Student Universe, youth and student fares?

[princessmaria]

Does anyone else here use Student Universe for their trips? I've paid as cheap as 510 for a round trip and I seriously swear by them. I feel like I'm being sponsored right now but they offer discounts for anyone under the age of 25 and anyone who is a student enrolled in college or university. You sign up with your student email, or you have to send a scan of your ID to confirm your age so that they can validate your account as either a youth account, or a student account. It's really great, actually. Some airlines require you to show your student ID or prove that you're under 25, but since I travel with AirCanada normally I can vouch for them never asking about it. However, I've read that british airlines are a bit more strict about it and do require you to show proof of your fare status.

I just think it's a really great money saver (we end up saving 100 dollars or more typically) and wanted to share.

[kittyo9]

I booked through them when I went to Peru last year, but I wouldn't say that the rates they set were exclusive. I also found the same rate on I think travelocity (and this was after months of checking on Kayak, those, and other sites for good fares, and SU was never the cheapest until then), but booked through them because why not. They were sort of helpful, though-- they called me whenever my flight information changed (changed layovers mostly) and confirmed with me that it was still okay. I didn't need them to do that, but eh, service.

[princessmaria]

I booked through them when I went to Peru last year, but I wouldn't say that the rates they set were exclusive. I also found the same rate on I think travelocity (and this was after months of checking on Kayak, those, and other sites for good fares, and SU was never the cheapest until then), but booked through them because why not. They were sort of helpful, though-- they called me whenever my flight information changed (changed layovers mostly) and confirmed with me that it was still okay. I didn't need them to do that, but eh, service.

They were really helpful when my SO ended up being denied access into the US. I needed a ticket to him FAST and normally when you book so close to the date (in my case, it was literally 2 days after) the price goes way up. I paid modest 635 dollars when everywhere else was 800+ due to the time frame. I've noticed that their rates don't fluctuate in the same manner that most other sites do. They also were extremely sympathetic to what happened to my SO and helped us out with contacting aircanada and getting our ticket refunded, so yeah they have great service.

[Riyko]

I used them once when my dad couldn't get me from Canada to the US and back, but I had a horrible experience with them which kind of makes me glad i can't use them anymore. It could be good to save money on if they follow through.

My experience was i purchased round trip tickets for $350 my confirmation from them even showed that price, but when i checked my credit card they charged me a little over $900, outraged i called them and they said it was the price on the website after about 4 months of fighting with them and someone admitting their mistake or not having it set to change the price, i got the difference plus a little more back. Then during this same transaction they were trying to tell me I wasn't under 25 and that my school ID wasn't real because the school doesn't exist, they had to call the school to find out if I was actually a student there or not and if the school was real. this is just my experience though others might have great experiences with them.

[Zapookie]

I use STA travel. They sound similar, but it goes up to 26 years of age. Their fares are always 100-200 dollars cheaper than other websites.

[BeeDubby]

I booked my SO others ticket through Student Universe. A LOT CHEAPER THAN EVERY OTHER SITE WE CHECKED! We saved about $650 on a one way ticket from Texas to Brisbane. Mindblown at that savings compared to how much it was on the actual Qantas website (only airline that does a NONSTOP flight from Texas to Brisbane). Any other site with cheaper tickets all had stopovers which my girl wasn't comfortable with seeing as she's never been on an international flight before, and those sites were still about $200 more expensive. Unfortunately seeing as she's 25 and turning 26 next year it means we won't be able to use them again and take advantage of those awesome savings.

I must say their customer service is erratic though. She had to change her flight twice which was $100 fee each time, and each time she was on the phone to them for over an hour. She spoke to one idiot that wanted to cancel the flight completely because he couldn't figure out how to just change the flight. He put her on hold every couple of minutes whilst trying to process her request. After an hour and forty minutes of talking to this moron he finally put her through to his manager and the change was completed in about 2 minutes. It just seems that not all of their staff are trained properly. It's a lucky dip to see if you get someone that knows what to do with their job.

So yeah, much cheaper, but what you save in money you pay back to them in stress and frustration. >_<

[Tooki]

I booked my SO others ticket through Student Universe. A LOT CHEAPER THAN EVERY OTHER SITE WE CHECKED! We saved about $650 on a one way ticket from Texas to Brisbane. Mindblown at that savings compared to how much it was on the actual Qantas website (only airline that does a NONSTOP flight from Texas to Brisbane). Any other site with cheaper tickets all had stopovers which my girl wasn't comfortable with seeing as she's never been on an international flight before, and those sites were still about $200 more expensive. Unfortunately seeing as she's 25 and turning 26 next year it means we won't be able to use them again and take advantage of those awesome savings.

I must say their customer service is erratic though. She had to change her flight twice which was $100 fee each time, and each time she was on the phone to them for over an hour. She spoke to one idiot that wanted to cancel the flight completely because he couldn't figure out how to just change the flight. He put her on hold every couple of minutes whilst trying to process her request. After an hour and forty minutes of talking to this moron he finally put her through to his manager and the change was completed in about 2 minutes. It just seems that not all of their staff are trained properly. It's a lucky dip to see if you get someone that knows what to do with their job.

So yeah, much cheaper, but what you save in money you pay back to them in stress and frustration. >_<

Qantas doesn't directly sell cheap one-way tickets internationally and never has as far as I can remember.

But congrats on getting a cheap flight! I got a one-way flight to Tallinn from Sydney for a bit under $1000 in the middle of July through STA Travel, which was pretty cheap.

[BeeDubby]

Qantas doesn't directly sell cheap one-way tickets internationally and never has as far as I can remember.

But congrats on getting a cheap flight! I got a one-way flight to Tallinn from Sydney for a bit under $1000 in the middle of July through STA Travel, which was pretty cheap.

Yeah, through Qantas it was $1409 and through Student Universe it was $840 (which I just realized is $550 cheaper not $650, did my maths wrong).

So STA Travel is like Student Universe but with an extra year allowance? Is it Up to 26 or does it include 26 as well? I think I've actually seen STA Travel stores here in Australia.

[Tooki]

Yeah, through Qantas it was $1409 and through Student Universe it was $840 (which I just realized is $550 cheaper not $650, did my maths wrong).

So STA Travel is like Student Universe but with an extra year allowance? Is it Up to 26 or does it include 26 as well? I think I've actually seen STA Travel stores here in Australia.

I assume as much. I do not know if it includes 26 year olds.

I booked my ticket online as the girl in-store wouldn't let me buy a one-way flight (even though I had a residence permit for Sweden approved.)