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Every PennCard holder has wide access to a range of discounts and free offerings from the University. From cultural experiences to transportation and everyday services, The Daily Pennsylvanian compiled a list of easy-to-miss opportunities that the University community can utilize.
Entertainment
Students can receive discounted or free entry to cultural experiences such as the Penn Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. Penn Live Arts offers discounted tickets for live performances, and there are special deals available for Penn Athletics games — including free seats at five types of sporting events.
Off campus, WXPN’s Free@Noon concerts hosted by the Department of Music are one of several events Penn students can enjoy for free.
Research
The University offers the Penn community free access to several digital resources and media platforms that can be used to complete research and assignments.
Through Penn Libraries, all Penn students may use academic databases and tools like Ancestry.com. The organization also offers access to the Libraries’ collection of texts, or books from an Interlibrary Loan for works that are not currently held in the Penn catalog.
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Penn Libraries provides free subscriptions to multiple news publications — including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Financial Times, and The Philadelphia Inquirer while connected to Penn WiFi. Most of these subscriptions only require website registration using a PennKey.
Transportation
Penn provides transportation and travel discounts that can help students save money — both on and off campus.
The University offers discounts to SEPTA rail passes and free access to campus transportation options like the Loop through University City bus.
Furthermore, ride-sharing options — including carpool, Emergency Ride Home, and Bike Commuter Reimbursement Programs — provide affordable means for Penn students to travel short distances.
Lifestyle
Perks provided to Penn students also include a variety of lifestyle and shopping benefits.
Offerings related to fitness, travel reservations, cell phone services, and pet care are offered to the Penn community in several ways. Notably, all PennCard holders are eligible for a 10% discount on YMCA monthly gym membership fees.
On-campus residents can log in to Xfinity with their PennKey and access 291 channels for free — including ESPN, CSPAN, and The Discovery Channel.
Additional discounts and services are available through Penn Human Resources’ YouDecide platform — where students can browse discounts on a range of products and services.
