Should I get a student travel ID card?

At many student travel sites, visitors may be presented with an ad or article regarding the great deals students can get by purchasing a student travel ID card. After looking at these ads for a long time and not being familiar with the cards, I became curious as to whether they are worth purchasing. Personally, they reminded me of the fundraiser cards I used to sell for squirt teeball, so I was skeptical to say the least.

During my research, I learned that ISTC (International Student Travel Confederation) was the only company that sells student travel cards. The ISTC sells their travel card called the ISIC (International Student Identity Card)
I was expecting student travel card companies to be as numerous as phone calling card companies, but they were not. The ISIC card is actually the only internationally recognized form of identification for students, so they have a small monopoly over the market.

Ok, now for the facts. To purchase an ISIC card, you are suppose to go through a local branch that makes the cards. However, an easier alternative is to buy one online at MyISIC.com

The card costs $25 with a 4 week shipping option. Whether the card will pay for itself is up to you. ISIC has a list of student discounts in each country. I browsed through several different countries and found a few good deals here and there. Generally speaking, most of the large discounts apply to hotels, car rentals, and travel. There are also discounts with restaurants, insurance companies, and stores, but I would not be interested in only paying 14 euros for a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe in Germany.

So overall, I am not too impressed with the discounts available to student travelers with the ISIC card. However, if you are planning a specific trip to a country the ISIC card might be worth checking out because it does have potential to save you some money.

[tags] travel, student travel, ID,study abroad , travel card, ISIC, ISTC, [/tags]