Apple stores and Education discounts

[LAS.mac]

I wonder if the folks here have an idea, or personal experience, in buying laptops in the US Apple Stores and asking for educational discount with a foreign University ID.
I'm currently enrolled in a mexican institution and have University ID. Because I'll be in the US next month, I wonder if I can take advantage of my mexican educational ID to buy.
I would take advantage of the NH no taxes + educational discount...

 

[Aboo]

I think the Apple Store in Rockingham is pretty cool - they have never asked me for an educational ID before. I think you should be alright. Technically speaking however, the US educational discount is to be utilized by students who go to an accredited US institution. So technically your Mexican educational ID will not work. So don't push it if they ask you for an ID and then say no because you have the mexican educational ID.

Also, one other suggestion you may want to try is ordering through the online apple educational store. Last time I ordered from there, they never checked a student id, etc. So you may want to try that option.

 

[pmac]

Just bumping this thread as I am in a similar boat, has anyone tried getting the education discount and/or free ipod touch in a US apple retail store? From the website the 'do you qualify' section for the free ipod touch reads

K12

Any employee of a public or private K-12 institution in the United States is eligible. In addition, school board members who are currently serving as elected or appointed members are eligible. PTA or PTO executives currently serving as elected or appointed officers are eligible.

Higher Education

Faculty and staff of Higher Education institutions; and students attending, or accepted into a Higher Education institution are eligible to purchase. Purchases from the Apple Store for Education Individuals are not for institutional purchase or resale.

Higher Education Parents

Parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private Higher Education Institution in the United States, are eligible to purchase.

I am hoping that because the requirements for higher education do not specify institutions in the United States while the other two do that it is open to all. I am in the states for work (I work at a University) for just a few days next week so ordering online is not really an option and the exchange rate is very favourable.

 

[ddiogyn]

My UK student ID was accepted at the Fifth Ave store in New York back when iPods were still eligible for discount, that was a while ago though.

 

[Magaman]

I have yet to have an issue buying anything with a student ID and have yet to hear anyone having issues. Truthfully the sheer profit they make on each purchase, the education discount impacts Apple very minimally they are still making a decent profit even on discount sales.

 

[miles01110]

It does not matter what institution you have an ID for- as long as it's higher education.

 

[nigameash]

they dont check for ids, just order online

 

[mdgolom]

I think the Apple Store in Rockingham is pretty cool - they have never asked me for an educational ID before.

I think it varies by store. I've always had to present my ID when I buy using the education discount. When I drove to Delaware to buy my iMac to save sales tax, they accepted my ID from Maryland. The salesperson did say they only accept student IDS from withing 100 miles of the store. That's the first time I ever heard that.

 

[OziMac]

I've had varied results.

Previously it was a non-issue - back in the day when iPods were still discounted, I had been able to use my foreign student card for iPods, Macs, you name it. I'd even heard of friends buying things using a family member's foreign student card as well.

However, more recently I've had two different types of encounter at the same store - firstly, I was told that the discount was available using a foreign student card, but only if you could also produce a US state ID (driver's licence etc). Not being a US resident, this is more than a bit of a problem. However, at the very same store later the same day, I had another sales assistant waive that requirement and process it based on my foreign ID.

I don't know what the correct policy is and obviously haven't named names or placed the stores deliberately, but nevertheless, my advice is that you should try, and if don't be dissuaded if you hit a barrier, simply try again (or try somewhere else).

 

[peskaa]

I got a black MacBook with edu discount in Los Angeles, without even having any ID on me - and I was visiting from the UK. The sales guy asked if I was a student, then simply watched me log on to my university's online system - he was then happy. When it came to pay, I was told to just say I was at SoCal.