyISIC.com web site.

If you do not plan to do any traveling outside of the country, than I am not sure if this will do much more than provide a consolidated list of all the places you, as a student, can get discounts. However, if you plan to travel internationally, then this could provide a substantial financial benefit. According to them, it is necessary to prove your identification as a student, with this card, in order to receive student discounts abroad. The cost of the card is $22, plus $3 if you need them to take your picture, and is valid for an entire year (i.e., from January 1-December 31), not for a year after you get it.

After looking around, I found that they had quite a few discounts listed so I decided to give it a shot. They have a Discount Finder on the MyISIC.com homepage where you can search by city if you would like as well. When I was at the STA Travel office here in Pasadena I was told, “Just flash the card everywhere you go,” so I plan to do so. I will be sure to post another entry to the blog regarding how well it worked out and whether I then consider it to have been worth it or not.

By the way, they also have an International Youth Travel Card and an International Teacher Identity Card that offer similar discounts.