One of the most challenging thing about being a student in Sweden is to survive on a budget in one of the most expensive countries in the world. Fortunately, the Mecenat card is here to make our lives a little bit easier in that regard!
But what is this Mecenat card (a.k.a. student ID) that I’m talking about? Well, it’s basically a discount card that is given to any person who is registered as a student in Sweden. This card comes with a mobile app that allows you to check all the discounts and deals you have access to. It even comes with a map where you can see which nearby stores are offering student discounts.
At SLU campus Ultuna, the student union (ULS) is in charge of all Mecenat-related affairs.
As far as I know, there are two ways to get your Mecenat card:
1- You become a member of ULS and then, after a week or two, you will receive an e-mail with a code – this code is the proof that you are a student registered as a member of the Student Union at SLU. After receiving the code, you can download the Mecenat app on your phone and create an account. And then voilà! You have your electronic Mecenat card that will look more or less like the following picture.
Note: you can also ask for a physical card by sending an e-mail to Mecenat customer service, but it is enough with just the digital version. Also, if you don’t get your code in the first two weeks it is better to go directly to the union and ask for help.
2- If you don’t want to become a Student Union member, you can still get your Mecenat card if you mail Mecenat’s customer service and attach a document proving that you are currently enrolled in an official Swedish university (you can get this document at the Service Center). Two weeks later you will receive your physical Mecenat card in your mail box. If you want the app so you can look for discounts and have an electronic version of your card, you still can do it. You just will need to download the app and create an account with your e-mail and your student ID number (comprised of 8 numbers); this number you can get it at the Student Union’s desk.
Note: Since you are not linked to the Student Union that can vouch for you, you will have to repeat this process every 6 months to keep proving to Mecenat that you are still studying.
If you notice in the pictures, my Student Union Mecenat card looks slightly different from the normal Mecenat card. This is because the first one is linked to my membership to the Student Union and that means that the Union will take care of renewing my Mecenat card automatically every 6 months, so I don’t have to go through the process I described in point 2.
Personally, I find the Mecenat card really helpful, especially when buying monthly bus cards and of course getting my fika discounts! Talking about fika, it is almost Christmas time and that means Christmas themed pastries! Keep posted for my next blog about the deliciousness of Lussekatt.
Hope you have a lovely day!
Anna