Colleges capitalise on Extra scheme
The introduction of NUS Extra appears to have encouraged a host of similar schemes, with some colleges introducing discount cards for their students.
Both Halifax and Derwent have introduced their own branded cards, the Xtra VIP and the DIP card respectively, and both are charging their students. Dave Jones, chair of Derwent JCRC, denied that his card, which costs £10, is a money-making exercise, and instead promised buyers that “the DIP card will constantly be reassessed to make sure it provides the best value for its members.”
The Derwent Privilege System is offering discounts on college balls and merchandise, but is mainly focusing on offering non-financial advantages to members, such as exclusive socials and an extra day to buy tickets for Club D. Jones also said that they hoped to have a number of bars in York signed up to offer discounts, but claimed that other discounts would be made available if these didn’t materialise.
In contrast, the Xtra VIP card is only offering college savings. The scheme, which costs £30, promises £1 entry into all Xtra events, £1 off Halifax’s two flagship Freshers’ events, 10% off ball tickets for the holder and a friend, as well as 10% off merchandise orders.
Sam Bayley, Chair of the Halifax College Student Association, said that “if you went to every event and bought a hoodie and a t-shirt you would save £21”, though he confirmed that compared to someone who bought Xtra tickets in advance, a cardholder would only save £9. He also said that the number of events that needed to be missed to fail to make a saving was “low… the card is not for everybody. It’s a way that students can save money and still get involved in the college.”
Some members of the HCSA are reportedly unhappy about the card. Sources on the HCSA committee have said they do not recall the final details of the scheme being brought to a committee vote, and the Halifax minutes do not detail a final vote. Bayley strongly denies that this is the case, and said “ I have in my meeting notes that the vote was Week Eight of the summer term, but this was not minuted properly.”
York Entrepreneurs has also launched their own scheme, the VIP card. George Hudson, who is behind the idea, said that the VIP card “is the best choice for students as it offers great discounts at a good price [£6].”
The card has found itself in opposition to the NUS Extra card, although Hudson claims not to have known of NUS’s plans when starting the VIP card. He also revealed that YUSU had blocked the society advertising the card in Freshers’ leaflets “because it posed a threat to the NUS Extra card. The Students’ Union put the NUS’s interests above that of a student society and we’re now in direct competition.”
However, Colin Hindson, Societies and Communications Officer for the Students’ Union, said they couldn’t have advertised the card as “the Union has a direct business link with NUS Extra and we make money out of it, which would have been threatened by the VIP card.”
Hudson calls it a “mistake”, saying that they offered YUSU a cut of the profits. “The NUS Extra is not good value for money as £10 is a ridiculous amount of money considering students did not have to pay for it last year.
“But they’ve had to do it as the NUS are in so much debt.”
