Does anyone have experience with the ISIC card in Europe -- especially in Italy, Croatia, Greece? Does it qualify for really significant discounts on travel fares, entertainment, dining, etc.? Or does any student ID-holder usually get a discount?

The ISIC card is definitely worthwhile. Both my kids used it in Italy, France and England and saved money on travel and attractions on two separate trips. Any other student card does not work for discounts.
They were both very glad to have it for the small cost of getting one.

Maureen,

I don’t know about the countries you list. My son who studied abroad in Paris last spring got an ISIC card but never used it because the university there issued him a picture ID.

From what I remember the ISIC card cost about $20 but you need to supply pictures, mail/fax proof and then they send you a card with a blank spot where you affix your picture. However, there's no point spending money if you can find out from the school if they issue an ID.

I hope there are no typos in this message as the Marriott ad is blocking more than half of it and won't budge!

When I was travelling as a student, I used a regular student ID and got all my discounts...

I was going to add that I remember from your previous posts that your daughter was interested in studying abroad. Tobie and I must have been posting at the same time and I wanted to clarify that I don't know about how useful the card would be for regular student travel. Here's the Marriott ad again!

My comment about regular student cards not working applies to North American cards. I have no knowledge of the European discounts when you're studying abroad.

The card is readily available in Canada from on campus travel services and is laminated with the student's photos. Again, for a small fee it is worth having..... as another form of ID if nothing else.

Thank you, all. I'll ask her to find out if she'll be issued an ID card from the Italian U. She will also have her student ID from the States, but I'm wondering if that's enough to get the discounts, or does she need the ISIC, too? It's about $22, and is a bit of a hassle to get, but worth it if it actually saves money.

I found that the ISIC card was really useful to me back 10-12 years ago. I traveled with a friend who had a non-ISIC student card and it was rejected in a few (but not all) places. We were told it's because the ISIC card is recognizable and credible, whereas anyone could put together a (presumably fake) student card from University XYZ.

You can get great airfare deals from STA Travel www.statravel.com if you have an ISIC card!

I believe you also get some limited insurance with the ISIC student card. That said museum discounts in some countries seem strictly based on age - in France and Holland for example under 26. Some youths i talk to say they never used the card - others say yes - it depends on the country - Italy i believe at museums requires the ISIC card for discounts though regular student IDs may pass museum cashiers as well. My general impression is that there are no big savings with the card as in europe such savings are often given to anyone under 26, which makes sense to me as the right thing to do.