The International Student Blog

As an international student, whether you are planning to just do some traveling, or you are going to be studying abroad outside of your home country, it is often recommended that you carry and purchase an international student ID card. When searching for the best card, there are a number of different cards you can purchase – however it is always best to follow these few simple guidelines when looking to purchase one:

1. Most international ID cards are not actual forms of identification, you will still need to carry your passport with you for “actual” identification. Saying that, the better and more well know ID cards are so widespread that most places will allow you to use them as proof of student status. So its always best to look out for the places that will accept your card.
2. A lot of the newer ID cards now provide a lot of medical coverage, which can be good thing. However, you should be careful about having too much insurance. If you have a medical/ health insurance policy through your parents, that will most likely provide some coverage when abroad, and you may even be purchasing separate travel health insurance – which is always advisable. If your student ID card is then loaded up with medical and travel insurance benefits that means you have coverage in 3 places. This might sound nice on the outset, but if you come to the point where you need to use your medical/ health insurance coverage and need to file a claim, each insurer could look at your other coverage and say you need to file with them first (as most travel health insurance is what is called “secondary insurance” which basically means, it will pay out before any other insurance you have). The end result is you can have a nasty spiral of claims going from one insurer to the next. If you have good travel insurance coverage, having the extra and enhanced benefits on your student ID card may not always be the best thing.
3. Some international student ID Cards come as part of a bundled offer or package from your travel supplier. While a nice thing, that packaged student ID card may not be the best one for you – so check it out, find out the benefits and compare them to others in the marketplace.
4. Most of the time, student ID cards can be purchased from local offices that are near to you. This is a great way to go in and talk with the local representative and find out why the card is the best one for you. It is also good to see if you can purchase your card online – as sometimes you can find offers and discounts that are run throughout the year that will give you free shipping or a percentage off with a coupon code – all saving you money!
5. One of the biggest things you should look for in an international student ID card is the discounts and offers you can get with the card. Go onto their website and do a search to the countries/ cities you are traveling to and find out what discounts and offers they have available there. One card may have benefits that are more applicable to you over another card, or may have better or more offers in one city you plan to travel at.

If are looking for an international student ID card, InternationalStudent.com offers the ISE card which offers excellent discounts around the world and some great added features such as airline bankruptcy protection, a worldwide assistance center and much more. For further details please visit our website to learn more about the product.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 13th, 2010 at 5:13 pm and is filed under International Student, Study Abroad. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.